Given name & surname
Reuben
“behold, a son!”
Reuben is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “behold, a son!.”
Original Hebrewראובן
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “behold, a son!.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
The story
The name appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Reuben appears in Genesis 29:32, Genesis 35:22, Numbers 26:7 and 2 other passages.
- Genesis 29:32
- Genesis 35:22
- Numbers 26:7
- Numbers 32:33
- Revelation 7:5
From biblical name research
Reuben through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 32,190
- 32,145 boys · 45 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 465 babies
- 2025
- 269
- #889 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +16%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 269 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 889 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 15.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 465 in 1920. In 2025, Pennsylvania had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (28). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 17,061 as a first name in 2020; 1,159 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Reuben’s family of names
Reuben has a short form in Rube. Reuben shares a linguistic root with Ruben. Reuben has a related form in Ruby.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Reuben has relatives in 12 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
10 related names in 12 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 21
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 11
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Rubenafeminine form
- RubensPortuguese
- Ruwenequivalent
- ראובןequivalent
- Roubenequivalent
- RuubenEstonian
- Rubéncognate · Spanish
- ՌուբենArmenian
Show 3 moreShow fewer
See also 26
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
- Benjaminshares a root
- Benshares a root
- Jeriahshares a root
- Jerielshares a root
- Reaiahshares a root
- Berashares a root
- Benoshares a root
- Bathshebashares a root
Show 18 moreShow fewer
- Mamreshares a root
- Haroehshares a root
- Eshbanshares a root
- Bithiashares a root
- Bidkarshares a root
- Ben-hesedshares a root
- Benhananshares a root
- Ben-gebershares a root
- Ben-dekershares a root
- Benammishares a root
- Irijahshares a root
- Ben-abinadabshares a root
- Bathshuashares a root
- Baanashares a root
- Baalisshares a root
- Bishlamshares a root
- Bimhalshares a root
- Ahbanshares a root
People named Reuben
- Reuben FineAmerican chess player and psychologist (1914–1993)
- Rube GoldbergAmerican cartoonist (1883–1970)
- Reuben GabrielNigerian footballerborn 1990
- Reuben KosgeiKenyan athletics competitor (born 1979)
- Reuben GoodsteinBritish mathematician (1912-1985)
- R. A. TorreyAmerican evangelist, pastor, educator, and writer (1856–1928)
- Reuben ChapmanAmerican politician (1799–1882)
- Reuben HershAmerican mathematician (1927–2020)
- Reuben FentonAmerican politician (1819-1885)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Reuben, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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