Boy · Hebrew · International · Christian
Reuben
ReubenSay it ROO-bun
- Meaning
- "see, a son"; "behold a son!" Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, H7205
- Say it
- ROO-bun
- Other spellings
- Ruben
Reuben
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Reuben meaning
Reuben is an international and Christian boy's name of Hebrew origin.
"see, a son"; "behold a son!"
Reuben comes from Hebrew Re'uven, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah and ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The name joins a form of ra'ah, 'to see', with ben, 'son', so Strong's glosses it 'see ye a son' and Brown-Driver-Briggs 'behold a son!'. In Genesis 29:32 Leah gives the name because the Lord has looked on her affliction, a play on the same verb. In Genesis it is Reuben who tries to save his brother Joseph from the pit. Baby-name lists give 'behold, a son', which matches. It is said ROO-bun; Ruben is the same name.
Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, H7205 · entry Re'uven · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Strong's H7205, Re'uven (with BDB and NAS entries) · Genesis 29:32 · Genesis 37:21
Famous namesakes
- Reuben, eldest son of Jacob in the Book of Genesis
Popularity abroad
- #889 United States, boys 2025 (down 29 from 860 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #29 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Reuben · Ruben