Jay Russell
There are approximately 104 people named Jay Russell living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 3,295,715 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Jay 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
104
1 in 3,295,715
Named Jay
146K
Alive today
Named Russell
243K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 146K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1960
Average age: 53
Top Census group: White (74.6%)
Estimated bearers: 243K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #108
Per 100K: 70.84
Top ancestry: White (73.9%)
First name trend
Jay: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Jay. The peak year was 1960 with 5,427 births. The average person named Jay today is 53 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jay
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Jay, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 74.6%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Jay 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 Jay at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White74.6% · 122,333
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.8% · 14,460
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 10,779
- Black or African American6.4% · 10,575
- Two or more races2.8% · 4,635
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,309
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 Jay has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0427% of the US population, based on 146,487 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 Jay 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 104 people with the full name Jay 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 Jay
Related
Other people with the surname Russell
FAQ
Jay Russell: questions and answers
How many people are named Jay Russell?
We estimate approximately 104 people in the United States share the full name Jay Russell. That works out to about 1 in 3,295,715 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0427%) with the surname frequency (70.84 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Jay Russell?
We classify Jay Russell as "Very Rare". About 1 in 3,295,715 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Jay a male or female name?
Jay is predominantly male. Out of 197,300 total SSA registrations, 98.7% were male and 1.3% were female. See the full Jay 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 are named Jay Russell?
You can see how many people are called Jay Russell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.