Boys' name · peaked in 1992
Ruben name popularity since 1925
112,222 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Ruben (0.6% girls, 99.4% boys). Half of them were born in 1982 or earlier, so the typical Ruben is about 44 years old in 2026. Ruben peaked in 1992 as the #178 name for boys, and it ranked #480 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 112,222
- Named Ruben, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #480
- for boys in 2025 (632 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.4% boys
- 655 girls · 111,567 boys
- Most popular in
- New Mexico
- 4.30× its national share
Peak year is the year Ruben made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Ruben births per year, 1925–2025
1992 was the biggest year for Ruben both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1944 and 1949, Ruben became 1.5× more common, from 1 in 2,690 baby boys to 1 in 1,780.
- Steepest fall: Between 2006 and 2011, its share of baby boys fell by 34%, from 1 in 1,290 to 1 in 1,940.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Ruben's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Ruben.
Decade by decade
Babies named Ruben in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 12 | 2,323 | – |
| 1930s | 42 | 4,644 | #240 |
| 1940s | 38 | 6,319 | #238 |
| 1950s | 100 | 12,395 | #199 |
| 1960s | 84 | 12,623 | #212 |
| 1970s | 120 | 13,538 | #172 |
| 1980s | 142 | 14,858 | #180 |
| 1990s | 95 | 16,930 | #184 |
| 2000s | 22 | 15,379 | #234 |
| 2010s | 0 | 8,730 | #374 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 3,828 | #480 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
22.9% of babies named Ruben from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Ruben is most popular
The index compares Ruben's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Ruben.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 4.30× | 2,590 |
| Texas | 3.96× | 33,874 |
| Arizona | 3.74× | 5,284 |
| California | 3.04× | 35,089 |
| Nevada | 1.27× | 494 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Ruben and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Ruben (this page) | 111,567 | 1992 |
| Rubin | 4,993 | 1907 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Ruben's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Ruben.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Ruben (1992).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data