Bill Russell
There are approximately 54 people named Bill Russell living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 6,347,303 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Bill with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Russell. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
54
1 in 6,347,303
Named Bill
76K
Alive today
Named Russell
243K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 76K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1947
Average age: 70
Top Census group: White (84.2%)
Estimated bearers: 243K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #108
Per 100K: 70.84
Top ancestry: White (73.9%)
First name trend
Bill: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Bill. The peak year was 1947 with 4,688 births. The average person named Bill today is 70 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bill
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Bill, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 84.2%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Bill described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Bill at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White84.2% · 65,489
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.6% · 3,566
- Black or African American4.4% · 3,430
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 2,701
- Two or more races2.3% · 1,801
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 825
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Russell surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Russell, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 73.9%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Russell described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Russell at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White73.9% · 156,554
- Black or African American16.5% · 35,009
- Two or more races4.4% · 9,312
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 7,367
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 2,049
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,438
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Bill has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0222% of the US population, based on 76,202 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Bill right now.
The surname Russell appears at a rate of 70.84 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0708%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 54 people with the full name Bill Russell. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Bill
Related
Other people with the surname Russell
FAQ
Bill Russell: questions and answers
How many people are named Bill Russell?
We estimate approximately 54 people in the United States share the full name Bill Russell. That works out to about 1 in 6,347,303 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0222%) with the surname frequency (70.84 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Bill Russell?
We classify Bill Russell as "Very Rare". About 1 in 6,347,303 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Bill a male or female name?
Bill is predominantly male. Out of 161,173 total SSA registrations, 99.6% were male and 0.4% were female. See the full Bill profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many people share the full name Bill Russell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.