2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Reubens
A surname referring to someone from the city of Reuben, Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 156 Americans carry the last name Reubens. That puts it at #130,360 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,197,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Reubens surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
156
1 in 2,197,143
Census rank
#130,360
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
136
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 136 bearers of the surname Reubens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 130360th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Reubens, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Reubens
The surname Reubens is believed to have originated from the German word "Reuben" or "Ruben," which is a variant of the Hebrew name "Reuven." This Hebrew name has its roots in the biblical figure Reuben, who was the eldest son of Jacob and Leah in the Book of Genesis.
The name Reubens is thought to have emerged in the Middle Ages, primarily in areas of modern-day Germany and the Netherlands. It may have been initially adopted as a surname by families of Germanic or Dutch descent who were either directly named after the biblical figure or were associated with a place name derived from the Hebrew name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Reubens can be found in the city records of Cologne, Germany, dating back to the 14th century. These records mention a certain "Johannes Reubens," indicating the presence of this surname in the region during that time.
The Reubens surname gained particular prominence in the 16th and 17th centuries, largely due to the fame of the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). Born in Siegen, Germany, Rubens became one of the most renowned artists of the Baroque period, known for his vibrant and dramatic paintings. His exceptional talent and contributions to the art world brought recognition to the Reubens surname.
Another notable figure bearing this surname was Sir Joshua Reubens (1784-1866), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth. He played an active role in the Reform Act of 1832, which expanded voting rights and transformed the British electoral system.
The Reubens surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Europe. For instance, the town of Reuben, Germany, located in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, may have derived its name from the surname or the biblical figure.
Other prominent individuals with the Reubens surname include Johann Reubens (1650-1715), a German poet and writer from Cologne, and Pieter Reubens (1611-1676), a Dutch Golden Age painter from Leiden, who was a contemporary of Rembrandt.
While the surname Reubens has its roots in Germany and the Netherlands, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and assimilation into different cultures and communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Reubens
Among Census respondents with the surname Reubens, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Reubens bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Reubens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 5
- Black or African American2.2% · 3
- Two or more races2.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Reubens
Reubens appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#118,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
+8 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 2,018 places
2020
#130,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
-10 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 11,507 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #118,853 | 146 | 0.05 | +8 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 2,018 places |
| 2020 | #130,360 | 136 | 0.05 | -10 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 11,507 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Reubens surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #118,853 | #130,360 | -9.7% |
| Count | 146 | 136 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Reubens bearers went from 146 to 136 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 11,507 positions in the national ranking, going from #118,853 to #130,360.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Reubens
FAQ
Reubens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Reubens?
Name Census estimates that about 156 living Americans carry the surname Reubens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,197,143 residents.
How common is Reubens?
Reubens ranks #130,360 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 136 people with the surname Reubens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (156), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Reubens.
Has Reubens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Reubens went from 146 recorded bearers to 136. That is a decrease of 10 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #118,853 to #130,360.
What does the Census say about the background of Reubens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Reubens, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Reubens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Reubens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Hispanic (5.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Reubens (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Reubens mean?
A surname referring to someone from the city of Reuben, Germany. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Reubens (0.05 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Reubens?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.