| Reuben | Doron | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | behold, a son | gift |
| Origin | hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ROO-ben | doh-RON |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1920 (465) | 1982 (27) |
| In 2025 | 269 | 0 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Reuben | Doron |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,649 | 26 |
| 2010s | 2,359 | 70 |
| 2000s | 2,279 | 112 |
| 1990s | 2,436 | 128 |
| 1980s | 2,759 | 139 |
| 1970s | 2,542 | 131 |
| 1960s | 2,076 | 37 |
| 1950s | 2,193 | 12 |
| 1940s | 2,060 | 0 |
| 1930s | 2,269 | 0 |
| 1920s | 3,860 | 0 |
| 1910s | 3,274 | 0 |
| 1900s | 820 | 0 |
| 1890s | 828 | 0 |
| 1880s | 741 | 0 |
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.
From the Greek word doron 'gift', adopted into Hebrew and now used chiefly in Israel. Directly means 'gift'; predominantly masculine but occasionally unisex.
Reuben is more popular than Doron today: about 269 US babies were given the name Reuben in 2025, compared with 0 named Doron.
Reuben means behold, a son (hebrew origin), while Doron means gift (hebrew origin).
In US records, Reuben first appears in 1880 and Doron in 0, so Doron has the longer recorded history.