2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Rueben
A surname possibly derived from the Hebrew name "Reuben" or from the German words "roth" (red) and "bin" (been).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Rueben. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rueben 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Rueben in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rueben, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (10.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rueben
The surname Rueben is of Jewish origin, derived from the Hebrew biblical name Reuben, meaning "behold, a son." It is rooted in the name of the eldest son of Jacob and Leah, who was one of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. The name gained prominence during the biblical era in ancient Canaan, later known as the Levant region.
Rueben is an anglicized spelling variation of the Hebrew name Reuven, which is pronounced similarly. Some early records show the name spelled as Reuben or Rüben in various European languages, reflecting the phonetic adaptations of the Hebrew name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rueben can be found in medieval Jewish communities across Europe. In the 12th century, a prominent Jewish scholar and philosopher named Moses ben Maimon, also known as Maimonides or Rambam, was born in Córdoba, Spain, to a family with the surname Rueben.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Rueben appeared in various European records, particularly in areas with significant Jewish populations. In England, a notable figure was Tobias Rueben, a merchant and financier who lived in the late 17th century and was involved in financing the English government's war efforts.
In the 18th century, a prominent Jewish intellectual and writer named David Rueben lived in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He was known for his works on Jewish philosophy and theology, contributing to the intellectual discourse of the time.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Isaac Rueben, a Jewish banker and philanthropist who lived in London during the 19th century. He was involved in various charitable endeavors and supported educational initiatives for the Jewish community.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Rueben was Reuben Klamer, an American inventor and businessman. He was the founder of the popular Reuben sandwich, which he created in the 1920s and popularized through his restaurant in Omaha, Nebraska.
While the surname Rueben has Jewish roots, it has been adopted by people of various backgrounds and cultures over time, reflecting the global spread and integration of Jewish communities throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rueben
Among Census respondents with the surname Rueben, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (10.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rueben 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 Rueben surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.5% · 51
- Hispanic or Latino29.5% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native10.7% · 12
- Black or African American8.0% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.4% · 6
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rueben
Rueben 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-8 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,535 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-12 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 14,535 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 12,361 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 Rueben 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 | #135,593 | #147,954 | -9.1% |
| Count | 124 | 112 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rueben bearers went from 124 to 112 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 12,361 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #147,954.
FAQ
Rueben surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rueben?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Rueben. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Rueben?
Rueben ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 112 people with the surname Rueben. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Rueben.
Has Rueben become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rueben went from 124 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Rueben?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rueben, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (10.7%). 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 Rueben in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.5% (51 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rueben appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (45.5%), Hispanic (29.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (10.7%). 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 Rueben (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 Rueben mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Hebrew name "Reuben" or from the German words "roth" (red) and "bin" (been). 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 Rueben (0.04 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 are called Rueben?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Rueben at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.