Reuel
Masculine · “friend of God”
Reuel is a Hebrew name that reads as a small statement of relationship: the friend of God. In Exodus it is the other name of Moses' father-in-law, the priest of Midian.
How old is the name Reuel?
Reuel first appears in US birth records in 1893 — 132 years ago. The typical Reuel alive today was born around 1968, making them about 57 years old. About 600 people named Reuel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Reuel most popular?
Reuel peaked in 1893, reaching #907 nationally. Today it ranks #3314, 2,407 places below that high. See the whole 1893 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Reuel
The priest of Midian who takes Moses in and later advises him on delegating judgment is called Reuel in one passage and Jethro in others, and the tradition has never fully resolved which is the name and which the title. English Protestants took up the name after the Reformation and it appears in colonial American records. It is also known to readers as the middle name of a twentieth-century English author, which has kept it in circulation.
Meaning
friend of God
From Hebrew elements meaning a friend or companion and God; the biblical Reuel is named as the father of Zipporah and is elsewhere called Jethro, one of several places where the text gives a figure two names.
Pronouncing Reuel
ROO-el
Two syllables, first stressed. Hebrew stresses the second, roo-EL.
Nicknames for Reuel
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1893
- Most boys named
- 202535 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #907reached in 1893
- Change vs 2023
- +20.7%35 in 2025, from 29
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Reuel in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Reuel in Hebrew — same name
- Reuel in Spanish — same name
- Ragouel in Greek — transliteration
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas.
Reuels among us
people named Reuel are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 48,802 born in 2025 was named Reuel
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Reuel sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Reuel is headed
Reuel looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 31% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Reuel beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Reuel in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning that is warm and unusually direct — friendship rather than power.
- Five letters and two syllables, easy to write early.
- A documented biblical name with genuine colonial American use behind it.
- It is close to Rule and Ruel in an English ear and will be misheard.
- The stress differs between the Hebrew and English readings.
- The biblical figure is better known by his other name, which makes this one look unfamiliar.
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Reuel
Masculine · #3314 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Reuels are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Reuel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Reuel in 2025?
- Reuel ranks #3314 among US boy names in 2025, with 35 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Reuel?
- About 1 in every 48,802 US boys born in 2025 was named Reuel — 35 in all.
- Will my child share the name Reuel with classmates?
- Reuel will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Reuel
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Rainier#3314 · Coulter#3314 · Caio#3314 · Kaydon#3314 · Daksh#3314 · Kree#3314 · Calen#3314 · Mathis#3314
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Reuel? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Reuel and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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