Russell Johnson
There are approximately 1,444 people named Russell Johnson living in the United States today. That makes this name combination rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 237,365 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Russell with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Johnson. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
1,444
1 in 237,365
Named Russell
220K
Alive today
Named Johnson
2.2M
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 220K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1960
Average age: 57
Estimated bearers: 2.2M
Rarity: Very Common
Census rank: #2
Per 100K: 655.24
Top ancestry: White (59.0%)
First name trend
Russell: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Russell. The peak year was 1960 with 7,505 births. The average person named Russell today is 57 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Johnson surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Johnson, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 59.0%.
- White59.0%
- Black or African American34.6%
- Two or more races2.6%
- Hispanic or Latino2.4%
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Russell has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0643% of the US population, based on 220,395 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname Johnson appears at a rate of 655.24 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.6552%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 1,444 people with the full name Russell Johnson. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Russell
Related
Other people with the surname Johnson
FAQ
Russell Johnson: questions and answers
How many people are named Russell Johnson?
We estimate approximately 1,444 people in the United States share the full name Russell Johnson. That works out to about 1 in 237,365 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0643%) with the surname frequency (655.24 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Russell Johnson?
We classify Russell Johnson as "Rare". About 1 in 237,365 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Russell a male or female name?
Russell is predominantly male. Out of 360,516 total SSA registrations, 99.5% were male and 0.5% were female. See the full Russell 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 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.