US rank #501 Boys' name Peak 1992 115,918 births

Ruben — #501 US boys' name

115,918 babies named Ruben in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1992. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s2991890s3731900s5041910s19891920s41421930s46451940s63191950s123951960s126231970s135401980s148581990s169292000s153792010s87302020s3193
#501
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 96% of names given to boys today.

1990s
Peak decade

15% of everyone ever named Ruben was born in this single decade.

1992
Single peak year

1,805 babies were named Ruben in 1992 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Ruben

The Social Security Administration has registered 115,918 babies named Ruben between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Ruben currently holds the #501 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1992, when 1,805 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Ruben performed strongest in the 1990s, accumulating 16,929 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Ruben shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 35,013 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and New York. In total, SSA state-level files list Ruben in 44 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Ruben in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 115,918 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Ruben at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

115,918

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1992

1,805 births that year

Strongest decade: 1990s

Current rank

#501

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Ruben popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1992)
1,805
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-50005001,0001,5002,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 30

Ruben popularity over time — girls

655 total births recorded since 1925 (Ruben as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 655 births
0510152025 200919941985197619671958194919331925 5

Ruben by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1990s
Peak decade
1990s
16,929 births that decade — 15% of Ruben's all-time total
1880s2991890s3731900s5041910s19891920s41421930s46451940s63191950s123951960s126231970s135401980s148581990s169292000s153792010s87302020s3193

Ruben by state

Where Ruben concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Regionally concentrated
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Ruben
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
35,013 30.2%
#2 Texas
34,278 29.6%
#3 New York
5,669 4.9%
#4 Arizona
5,354 4.6%
#5 Illinois
4,114 3.5%
#6 Florida
2,882 2.5%
#7 New Mexico
2,683 2.3%
#8 Colorado
1,752 1.5%
California share of Ruben's total US births 30.2%
Even split

35,013 of 115,918 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 44 reporting states.

Ruben appears in 44 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Ruben?
115,918 babies have been named Ruben since 1880. It currently ranks #501 among boys. The peak year was 1992 with 1,805 births.
When was Ruben most popular?
Ruben was most popular in the 1990s decade with 16,929 total births. The single peak year was 1992.
Where is Ruben most popular?
The top states for the name Ruben are California (35,013 births), Texas (34,278 births), New York (5,669 births).
How long has the name Ruben been used?
Ruben has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Ruben?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Rubin, Ruby, Rube, Rubert, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.