Boys' name · since 1880
Reuben
Reuben has 32,145 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1920 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #655 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #884 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 32,145
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
32,145 babies have been named Reuben since 1880, making it today's #884 boys' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Reuben has been recorded 32,145 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #884 nationally and more common than 94% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #655 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #884 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 32,145 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Reuben ranks #655 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #884 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 32,145 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #655 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #884 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 32,145
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Reuben's 32,145 recorded births place it above 98.55% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
46 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Reuben compares
32,145 Top 5% higher than 95% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Reuben's all-time total is 87x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Reuben | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 32,145 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 465 | 34 | 22,252 |
Reuben's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Reuben's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 55% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 45%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1887, with only 54 births recorded -- set against the 1920 peak of 465, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Reuben popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 465
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Reuben popularity over time - girls
45 total births recorded since 1918 (Reuben as girls' name)
Reuben by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (3,860 births, 12% of the file).
1920s was Reuben's strongest decade.
3,860 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 12% of all-time use.
Reuben births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 741
1880s
741 births
- 1890s 828
1890s
828 births
- 1900s 820
1900s
820 births
- 1910s
1910s
3,274 births
- 1920s
1920s
3,860 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,269 births
- 1940s
1940s
2,060 births
- 1950s
1950s
2,193 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,076 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,542 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,759 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,436 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,279 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,359 births
- 2020s
2020s
1,649 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 3,860 births (12% of all-time use).
How Reuben compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Reuben's total volume
Reuben by state
Where Reuben concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,434 | 7.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 2,262 | 7.0% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 1,995 | 6.2% |
| #4 | New York | | 1,789 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 1,202 | 3.7% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 1,050 | 3.3% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 876 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 866 | 2.7% |
2,434 of 32,145 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.
Reuben appears in 46 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Reuben? ▼
Where does Reuben sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Reuben most popular? ▼
Where is Reuben most popular? ▼
How long has the name Reuben been used? ▼
What names are similar to Reuben? ▼
What to do with Reuben's data
- Reuben's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (3,860 total births) through the 2020s (1,649) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Reubens (2,434 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Reuben
Nearby Names Like Reuben
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Reuben
Compare Reuben side by side: Reuben vs Reuven Reuben vs Reuel Reuben vs Reubin
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Reuben
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Reuben: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1920)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Reuben draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.