Given name
Reuel
“friend of God”·“a friend of God”
Reuel is used as a given name. Interpretations include “friend of God” (Hebrew) and “a friend of God” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Hebrewרעואל
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “friend of God” (Hebrew) and “a friend of God” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
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 Reuel appears in Genesis 36:4, Genesis 36:17, Numbers 10:29 and 2 other passages.
- Genesis 36:4
- Genesis 36:17
- Numbers 10:29
- Exodus 3:1
- Numbers 2:14
From biblical name research
Reuel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 958
- 958 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 35 babies
- 2025
- 35
- #3,364 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +89%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 35 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,364 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 88.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (8). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 715 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Reuel’s family of names
Reuel has a feminine form in Reuela. Reuel has a related form in Ruel. Reuel has a related form in Reuele.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 6
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Reuel
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Reuel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Barnabas
“son of consolation” · “the son of the prophet; the son of encouragement”
>99% boys
Eleazar
“God will help”
>99% boys
Ananias
“Yah has been gracious” · “graciously given of Yah”
>99% boys
Mordecai
“devotee of the god Marduk” · “a servant of Marduk, a Babylonian god”
>99% boys
Boaz
“swiftness” · “one who is swift”
>99% boys
Samson
“sun man”
>99% boys
Hezekiah
“God is my strength”
>99% boys
Ezekiel
“God strengthens” · “strengthened by God”
>99% boys