Reuben
Hebrew Reuven, explained in Genesis with the phrase "behold, a son." He is the eldest of Jacob's twelve sons.
Reuben in 2025
Reuben was given to 269 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 1,832nd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 12,325 babies born.
The history of Reuben
Reuben reached its highest point in 1920, when 465 babies were given the name, ranking 558th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 295th, in 1880.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 32,190 babies have been named Reuben. Half of them were born before 1960, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Reuben by decade
| Decade | Babies named Reuben | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 741 | 295 |
| 1890s | 828 | 433 |
| 1900s | 820 | 550 |
| 1910s | 3,279 | 485 |
| 1920s | 3,882 | 558 |
| 1930s | 2,269 | 714 |
| 1940s | 2,060 | 859 |
| 1950s | 2,193 | 986 |
| 1960s | 2,076 | 1,117 |
| 1970s | 2,548 | 1,051 |
| 1980s | 2,771 | 1,099 |
| 1990s | 2,436 | 1,258 |
| 2000s | 2,279 | 1,674 |
| 2010s | 2,359 | 1,829 |
| 2020s | 1,649 | 1,687 |
Where Reuben is heading
Reuben has held roughly steady over the past decade, from 258 babies in 2015 to 269 in 2025.
Names like Reuben
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Reuben.