Rubin
Rubin was the 5571st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 17 babies. Its best year was 1907, when it ranked 384th; the most babies were born in 1923 (147). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,997 places. More babies were named Rubin in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Ruben) see, a son! · Hebrew
- Rank in 2025
- #5,571 boys, down 157 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 17boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1923147 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,070babies recorded
What does the name Rubin mean?
Rubin is a spelling of Ruben, pronounced the same way, so it shares Ruben's meaning and origin.
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
Rubin popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 16 since 1959.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,571 | 17 |
| 2020 | #5,414 | 17 |
| 2010 | #4,080 | 25 |
| 2000 | #2,794 | 33 |
| 1990 | #2,007 | 38 |
| 1980 | #1,954 | 29 |
| 1970 | #1,049 | 61 |
| 1960 | #1,016 | 58 |
| 1950 | #805 | 72 |
| 1940 | #887 | 51 |
| 1930 | #641 | 92 |
| 1920 | #579 | 116 |
| 1910 | #438 | 40 |
| 1900 | #486 | 23 |
| 1890 | #559 | 13 |
| 1880 | #501 | 14 |
How popular is Rubin, counting every spelling?
Rubin is a spelling of Ruben, a name family that ranked #368 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #5,571 for Rubin 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 Rubin?
17 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Rubin (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Rubin 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 495 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Rubin.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Rubin?
About 3,100 people born in the US named Rubin are alive today, with a median age of 51; half are between 32 and 67. That makes Rubin mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Rubin: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Rubin, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Rubin
What does Rubin mean?
Rubin is a spelling of Ruben, which means “see, a son!” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Rubin?
Rubin was the 5571st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 17 babies. Its best year was 1907, when it ranked 384th; the most babies were born in 1923 (147). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,997 places. More babies were named Rubin in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Rubin a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Rubin in the US.