| Ari | Reuben | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | lion | behold, a son |
| Origin | hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | AH-ree | ROO-ben |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1958 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2022 (1,030) | 1920 (465) |
| In 2025 | 808 | 269 |
| Trend | Rising | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ari | Reuben |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5,363 | 1,649 |
| 2010s | 7,111 | 2,359 |
| 2000s | 3,436 | 2,279 |
| 1990s | 1,667 | 2,436 |
| 1980s | 1,267 | 2,759 |
| 1970s | 1,259 | 2,542 |
| 1960s | 467 | 2,076 |
| 1950s | 22 | 2,193 |
| 1940s | 0 | 2,060 |
| 1930s | 0 | 2,269 |
| 1920s | 0 | 3,860 |
| 1910s | 0 | 3,274 |
| 1900s | 0 | 820 |
| 1890s | 0 | 828 |
| 1880s | 0 | 741 |
From Hebrew ari (also aryeh), 'lion.' A short modern Hebrew name; distinct from the theophoric Ariel ('lion of God'). A concrete noun — its strength associations are connotation, not etymology.
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.
Ari is more popular than Reuben today: about 808 US babies were given the name Ari in 2025, compared with 269 named Reuben.
Ari means lion (hebrew origin), while Reuben means behold, a son (hebrew origin).
In US records, Ari first appears in 1958 and Reuben in 1880, so Reuben has the longer recorded history.