Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Baby names

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

Reuben??

26 replies

Rachel234561 · 23/11/2015 22:56

What do you think of this name with Ben as a nickname. Thanks. Due in three weeks and it's the name we both agree on. Thanks.Xxx Grin

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Bishboshbash · 23/11/2015 23:04

Lovely (I have one!) but not keen on Ben as a nickname, too plain!

Hero1callylost · 23/11/2015 23:05

I like it, it makes me smile at the thought of Cathy Davey's song 'Reuben' :)

Paddletonio · 23/11/2015 23:06

Reuben and Ben both great

lifeinslowmotion · 23/11/2015 23:06

Reuben is a lovely name but Ben as a nn is quite dull in comparison.

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 23/11/2015 23:18

Can't stand it sorry. Ruebens are everywhere. But then its popular for a reason.
But if you're thinking of calling him Ben as a nn. Which is loveley Why not just put Ben on his BC.I know its mnetty thing to have full names on BC, but it really isn't the law.
Or how about Benjamin or Benedict. There was a little boy who was in my DDS primary school named Benedict (Ben). He was a lovely little boy, very very polite and we'll behaved

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 23/11/2015 23:18

Oooh strike out fail. Oh well

DramaAlpaca · 24/11/2015 00:51

I don't see why not. If you like it, go for it. I know a Ben whose birth cert name is Bernard which is awful IMO and Reuben is much nicer.

FWIW I wouldn't be able to resist using Roo as a nickname. One of my boys gets called Roo, but he isn't a Reuben or anything like it Grin

SushiAndTheBanshees · 24/11/2015 01:01

It's a nice name, I like it. If you're not Jewish be prepared for the lifelong assumption that he is.

Didactylos · 24/11/2015 01:01

brother to Seth?

Bishboshbash · 24/11/2015 09:43

I think it depends where you live, I've never met another Reuben or had anyone suggest he is Jewish. I'm in Scotland though so maybe that makes a difference.

ThisPasadenaHomemaker · 24/11/2015 09:46

It's completely irrational and unjustified but I really hate it.

Plus they are everywhere here in W Yorks. Seems like I missed the memo saying all boys born in the last 4 years must be called Reuben or Noah.

LumelaMme · 24/11/2015 09:50

Love it.
We have a Roo round the corner.

CordeliaFrost · 24/11/2015 12:35

I love it, it's my dad's name, so how could I not? It's also DS's middle name.

We are a Jewish family, and for a long time I only ever knew Jewish boys/men named Reuben (or Reuven, the original Hebrew spelling), but these days I know/know of a handful of non-Jewish boys named Reuben. Plus my friend's fiancé is a Reuben, and he's not Jewish, so I would no longer assume a Reuben is Jewish (as I did back when all the ones I knew were).

Oh and I wouldn't use a nn for it, I think Reuben is handsome enough on its own, but the only nn I like for it is Roo. For some reason I like Ben from Benjamin, but for Reuben, I don't. Work that one out if you can!

MrsCaecilius · 24/11/2015 14:45

Very Jewish to me too. Not that that's an issue of course...

hobitty · 25/11/2015 14:12

Reuben is a great name! But please don't use Ben as a nickname - it is so dull and overused..... Why not use Reuben as it is?

alltouchedout · 25/11/2015 14:16

I love the name. I wanted to use it but my husband doesn't like it :(. It's gorgeous.

NationMcKinley · 25/11/2015 14:17

Love it. We have one. We use Rudy as nn even though it's not technically an abbreviation Wink

hobitty · 25/11/2015 14:21

If you have to shorten Reuben, then I'd chosse Roo or Rooby, but I wouldn't shorten it at all.

BalaRua · 25/11/2015 14:22

Love it! My ds is named Ruairí and gets Ru for short and it's very cute, Reuben shortened to Ru would be nice too. I wouldn't think to shorten it to Ben though if he was introduced as Reuben, my mind just wouldn't make the connection.

hobitty · 25/11/2015 15:12

Also, you don't pronounce it as Reu-BEN, the emphasis is on the ROO.

NoArmaniNoPunani · 25/11/2015 17:14

It's a sandwich

MiddleAgeMiddleEngland · 25/11/2015 19:52

Loads of Ruebens here, but if you live in an area where it's not so popular you might feel better.

The one I know best is aways called Roo. There are three in his Year 4 class.

SellFridges · 25/11/2015 19:56

We have a Reuben. Doesn't get shortened. We've been asked once if we're Jewish. Which we're not. It's definitely becoming more popular though. If we did shorten, it would be to Ben.

ingenvillvetavardukoptdintroja · 28/11/2015 08:57

We did exactly that after 5 days of negotiating over boys names.... My oh hated roo as a shortening and he looked like a Ben, very wise!
I've forgotten his name is Reuben tbh. People don't really get it as a nickname for Reuben, the sound is more like bun. I'm just relieved as I honestly felt he wasgoing to be nameless for life.....

Bellejournee · 29/11/2015 06:39

I know a Reuben and his nickname is Roo, which I love!