Ruben vs Elijah
How Ruben and Elijah compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Ruben (boys) vs Elijah (boys), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Ruben | Elijah |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 2001 — 1,736 boys | 2011 — 13,997 boys |
| Peak rank | #207 | #13 |
| Most recent rank (2025) | #480 (632 births) | #7 (11,111 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 27,934 | 345,561 |
| Last 10 years (2016–2025) | 6,871 | 125,763 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Elijah reached 13,997 US births in 2011 — 12,261 more than Ruben's peak count.
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's boys-name list.
Ruben — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | #230 | 1,709 |
| 2 | Texas | #238 | 1,543 |
| 3 | New Mexico | #265 | 74 |
| 4 | Arizona | #266 | 297 |
| 5 | Nevada | #372 | 86 |
Elijah — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas | #3 | 1,358 |
| 2 | Louisiana | #3 | 2,113 |
| 3 | New Mexico | #4 | 821 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | #4 | 1,558 |
| 5 | Florida | #4 | 8,344 |
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →