boys' name ★ peaked 1920

Reuben

Meaning A male given name from Hebrew Gender Boy Rank 2025 #889 Trend ↑ Rising 23%

A male given name from Hebrew.

Rank 2025
#889
among boys · ↓29 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
269
named Reuben · -5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,350
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1920
465 babies
All-time total
32,190
#655 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Reuben popularity over time

32,190 babies have been named Reuben since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 741 741 74 – #149
1890s – 828 828 83 +12% #155
1900s – 820 820 82 -1% #197
1910s 5 3,274 3,279 328 +300% #216
1920s 22 3,860 3,882 388 +18% #254
1930s – 2,269 2,269 227 -42% #329
1940s – 2,060 2,060 206 -9% #396
1950s – 2,193 2,193 219 +6% #452
1960s – 2,076 2,076 208 -5% #498
1970s 6 2,542 2,548 255 +23% #473
1980s 12 2,759 2,771 277 +9% #495
1990s – 2,436 2,436 244 -12% #582
2000s – 2,279 2,279 228 -6% #739
2010s – 2,359 2,359 236 +4% #844
2020s (to 2025) – 1,649 1,649 275 +17% #812

Where Reuben is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 278 0.16 outside top 500
2027 286 0.17 outside top 500
2028 292 0.17 outside top 500
2029 298 0.17 outside top 500
2030 303 0.18 outside top 500

Where Reuben is most popular

Boys named Reuben per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.162 per 1,000. Strongest in Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Iowa.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Reuben born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Pennsylvania 143 0.539 +232%
Missouri 57 0.411 +153%
Iowa 26 0.377 +132%
Indiana 56 0.349 +115%
Minnesota 42 0.342 +111%
Kentucky 32 0.319 +96%
Michigan 62 0.303 +86%
Wisconsin 34 0.287 +77%
Ohio 73 0.275 +70%
South Dakota 5 0.269 +65%
Washington 43 0.263 +62%
Maine 5 0.258 +59%
Oregon 19 0.250 +54%
Virginia 46 0.242 +49%
Oklahoma 20 0.226 +39%
New York 84 0.194 +19%
Idaho 7 0.171 +5%
Colorado 22 0.170 +5%
Alabama 14 0.128 -21%
New Jersey 24 0.119 -27%
Florida 54 0.114 -30%
Maryland 13 0.109 -33%
Tennessee 18 0.100 -39%
Arkansas 6 0.095 -42%
North Carolina 24 0.094 -42%
Texas 79 0.090 -45%
California 81 0.089 -45%
Georgia 22 0.087 -47%
Utah 8 0.084 -48%
Illinois 18 0.070 -57%
Massachusetts 5 0.036 -78%
Arizona 5 0.031 -81%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Reuben

Reuben is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #889 in 2025 with 269 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 32,190 American babies have been named Reuben. Its peak came in 1920, when 465 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Reuben stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Reuben?

The median living Reuben is about 38 years old; half are between 18 and 57. An estimated 18 thousand people named Reuben are alive in the United States today.

median 38 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Reuben year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 269 #889
2024 – – 283 #860
2023 – – 303 #812
2022 – – 285 #852
2021 – – 263 #883
2020 – – 246 #909
2019 – – 245 #893
2018 – – 229 #928
2017 – – 240 #897
2016 – – 251 #875
2015 – – 258 #868
2014 – – 267 #844
2013 – – 237 #880
2012 – – 215 #947
2011 – – 215 #931
2010 – – 202 #978
2009 – – 242 #874
2008 – – 223 #919
2007 – – 226 #891
2006 – – 236 #854
2005 – – 222 #837
2004 – – 226 #801
2003 – – 233 #761
2002 – – 236 #739
2001 – – 220 #775
2000 – – 215 #775
1995 – – 226 #706
1990 – – 304 #582
1985 – – 279 #523
1980 – – 294 #495
1975 – – 229 #530
1970 6 #7,767 248 #512
1965 – – 214 #525
1960 – – 251 #498
1955 – – 221 #497
1950 – – 206 #464
1945 – – 181 #442
1940 – – 190 #425
1935 – – 227 #359
1930 – – 283 #329
1925 – – 361 #301
1920 – – 465 #254
1915 – – 431 #231
1910 – – 93 #251
1905 – – 88 #197
1900 – – 86 #212
1895 – – 102 #155
1890 – – 75 #179
1885 – – 72 #182
1880 – – 92 #149

Famous people named Reuben

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Reuben Fine Reuben Fine American chess grandmaster (1914–1993) Contemporary
  2. 2 Reuben Gabriel Nigerian footballer (born 1990) Contemporary
  3. 3 Reuben Kosgei Kenyan track and field athlete b. 1979 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Reuben, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Reuben?

The median living Reuben is about 38 years old. Half of all living Reubens are between 18 and 57 years old.

How many people named Reuben are alive today?

An estimated 18 thousand people named Reuben are alive in the United States, based on 32,190 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Reuben mean?

A male given name from Hebrew.

How popular is the name Reuben in 2025?

Reuben ranked #889 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 269 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Reuben?

32,190 babies have been named Reuben in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Reuben most popular?

Reuben peaked in 1920, when 465 newborns received the name.

Is Reuben a boy or girl name?

Reuben is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Reuben rising or falling?

Reuben is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Reuben become more popular?

Reuben is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 303 boys named Reuben in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Reuben?

Well-known people named Reuben include Reuben Fine (chess player), Reuben Gabriel (soccer player), Reuben Kosgei (athlete).

Names like Reuben

Names that sound and feel close to Reuben: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Reuben with similar names → More names starting with R →