Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Reuben or Eden

63 replies

Orangeecats · 10/02/2024 13:27

Baby boy due in 2 weeks! Can’t decide on the name - we like uncommon names and have managed to short list it to Eden and Reuben. Any thoughts?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
MariaVT65 · 12/02/2024 02:28

Yep agree Eden is a girls’ name.

Reuben is a lovely name but I wouldn’t have chosen it personally just because people will have no idea how to spell it correctly.

theduchessofspork · 12/02/2024 02:24

Reuben - great name

Eden’s a girls’ name in the Uk, and somewhat cheesy.

RuthW · 11/02/2024 21:52

Eden is a girl's name. Never heard of it for a boy.

peaceinourtime · 11/02/2024 14:37

Eden is more a girls name. Reuben is a lovely name.

Jessforless · 11/02/2024 10:47

I know a few Edens are they’re all girls. I would worry about giving a boy this name, sorry OP.

amz4 · 11/02/2024 10:21

I've always thought of Eden as a gender neutral name. Eden gets my vote 😊

RichPetunia · 11/02/2024 06:09

My choice would be Eden as it's lovely.

Copperoliverbear · 11/02/2024 05:56

Eden is for girls I thought
Reuben. Don't like it due to knew a person with this name absolutely vile person.
Sorry.

IggyAce · 11/02/2024 05:49

Eden I see as a girls name, so I’d go with Reuben. However while it isn’t super popular I do know several.
If you like Eden would you consider Evan.

MrsTerryPratchett · 11/02/2024 05:46

Orangeecats · 10/02/2024 21:10

@Einevinefine nothing else in reserve that we can think of! It’s so hard!

I just like names that are unusual/uncommon but not silly! I really did have my heart set on Eden but I am worried that he will get teased if everyone thinks it should be for a girl!

More importantly, it's branding your child. If your child turns out to be atheist, Muslim, gay, anything other the Christian or Jewish, naming then such a clearly religious name is an issue.

MaloneMeadow · 10/02/2024 21:20

Reuben is absolutely lovely.

Eden is great too, just not for a boy.

FayCarew · 10/02/2024 21:14

Reuben gets misspelt a lot.
Eden is a bit trendy either as a girl's name (Evie, Edie trend) or as a boy's name (Eden Hazard)

Not keen on either, but if I had to choose, Reuben

Original poster
Orangeecats · 10/02/2024 21:10

@Einevinefine nothing else in reserve that we can think of! It’s so hard!

I just like names that are unusual/uncommon but not silly! I really did have my heart set on Eden but I am worried that he will get teased if everyone thinks it should be for a girl!

OP posts:
DustyLee123 · 10/02/2024 15:47

I prefer Ruben.

Einevinefine · 10/02/2024 15:46

Like the name Reuben - know quite a few.

The Edens I have encountered have been female. Was unaware it was a unisex name.

Have you another name in reserve?? Difficult choosing isn’t it? Mine didn’t get their names until the sixth week (when legal registration was due).

We were meant on too much by family. I think it might have been better for us, in retrospect, to name baby before we left hospital like Americans do.

Congratulations, hope it all goes well x

hutsch · 10/02/2024 15:37

EDEN.

Definitely a unisex name. I considered this for my boy in 2017 - I still wish I'd used it!!! I think it's so lovely for a boy.

Theoldcuriosityshop · 10/02/2024 15:37

I know a male Eden.

BatshitIsTheOnlyExplanation · 10/02/2024 15:37

I have an Eden (boy). It's definitely a unisex name. I know two other male Edens and one female.

IsThePopeCatholic · 10/02/2024 15:34

I love Reuben.

Tabletoptimes · 10/02/2024 15:28

Eben? Less common than Reuben and more of a boys name than Eden.

MrsTerryPratchett · 10/02/2024 15:20

Rueben is a great name. Eden is loaded and a girl's name.

WotNoUserName · 10/02/2024 15:08

Reuben. But I'm biased as I have one and still think it's a lovely name. It wasn't popular when I named him (he's 20) but there's more around now.

I've know male and female Edens, but still think of it as mainly a girls name (could be because the one I know best is a girl)

Whycantiwinmillionsandsquillions · 10/02/2024 15:00

Auto correct: name not babe.

InTheRainOnATrain · 10/02/2024 15:00

Reuben. Unless it’s a surprise girl, then Eden! I know more girl Edens than I know boy Reubens so I don’t think it’s THAT popular. But then these things are weird sometimes. The repeated names in my kid’s classes are not the ones you’d expect.

Whycantiwinmillionsandsquillions · 10/02/2024 15:00

You are not going to get a completely unique babe unless you go for something totally silly.
Remember most people are giving their dcs unique names now, so everything will be more common that if once was.
I’ve come across both Ruebens and Edens.
I’ve come across people with the most unlikely of names.