Hebrew origin
Source-reportedMeaning: “behold, a son”
From Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (r'uvén).
Sources for this account (2)
- Wiktionary: RubenCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
- Wikipedia: ReubenCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Opening name…
Opening name…
A name. A world of connections.
“behold, a son”
Language contexts for this entry: English, French, German and 8 more
Matching spellings may have different histories. Explore matching entries
Hear the name
Dutch
01 / Meaning & origin
Ruben is a masculine given name documented in English, French, German and 8 other languages. English Wiktionary traces it to Hebrew רְאוּבֵן. English Wikipedia gives the meaning “behold, a son”.
2 source accounts
Meaning: “behold, a son”
From Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (r'uvén).
From Biblical Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (R'uvén)
02 / Across borders
Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.
The name atlas
24
countries in our sources
Select a country to follow Ruben’s connections around the world.
16 countries with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.
Selected country
Statistics + language records
United States, 2025: 632 boys (rank 480). Documented as a given name in English.
Explore United States4 of 24 countries
03 / By the numbers
Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.
1880–2025 Spelling: Ruben
Hover to explore a year. Use arrow keys when a chart point has focus.
Source: US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
Integer application counts retained without rounding.
Per million is unavailable: this source has no matching published total.
| Year | Applications | Rank | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 30 | 305 | observed |
| 1881 | 21 | 360 | observed |
| 1882 | 34 | 294 | observed |
| 1883 | 30 | 298 | observed |
| 1884 | 28 | 331 | observed |
| 1885 | 28 | 318 | observed |
| 1886 | 40 | 267 | observed |
| 1887 | 34 | 276 | observed |
| 1888 | 21 | 404 | observed |
| 1889 | 33 | 294 | observed |
| 1890 | 25 | 351 | observed |
| 1891 | 25 | 340 | observed |
| 1892 | 44 | 270 | observed |
| 1893 | 41 | 273 | observed |
| 1894 | 33 | 306 | observed |
| 1895 | 37 | 295 | observed |
| 1896 | 49 | 259 | observed |
| 1897 | 42 | 279 | observed |
| 1898 | 45 | 266 | observed |
| 1899 | 32 | 311 | observed |
| 1900 | 50 | 292 | observed |
| 1901 | 35 | 294 | observed |
| 1902 | 45 | 282 | observed |
| 1903 | 50 | 257 | observed |
| 1904 | 38 | 322 | observed |
| 1905 | 41 | 314 | observed |
| 1906 | 52 | 273 | observed |
| 1907 | 62 | 266 | observed |
| 1908 | 60 | 278 | observed |
| 1909 | 71 | 264 | observed |
| 1910 | 83 | 267 | observed |
| 1911 | 59 | 357 | observed |
| 1912 | 134 | 321 | observed |
| 1913 | 154 | 329 | observed |
| 1914 | 199 | 324 | observed |
| 1915 | 256 | 330 | observed |
| 1916 | 237 | 349 | observed |
| 1917 | 289 | 315 | observed |
| 1918 | 286 | 338 | observed |
| 1919 | 292 | 330 | observed |
| 1920 | 336 | 313 | observed |
| 1921 | 357 | 301 | observed |
| 1922 | 361 | 300 | observed |
| 1923 | 368 | 293 | observed |
| 1924 | 398 | 289 | observed |
| 1925 | 427 | 277 | observed |
| 1926 | 440 | 270 | observed |
| 1927 | 479 | 264 | observed |
| 1928 | 491 | 253 | observed |
| 1929 | 486 | 253 | observed |
| 1930 | 515 | 243 | observed |
