Rubens
Derived from the Latin name Rubens, meaning "red", "ruddy", or "reddish".
Name Census estimates that about 156 living Americans carry the first name Rubens. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rubens today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rubens births was 2016 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rubens. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
156
~ 1 in 2,197,143 Americans
Peak year
2016
15 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2022 SSA rank
#12,035
Tracked since 1983
Popularity
Rubens: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rubens from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 74 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rubens by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Rubens during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rubens' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Rubens
The name Rubens is of Latin origin and can be traced back to ancient Roman times. It is derived from the Latin word "rubeus," meaning "red" or "ruddy," likely referring to someone with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion.
One of the earliest known references to the name Rubens can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, who mentioned a Roman soldier named Rubens Gallus in his work "Annales" from around 109 AD.
During the Middle Ages, the name Rubens appeared occasionally in various European regions, particularly in the Low Countries (present-day Belgium and the Netherlands). One notable bearer of the name was the Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), who is widely regarded as one most influential artists of the 17th century.
Other notable individuals named Rubens throughout history include Rubens Bertone (1915-1997), an Italian automobile designer best known for his work with Citroën, Alfa Romeo, and the creation of the iconic Lamborghini Countach. Rubens de Falco (1838-1900) was a Brazilian writer and journalist who played a significant role in the abolitionist movement in Brazil.
In the world of sports, Rubens Sambueza (born 1984) is an Argentine professional footballer who has played for clubs such as River Plate and Club América. Rubens Barrichello (born 1972) is a Brazilian racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1993 to 2011, winning 11 Grand Prix races during his career.
Another noteworthy figure was Rubens Rodrigues Torres Filho (1942-2012), a Brazilian philosopher and professor who made significant contributions to the fields of aesthetics and philosophy of science.
While the name Rubens has roots in ancient Roman culture, it has been used across various regions and time periods, often associated with individuals of cultural or artistic significance.
People
Rubens + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rubens as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rubens: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rubens?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 156 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rubens going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,197,143 US residents.
Is Rubens a common name?
We classify Rubens as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 159 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rubens most popular?
The single biggest year for Rubens was 2016, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rubens is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rubens a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rubens in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.