Reuben
Top 1000
About Reuben
Reuben is derived from the Hebrew words ra’a, meaning "to see, to understand," and ben, "son." As a phrase it translates to "behold, a son." In the Bible, Reuben is Jacob's first-born son by Leah and the founder of one of the tribes of Israel.
Reuben is a rich and resonant underused Old Testament choice with several ingredients for success: its biblical pedigree, the distinction of being one of the Hebrew baby names that's never been heavily used, and a friendly, down-home image. Maybe the current crowd of Jacobs will grow up and follow their biblical namesake by calling their own sons Reuben.
Only downsides: Reuben is also known as a sandwich, and is the source of the word rube.
Panama-born salsa singer Ruben Blades represents the Latin version (with the accent on the second syllable); Reuven is the name in Hebrew.
Pronounced ROO-ben.
As of October 2026, Reuben ranked #889 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #149 in 1880, Nameberry popularity #405.
Editor's take: The name Reuben is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "behold, a son".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #844 | 267 | 139 |
| 2015 | #869 | 256 | 133.6 |
| 2016 | #876 | 250 | 131.7 |
| 2017 | #899 | 239 | 129.1 |
| 2018 | #928 | 229 | 126.1 |
| 2019 | #893 | 245 | 136.5 |
| 2020 | #909 | 246 | 142.5 |
| 2021 | #882 | 263 | 150.3 |
| 2022 | #854 | 284 | 162.7 |
| 2023 | #811 | 303 | 177.1 |
| 2024 | #874 | 275 | 159.6 |
| 2025 | #889 | 269 | 157.5 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Reuben.
- Abel
- Samson
- Malcolm
- Desmond
- Amos
- Phineas
- Winston
- Percy
- Gideon
- Edwin
- Conrad
- Lawrence
- Solomon
- Duncan
- Angus
- Hugh
- Clyde
- Quincy
- Benedict
- Lewis
Reuben on lists
Famous Reubens
- Reuben
eldest son of Jacob in the Bible
- Reuben Eaton Fenton
U.S. Congressman from New York
- Reuben Fine
American chess grandmaster, psychologist and author
- Reuben Wood
American politician; 21st governor of Ohio
- Reuben Droughns
American NFL football player
- Reuben David Thorne
New Zealand rugby union player
- Jacob Reuben Marchand aka J. Reu
American rapper
- Reuben Edward Maher
father of American actress/singer Kaitlyn Maher
- Reuben Logan (b. 2005)
son of athletes Kenny and Gabby Logan; twin of sister Lois
- Reuben Hogarth (b. 2007)
son of singer Sarah Nixey and producer Jimmy Hogarth
- Reuben Shepherd (b. 2013)
son of actor Jack P. Shepherd
Reuben in pop culture
- Reuben Ainsworth
character on TV's "Skins"
- Reuben Tishkoff
character in "Ocean's" series
- Reuben
character on TV's "iCarly"
- Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn
main character in book/film "True Grit"
- Reuben
English alt rock band
- Reuben Gale
character in G. A. Henty's "Under Drake's Flag"
- Reuben Starkadder
character in "Cold Comfort Farm"
- Reuben
pig in the game "Minecraft Story Mode"
- Reuben sandwich
American hot sandwich composed of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing, grilled between slices of rye bread
- Reuben egg rolls
sometimes called "Irish egg rolls" or "Reuben balls", use the standard Reuben sandwich filling of corned beef, sauerkraut, and cheese inside a deep,fried egg roll wrapper. Typically served with Thousand Island dressing (instead of Russian dressing) as an appetizer or snack, they originated at Mader's, a German restaurant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where chef Dennis Wegner created them for a summer festival circa 1990.
- Reuben
a Bulldog who became a YouTube sensation