| 1931 | 465 | 247 | observed |
| 1932 | 469 | 247 | observed |
| 1933 | 398 | 266 | observed |
| 1934 | 443 | 255 | observed |
| 1935 | 489 | 240 | observed |
| 1936 | 481 | 238 | observed |
| 1937 | 489 | 238 | observed |
| 1938 | 445 | 259 | observed |
| 1939 | 450 | 254 | observed |
| 1940 | 443 | 266 | observed |
| 1941 | 460 | 258 | observed |
| 1942 | 514 | 262 | observed |
| 1943 | 544 | 260 | observed |
| 1944 | 507 | 262 | observed |
| 1945 | 560 | 238 | observed |
| 1946 | 647 | 241 | observed |
| 1947 | 738 | 238 | observed |
| 1948 | 908 | 209 | observed |
| 1949 | 998 | 203 | observed |
| 1950 | 1,026 | 200 | observed |
| 1951 | 1,040 | 200 | observed |
| 1952 | 1,095 | 201 | observed |
| 1953 | 1,200 | 202 | observed |
| 1954 | 1,259 | 198 | observed |
| 1955 | 1,293 | 199 | observed |
| 1956 | 1,371 | 199 | observed |
| 1957 | 1,380 | 197 | observed |
| 1958 | 1,372 | 202 | observed |
| 1959 | 1,359 | 209 | observed |
| 1960 | 1,357 | 208 | observed |
| 1961 | 1,386 | 206 | observed |
| 1962 | 1,380 | 207 | observed |
| 1963 | 1,260 | 218 | observed |
| 1964 | 1,348 | 208 | observed |
| 1965 | 1,149 | 212 | observed |
| 1966 | 1,195 | 200 | observed |
| 1967 | 1,174 | 197 | observed |
| 1968 | 1,138 | 204 | observed |
| 1969 | 1,236 | 201 | observed |
| 1970 | 1,326 | 198 | observed |
| 1971 | 1,323 | 191 | observed |
| 1972 | 1,321 | 184 | observed |
| 1973 | 1,309 | 179 | observed |
| 1974 | 1,382 | 172 | observed |
| 1975 | 1,376 | 172 | observed |
| 1976 | 1,360 | 171 | observed |
| 1977 | 1,365 | 173 | observed |
| 1978 | 1,380 | 172 | observed |
| 1979 | 1,396 | 172 | observed |
| 1980 | 1,487 | 165 | observed |
| 1981 | 1,473 | 169 | observed |
| 1982 | 1,472 | 177 | observed |
| 1983 | 1,497 | 174 | observed |
| 1984 | 1,374 | 183 | observed |
| 1985 | 1,454 | 180 | observed |
| 1986 | 1,382 | 186 | observed |
| 1987 | 1,527 | 180 | observed |
| 1988 | 1,594 | 178 | observed |
| 1989 | 1,598 | 186 | observed |
| 1990 | 1,744 | 178 | observed |
| 1991 | 1,732 | 183 | observed |
| 1992 | 1,805 | 178 | observed |
| 1993 | 1,749 | 184 | observed |
| 1994 | 1,725 | 181 | observed |
| 1995 | 1,697 | 184 | observed |
| 1996 | 1,663 | 190 | observed |
| 1997 | 1,595 | 199 | observed |
| 1998 | 1,583 | 205 | observed |
| 1999 | 1,637 | 209 | observed |
| 2000 | 1,718 | 206 | observed |
| 2001 | 1,736 | 207 | observed |
| 2002 | 1,572 | 219 | observed |
| 2003 | 1,655 | 215 | observed |
| 2004 | 1,601 | 218 | observed |
| 2005 | 1,466 | 234 | observed |
| 2006 | 1,597 | 225 | observed |
| 2007 | 1,479 | 243 | observed |
| 2008 | 1,356 | 257 | observed |
| 2009 | 1,199 | 282 | observed |
| 2010 | 1,102 | 297 | observed |
| 2011 | 977 | 323 | observed |
| 2012 | 959 | 329 | observed |
| 2013 | 889 | 355 | observed |
| 2014 | 893 | 359 | observed |
| 2015 | 864 | 374 | observed |
| 2016 | 801 | 396 | observed |
| 2017 | 749 | 418 | observed |
| 2018 | 753 | 416 | observed |
| 2019 | 743 | 415 | observed |
| 2020 | 637 | 465 | observed |
| 2021 | 653 | 460 | observed |
| 2022 | 670 | 458 | observed |
| 2023 | 629 | 481 | observed |
| 2024 | 607 | 504 | observed |
| 2025 | 632 | 480 | observed |
Statistics count the spelling “Ruben” as recorded by the publisher. When a spelling has several independent origins, the counts are not split between them. Counts measure applications. Gaps are years without a published value, not zeros.
