boys' name ★ peaked 1992

Ruben

Meaning From Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (r'uvén) Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #480 Trend → Stable

From Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (r'uvén).

Rank 2025
#480
among boys · ↑25 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
632
named Ruben · +4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,703
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1992
1,814 babies
All-time total
117,207
#281 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Ruben popularity over time

117,207 babies have been named Ruben 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 – 299 299 30 – #271
1890s – 373 373 37 +25% #259
1900s – 504 504 50 +35% #262
1910s – 1,989 1,989 199 +295% #269
1920s 12 4,143 4,155 416 +109% #253
1930s 42 4,644 4,686 469 +13% #238
1940s 38 6,319 6,357 636 +36% #203
1950s 100 12,395 12,495 1,250 +97% #197
1960s 84 12,623 12,707 1,271 +2% #197
1970s 120 13,538 13,658 1,366 +7% #171
1980s 142 14,858 15,000 1,500 +10% #165
1990s 95 16,930 17,025 1,703 +14% #178
2000s 22 15,379 15,401 1,540 -10% #207
2010s – 8,730 8,730 873 -43% #297
2020s (to 2025) – 3,828 3,828 638 -27% #460

Where Ruben 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 622 0.36 #483
2027 613 0.36 #493
2028 606 0.36 #499
2029 600 0.35 outside top 500
2030 595 0.35 outside top 500

Where Ruben is most popular

Boys named Ruben per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.369 per 1,000. Strongest in New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona.

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 Ruben 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
New Mexico 41 1.24 +237%
Nevada 55 0.965 +161%
Arizona 148 0.905 +145%
Texas 786 0.892 +141%
California 809 0.885 +140%
Oregon 47 0.619 +68%
Colorado 62 0.480 +30%
Washington 76 0.465 +26%
Kansas 29 0.423 +14%
Oklahoma 33 0.373 ≈ national
Illinois 90 0.352 -5%
North Carolina 76 0.298 -19%
New Jersey 59 0.293 -21%
Minnesota 35 0.285 -23%
Wisconsin 33 0.279 -25%
Utah 26 0.272 -26%
Florida 127 0.268 -27%
Tennessee 43 0.238 -36%
Indiana 38 0.237 -36%
South Carolina 24 0.232 -37%
Georgia 49 0.193 -48%
New York 81 0.187 -49%
Iowa 12 0.174 -53%
Michigan 34 0.166 -55%
Virginia 28 0.148 -60%
Nebraska 6 0.138 -63%
Missouri 18 0.130 -65%
Ohio 29 0.109 -70%
Massachusetts 15 0.109 -70%
Arkansas 6 0.095 -74%
Pennsylvania 25 0.094 -75%
Maryland 11 0.092 -75%
Kentucky 5 0.050 -87%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
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 Ruben

Ruben is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #480 in 2025 with 632 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 117,207 American babies have been named Ruben. Its peak came in 1992, when 1,814 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

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 Ruben stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ruben?

The median living Ruben is about 38 years old; half are between 23 and 56. An estimated 95 thousand people named Ruben 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.

Ruben 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 – – 632 #480
2024 – – 607 #505
2023 – – 629 #482
2022 – – 670 #460
2021 – – 653 #460
2020 – – 637 #466
2019 – – 743 #418
2018 – – 753 #416
2017 – – 749 #418
2016 – – 801 #397
2015 – – 864 #374
2014 – – 893 #359
2013 – – 889 #355
2012 – – 959 #330
2011 – – 977 #323
2010 – – 1,102 #297
2009 6 #16,864 1,199 #282
2008 – – 1,356 #257
2007 – – 1,479 #243
2006 – – 1,597 #225
2005 5 #18,603 1,466 #234
2004 5 #18,243 1,601 #218
2003 – – 1,655 #215
2002 – – 1,572 #219
2001 – – 1,736 #207
2000 6 #14,648 1,718 #207
1995 6 #13,017 1,697 #184
1990 11 #7,747 1,744 #178
1985 21 #3,956 1,454 #180
1980 21 #3,817 1,487 #165
1975 10 #5,872 1,376 #172
1970 13 #4,433 1,326 #198
1965 6 #6,371 1,149 #212
1960 11 #4,121 1,357 #208
1955 11 #3,747 1,293 #199
1950 15 #2,758 1,026 #200
1945 – – 560 #238
1940 5 #4,919 443 #267
1935 – – 489 #240
1930 5 #5,140 515 #244
1925 5 #5,646 427 #277
1920 – – 336 #314
1915 – – 256 #330
1910 – – 83 #269
1905 – – 41 #315
1900 – – 50 #296
1895 – – 37 #300
1890 – – 25 #356
1885 – – 28 #325
1880 – – 30 #311

Famous people named Ruben

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

  1. 1 Ruben Studdard Ruben Studdard American singer (born 1978) Contemporary
  2. 2 Ruben Östlund Ruben Östlund Swedish filmmaker (born 1974) Contemporary
  3. 3 Ruben Fleischer Ruben Fleischer American film director b. 1974 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Ruben Santiago-Hudson Ruben Santiago-Hudson American actor and screenwriter (born 1956) Contemporary
  5. 5 Ruben Bemelmans Ruben Bemelmans Belgian tennis player (born 1988) Contemporary
  6. 6 Ruben I, Prince of Armenia Lord of Armenian Cilicia from c. 1080 to 1095 1025–1095 · Medieval
  7. 7 Ruben Schaken Ruben Schaken Dutch footballer (born 1982) Contemporary
  8. 8 Ruben III, Prince of Armenia Lord of Cilicia 1145–1187 · Medieval
  9. 9 Ruben Sevak Ruben Sevak Armenian writer and doctor (1886–1915) 1885–1915 · 19th century
  10. 10 Ruben Houkes Dutch judoka (born 1979) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Ruben?

The median living Ruben is about 38 years old. Half of all living Rubens are between 23 and 56 years old.

How many people named Ruben are alive today?

An estimated 95 thousand people named Ruben are alive in the United States, based on 117,207 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ruben mean?

From Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (r'uvén).

How popular is the name Ruben in 2025?

Ruben ranked #480 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 632 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ruben?

117,207 babies have been named Ruben in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ruben most popular?

Ruben peaked in 1992, when 1,814 newborns received the name.

Is Ruben a boy or girl name?

Ruben is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Ruben rising or falling?

Ruben is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Ruben become more popular?

Ruben looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 595 boys named Ruben in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ruben?

Well-known people named Ruben include Ruben Studdard (singer), Ruben Östlund (film director), Ruben Fleischer (film director).

Names like Ruben

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

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