| Amos | Reuben | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Carried by God | behold, a son |
| Origin | Hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | AY-mus | ROO-ben |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1922 (558) | 1920 (465) |
| In 2025 | 364 | 269 |
| Trend | Rising | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Amos | Reuben |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,463 | 1,649 |
| 2010s | 3,243 | 2,359 |
| 2000s | 1,788 | 2,279 |
| 1990s | 1,749 | 2,436 |
| 1980s | 2,321 | 2,759 |
| 1970s | 2,155 | 2,542 |
| 1960s | 2,086 | 2,076 |
| 1950s | 2,810 | 2,193 |
| 1940s | 2,767 | 2,060 |
| 1930s | 3,343 | 2,269 |
| 1920s | 4,891 | 3,860 |
| 1910s | 3,674 | 3,274 |
| 1900s | 1,062 | 820 |
| 1890s | 1,023 | 828 |
| 1880s | 1,161 | 741 |
Amos means “carried” or “borne by God.” Amos is a prophet.
Hebrew Re'uven, literally 'behold, a son!' (re'u 'see, behold' + ben 'son'). Genesis 29:32 layers a second biblical wordplay on it: Leah says 'the LORD has looked upon (ra'ah) my affliction' — that play is theological rather than the strict etymology.
Amos is more popular than Reuben today: about 364 US babies were given the name Amos in 2025, compared with 269 named Reuben.
Amos means Carried by God (Hebrew origin), while Reuben means behold, a son (hebrew origin).
In US records, Amos first appears in 1880 and Reuben in 1880, so Amos has the longer recorded history.