Reuben
Reuben or Reuven is a Biblical male first name from Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (Re'uven), meaning "behold, a son". In the Bible, Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob.
- Biblical
- Hebrew
- English
Meaning & Origin of Reuben
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Reuben or Reuven is a Biblical male first name from Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (Re'uven), meaning "behold, a son". In the Bible, Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Biblical
- Hebrew
- English
The Story of Reuben
Reuben first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 92 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1920, when 465 Reubens were born — ranking #254 that year. As of 2026, Reuben ranks #833 for baby boys with 297 births, rising sharply (+19% over the past five years). In total, more than 32K Reubens have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Reuben
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Reuben. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Reuben
Phonetically similar names — useful when Reuben is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Reuben
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About the name Reuben
Reuben is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 32K births in the dataset. Reuben's peak popularity came in 1920 when it ranked #147. Use the chart and map above to compare Reuben's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1920 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "R" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.