Russella as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Russella

What is the meaning of the name Russella ?

The baby name Russella is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced ruh-SELL-uh (/rʌˈsɛlə/).

Russella is English in Origin.

Russella is a feminine elaboration of the English given name and surname Russell, which came via Norman French Roussel “little red one,” a diminutive of rous “red,” ultimately from Latin russus. The meaning points to a red-haired or ruddy person, a nickname that became hereditary as a surname and later a given name.

As a first name, Russella appears in English-speaking records from the late 1800s through the mid‑1900s, reflecting the era’s taste for surname-based feminine forms; it has remained uncommon but recognizable. Variants and related forms include Russelle (a French-influenced spelling); across languages, cognates such as French Roussel(le) and Italian Rossella share the same color-root. The name therefore conveys “little red(-haired) one” or “of a ruddy complexion,” while retaining the tailored, Anglophone polish of its parent name Russell.

⚙ Russella is extremely rare. Our whole dataset turns up only 7 recorded uses, across 7 countries.