| Reuben | Tobias | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | behold, a son | God is good |
| Origin | hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ROO-ben | toh-BY-us |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1920 (465) | 2016 (1,523) |
| In 2025 | 269 | 1,201 |
| Trend | Steady | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Reuben | Tobias |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,649 | 7,443 |
| 2010s | 2,359 | 9,410 |
| 2000s | 2,279 | 4,811 |
| 1990s | 2,436 | 2,266 |
| 1980s | 2,759 | 1,807 |
| 1970s | 2,542 | 2,102 |
| 1960s | 2,076 | 576 |
| 1950s | 2,193 | 243 |
| 1940s | 2,060 | 160 |
| 1930s | 2,269 | 107 |
| 1920s | 3,860 | 155 |
| 1910s | 3,274 | 144 |
| 1900s | 820 | 37 |
| 1890s | 828 | 23 |
| 1880s | 741 | 38 |
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 Hebrew Toviyya, “God is good.”
Tobias is more popular than Reuben today: about 1,201 US babies were given the name Tobias in 2025, compared with 269 named Reuben.
Reuben means behold, a son (hebrew origin), while Tobias means God is good (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Reuben first appears in 1880 and Tobias in 1880, so Reuben has the longer recorded history.