Ruben
Feminine · “behold”
Ruben is given to boys far more often — 116,552 boys against 655 girls since 1880. See Ruben as a boy name
Ruben is the ordinary spelling in Spanish, in Scandinavian and in Dutch, so an American family using it may be doing any of three things. The sandwich that carries the name has two origin stories, each with documents behind it, and the argument has never been settled.
How old is the name Ruben?
Ruben first appears in US birth records in 1925 — 100 years ago. The typical Ruben alive today was born around 1974, making them about 51 years old. About 600 people named Ruben are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ruben most popular?
Ruben peaked in 1950, reaching #2652 nationally. See the whole 1950 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Re'uven to Ruben
The story of Ruben
One account puts the Reuben sandwich in Omaha, invented for a weekly poker game at the Blackstone Hotel by a grocer of that name, and it has a contemporary witness and a national sandwich competition win behind it. The other puts it in a New York delicatessen owned by a man of the same name, and it has a printed menu and the recollections of the family. Corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and dressing on grilled rye is not a combination anybody could patent, and both cities have claimed it for a century. Food historians who have looked at the evidence mostly lean toward Omaha and refuse to say so firmly, which is the correct posture for a question of this kind.
Meaning
behold, a son
The Hebrew name is given an explanation in Genesis itself: Leah names her first son with a phrase about God seeing her affliction, and the name is read as behold, a son. The etymology and the biblical wordplay do not match perfectly, which is usual for these passages.
How the name formed
- Re'uven
- Ruben
Related forms: Rubén · Ruben · Reuben
Pronouncing Ruben
roo-BEN
Two syllables with the stress at the back in Spanish, which the accent marks. English says ROO-bin with the weight at the front, and both are common in the United States.
Nicknames for Ruben
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
- 1925
- Most girls named
- 198021 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2652reached in 1950
- Change vs 2005
- +20.0%6 in 2009, from 5
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.
Ruben in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Rubén in Spanish — same name
- Ruben in Swedish — same name
- Reuben in English — same name
Rubens among us
people named Ruben are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Ruben sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is a standing spelling in three languages rather than an invention.
- The meaning is documented and explained in the text the name comes from.
- It works in Spanish and English households without adjustment.
- The Spanish and English readings move the stress, so the name is said two ways.
- Reuben and Rubin are both common and will be written for it.
- It is also the name of a sandwich, which readers will mention.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Ruben
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Rubens 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 Ruben are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Ruben in 2025?
- Ruben is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Ruben with classmates?
- Ruben will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More R names
The most-given names starting with R, all years combined.
Ruth#173 · Rebecca#349 · Rachel#250 · Rose#114 · Ruby#64 · Robin#704 · Rita#1285 · Rhonda#6116
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ruben? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Ruben and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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