Would you assume a 'Reuben' is Jewish?

[sheeplikessleep]

Honest thoughts please.
Both DH and I love the name Reuben, in fact the only name we both agree on. Our DS was born on Sunday and once we've said his name, we've had different people ask if we're Jewish, which we aren't. Is my DS going to face this question throughout his life? Is it an inappropriate name as we have no Jewish links whatsoever? Would appreciate thoughts please - thanks.

'BTW in America David is considered a Jewish name.'

Ummmm.....NO, it isn't.

nickytwotimes - posh is fine we definitel are

I know a Reuben (non-Jewish) born late sixties cos there was a TV adaptation of Cold Comfort Farm. I tend to put Reuben in that category - along with Seth, Jed etc (even Noah, which could also be Jewish).

Oh, yeah, ahem, me too, sheep.

I would probably assume yes but that's only because I only know one Reuben who I went to school with and he was Jewish. Having said that, both of my chidlrens' names have Hebrew origin (I like Hebew names) and we're not jewish, although their names aren't really recognised today as being particularly jewish.
Choose it if you like it - why not? but yes, you might have lots of people asking if you're jewish but that wouldn't bother me.

ooh, does that mean I'm posh too? Reuben was on my list for awhile!

yes, Yank.

lovely name but yes, in my mind a Jewish name

It's just fashion - biblical names were pretty universal here (do I just mean England?) at one time, then some fell out of favour, but many are making a comeback. It's a shared cultural heritage. David was Jewish. So was Jesus.

Jesus, now there's a thread of its own (popular in Latin America, I think).

Oh sorry YanknCock - I was told that by an American friend a few years ago. She was Jewish! So maybe she had a skewed perspective.

"She was Jewish! So maybe she had a skewed perspective." Umm better explain that what I meant by that was perhaps she kept thinking that all these English blokes called Dave she kept meeting all over the place were potential husbands her mother would approve of, but was to find out they were all "Urrr dunno, C of E I suppose..."

As the mother of a DS with a 'Jewish' name. If I am asked, which is rarely. I explain that it is an old testament name. Joshua chapter 13 to be exact. If you can quote which book, they soon shut up.

I wouldn't assume a Reuben was Jewish, I think it's a lovely strong name

Love the name Rueben though. If I didn't have a problem pronouncing my R's it would have been on the shortlist for DS.

No worries BS, think your friend may have had a skewed perspective yes!

Might also depend where she lived, if somewhere with a big Jewish population and she hung out with a lot of other Jewish people...then perhaps she met a lot of Jewish Davids.

It's a popular name there, a quick google suggests its the 7th most popular name in the U.S. (not sure if that's population as a whole or just men).

oooh interesting I am considering this name for potential ds3 as I really like it but i was also wondering about the Jewish connection. I think it is fading. No one thinks it anymore with girls called Rebecca. And plenty of non-welsh boys called Dylan etc etc? I only know of one 7/8 year old and he is not Jewish

Oh and to add,

We had chosen Solomon if dd4 had been a ds purely on the fact that we loved the name and with no thought to it being Jewish (dp's mum is Jewish)

I think we all spend too long worrying about what others think and lose sight of what we like!

I think it sounds Jewish but I think, as other people have said, cultural perspectives etc have changed. Names like Eli, Levi and Noah would only have been used by fairly observant British Jewish families in my childhood 30-odd years ago, but in our more generally liberal, culturally fluid and less religiously knowledgeable times I think people just tend to choose names they like. Which is fine.

My DN is a Reuben and he is definitely not Jewish. It's a lovely name, and one that will not date.

I wouldn't presume he was Jewish - I'm a Christian and know loads of people who have used Bible names both Hebrew and Greek.

There are some names that are more unusual, but I think the UK today is very mixed culturally and I know Joel's, Joshua's, Noah's, Aaron's, Jonah's, Elijah's, etc that I think were more unusual a generation ago.

I like it - and Roo as a nn :-)

And if he does get asked if he is Jewish surely he can just say 'No, but the name goes back thousands of years and was originally Jewish and it means A Son'.

Saying nothing that hasn't been said above but yes I would assume he's Jewish straight off, which isn't end of world is it, also it's a nice name - but as said already loads of other Jewish names already out there being used by all backgrounds, and this one will become more generally used soon like others have already (used to think Noah was a bit extreme and Old Testament, but meet loads of them now!).

No more than David or Benjamin (and I know lots of Jewish & Christian guys with those names)

Maybe if her were 40+ but under forty no. I know a couple of Reubens my age and they aren't Jewish, so I certainly wouldn't expect a baby Reuben to be Jewish. But to be honest, if people think you're Jewish, so what. You're entitled to use a name from the old testament or the new testament I think. It's not like you're trying to dupe somebody.

No, I wouldn't assume they were Jewish, but I also wouldn't name my child Reuben either. You can't move for falling over Reuben's around here.

i wouldn't assume Jewish, I would assume either Christian or Jewish.
but then, I don't think i'd assume religious necessarily.
not these days.

I might comment "ooh, a good strong Biblical name" but then i'm a bible basher, so...