Given name & surname
Ruel
“friend of God”·“a friend of God”
Ruel is a variant of Reuel. Interpretations include “friend of God” (Hebrew) and “a friend of God” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Ruel is a variant of Reuel. Interpretations include “friend of God” (Hebrew) and “a friend of God” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Ruel is a variant of Reuel. An origin associated with Reuel is Hebrew.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1882. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Ruel is a variant of Reuel. The history of Reuel gives this family its wider story. Reuel appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Ruel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,926
- 1,921 boys · 5 girls
- Most popular year
- 1915
- 49 babies
- 2025
- 14
- #6,377 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +33%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 14 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 6,377 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 33.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 49 in 1915. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,744 as a first name in 2020; 1,211 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.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Ruel
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ruel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Alvah
“rising”
96% boys · 4% girls
Ziba
“alliance” · “collective”
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Gomer
“complete” · “of the good fight”
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Beno
“his son”
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El
“much debated but ultimately unclear”
87% boys · 13% girls
Benjamon
“son of the right hand” · “son of the south”
>99% boys
Mosie
>99% boys
Deuel
“invocation of God”
>99% boys