Ruben
Ruben was the 480th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 632 babies. Its best year was 1980, when it ranked 165th; the most babies were born in 1992 (1,805). Over the last ten years it has moved down 106 places. More babies were named Ruben in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning see, a son! · Hebrew
Say it ROO-bin /ˈrubən/
- Rank in 2025
- #480 boys, down 14 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 632boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19921,805 babies
- Total since 1880
- 117,207babies recorded
What does the name Ruben mean?
Ruben is a form of Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah. The Hebrew Re'uven is usually read as re'u ven, "see, a son". Genesis 29:32 gives Leah's explanation, a wordplay linking the name with "God has seen my affliction"; the JPS translation spells out both senses. Ruben is the Spanish, Portuguese and Scandinavian spelling.
רְאוּבֵן (Biblical Hebrew, “see, a son”)
How sure is this? Probable. 'See, a son' is the usual reading; Genesis gives its own wordplay.
Related names: Reuben, Rubén, Ruben.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ruben', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Hebrew Bible / Tanakh, Genesis 29.32, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Ruben', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Nicknames for Ruben
The usual nicknames for Ruben are Rube.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rube | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Rubens go by each one.
Ruben popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 655 since 1925.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #480 | 632 |
| 2020 | #466 | 637 |
| 2010 | #297 | 1,102 |
| 2000 | #207 | 1,718 |
| 1990 | #178 | 1,744 |
| 1980 | #165 | 1,487 |
| 1970 | #198 | 1,326 |
| 1960 | #208 | 1,357 |
| 1950 | #200 | 1,026 |
| 1940 | #267 | 443 |
| 1930 | #244 | 515 |
| 1920 | #314 | 336 |
| 1910 | #269 | 83 |
| 1900 | #296 | 50 |
| 1890 | #356 | 25 |
| 1880 | #311 | 30 |
How popular is Ruben, counting every spelling?
Ruben is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #368 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #480 for Ruben on its own. Together these spellings went to 918 boys in 2025.
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Ruben?
632 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ruben (0.18 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Ruben born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 13 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ruben.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ruben?
About 91,900 people born in the US named Ruben are alive today, with a median age of 38; half are between 24 and 56. That makes Ruben mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Ruben by state
How common Ruben was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (3.4×), Nevada (2.6×), Arizona (2.5×), Texas (2.4×), California (2.4×). In 18 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Ruben: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ruben, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Ruben · Sibling names for Ruben
Questions about the name Ruben
What does Ruben mean?
Ruben means “see, a son!” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Ruben?
Ruben was the 480th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 632 babies. Its best year was 1980, when it ranked 165th; the most babies were born in 1992 (1,805). Over the last ten years it has moved down 106 places. More babies were named Ruben in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Ruben a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Ruben in the US.
Where is Ruben most popular?
In 2021–2025, Ruben was most common in New Mexico (1.24 per 1,000 boys), followed by Nevada and Arizona.