| Reuben | Uri | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | behold, a son | My light, my flame |
| Origin | hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ROO-ben | OO-ree |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1913 |
| Peak year | 1920 (465) | 2023 (60) |
| In 2025 | 269 | 42 |
| Trend | Steady | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Reuben | Uri |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,649 | 255 |
| 2010s | 2,359 | 294 |
| 2000s | 2,279 | 223 |
| 1990s | 2,436 | 144 |
| 1980s | 2,759 | 133 |
| 1970s | 2,542 | 167 |
| 1960s | 2,076 | 29 |
| 1950s | 2,193 | 5 |
| 1940s | 2,060 | 0 |
| 1930s | 2,269 | 0 |
| 1920s | 3,860 | 0 |
| 1910s | 3,274 | 5 |
| 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.
Uri means “my light” or “my flame” in Hebrew.
Reuben is more popular than Uri today: about 269 US babies were given the name Reuben in 2025, compared with 42 named Uri.
Reuben means behold, a son (hebrew origin), while Uri means My light, my flame (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Reuben first appears in 1880 and Uri in 1913, so Reuben has the longer recorded history.