In medieval times surnames were derived from three main sources; occupations, place names and to a lesser extent descriptive nicknames. The evidence that the surname Russell derived from a place name has been largely ignored or discounted by authors. It is on record that the first person to use the Russell name was William Russell who was named in the Lenton Priory Register as the son of an Anglo-Norman, Ralph de Rosel. Ralph de Rosel's name is also on record, in the Winton Domesday Book of (1107-1128). He was a descendant of a Hugh de Rosel, 'de Rosel' being a place name, derived from the village of Rosel in Normandy, his place of origin.
It is on record that the first person to use the Russell name was William Russell who was named in the Lenton Priory Register as the son of an Anglo-Norman, Ralph de Rosel. Ralph de Rosel's name is also on record, in the Winton Domesday Book of (1107-1128). He was a descendant of a Hugh de Rosel, 'de Rosel' being a place name, derived from the village of Rosel in Normandy, his place of origin.