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