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Origin / History of the Russell Name

The original Russells were not of Irish stock with the name appearing in Irish records after the Anglo-Norman invasion.  Today it is now mostly found in Ulster and Leinster.  Introduced into England during the Norman Conquest of 1066 the name is a diminutive patronymic and means ‘the son of Red’, from the Old French ‘Rous’, red, a nickname for someone with red hair, and ‘-el’, little.  In the English National Biography there are over sixty entries for Russell.  In the modern idiom, the name has seven spelling variations:- Russel, Russell, Russill, Rousel(l) and Roussel(l).  The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Rousel, which was dated 1115, in the ‘Winton Rolls of Hampshire’, during the reign of King Henry 1, known as ‘The Administrator’, 1100 - 1135.

Coat of Arms / Crest
A Coat of Arms is bestowed upon individuals, not families and are not transferable.  Crests are handed down and derived by family members.

Over sixty Coats of Arms have been granted to bearers of this illustrious name, one of the earliest being that of the Russells of Shropshire, which depicts, on a black shield, a fess between six gold martlets. The martlet signifies one who subsists on wings of virtue and merit, having little land to rest upon.  The motto 'Che Sara Sara', which translated means 'What will be will be'.

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