Rates per million are unavailable for this series because no compatible denominator has been imported.
Retrieved 2026-10-15 · CC0-1.0
Read our methodology04 / Through time
Passages quoted verbatim from public-domain reference works. They reflect the scholarship of their time, not current consensus, and may use obsolete spellings.
Ruben— “behold a son”
Ruben, _m._ _Ger._ Heb. behold a son, 7
Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Glossary of Christian Names · Public domain (Project Gutenberg)
A little story to keep
Take the story of Ruben with you. Create a personal name passport with its meaning, roots and connections.
06 / Behind the facts
Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-15.
SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Fichier des prénoms — édition 2026 (naissances 1900 à 2025), fichier national
Insee (Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques) · LO-2.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Norway — published individual first-name birth counts, 1945–2025
Statistics Norway (SSB) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Ontario first baby names, 1913–2023 (verified redistribution)
Government of Ontario; redistributed by helloharun · OGL-ON-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Statistik Austria — Vornamen (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1): first names of live births, Austria, 1984-2025 (national counts from district rows)
Statistik Austria (Bundesanstalt Statistik Österreich) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Ontario top baby names, historical archive 1917–2013
Government of Ontario (Office of the Registrar General) · OGL-ON-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
South Australia — Popular Baby Names, per-year lists including names given once, 1944-2017
Attorney-General's Department, South Australia (via data.sa.gov.au) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Switzerland — published first names of newborns, 2000–2025
Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Switzerland · opendata.swiss OPEN-BY (commercial and non-commercial reuse with source attribution) · retrieved 2026-10-15
National Records of Scotland — Babies' First Names: all first forenames given to 3 or more babies, Scotland, 1974-2025
National Records of Scotland (NRS) · OGL-UK-3.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Ireland — babies' first names with three or more occurrences, 1964–2025
Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Imiona nadawane dzieciom w Polsce — first given names of children, PESEL register, 2000-2025 (national)
Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji (Ministry of Digital Affairs), Poland — PESEL register; published on dane.gov.pl · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Spain — national top 100 newborn names per sex, 2002–2024
Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
NISRA — First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland, 1997-2025 (full list)
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) · OGL-UK-3.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
British Columbia — 100 Years of Popular Baby Names (first names used 5 or more times), 1926-2025
Government of British Columbia, Vital Statistics Agency · OGL-BC (Open Government License - British Columbia; version not stated on the page) · retrieved 2026-10-15
Netherlands — SVB newborn names from child-benefit administration, 2017–2025
Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB), Netherlands · Dutch public-sector database reuse assessment; no standard publisher licence stated · retrieved 2026-10-15
Berlin — published first-given-name registration counts, 2017–2023
BerlinOnline GmbH, based on Berlin LABO civil-registry data · CC-BY-3.0-DE · retrieved 2026-10-15
Mexico City — registered given-name components, selected top 100 per sex/year, 2000–2022
Dirección General del Registro Civil, Ciudad de México · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Spain — first names of residents, census snapshot 2025-01-01
Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Finland — first given names of living Finnish citizens in Finland or abroad, 2026-08-03
Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Baby names in England and Wales: 2025 (boys and girls workbooks, Table 6: all published names)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) · OGL-UK-3.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Sweden — grouped top 100 newborn calling names, 1998–2022
Statistics Sweden (SCB) · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.
