I discovered this Hebrew variation of [name]Reuben[/name] while reading [name]Kathryn[/name] Lasky’s book, “The [name]Night[/name] [name]Journey[/name],” about her Jewish ancestors’ escape from [name]Russia[/name]. The story’s protagonist, nine-year-old Sashie, is taken with the name of a young man who helps her family, [name]Reuven[/name] Bloom.
I was taken with it myself, but I’m wondering, 1) is it too Jewish for a Gentile [name]Christian[/name] boy? and 2), will he spend his life explaining that it’s [name]Reuven[/name], not [name]Reuben[/name]?
I like [name]Reuben[/name], too, but [name]Reuven[/name], because of the smoother ‘v’ sound, has a lovely strong suavity that [name]Reuben[/name] doesn’t quite match. [name]Reuven[/name] also eliminates possible “rube” teasing.
I’d appreciate opinions!
Ooh, I like it! My first thought was that it sounded like groovin’ without the “g,” so it makes me think of dancing. Something tells me I’ll be the only person to think that…
Personally, I don’t see a problem with Christians using Jewish/Hebrew names. Christianity and Judaism are so closely connected; [name]Jesus[/name] was a Jew after all, so Christians should be able to use Hebrew names just the same as Jews. I prefer the “v” over the “b” in several Biblical names - [name]Avram[/name], for example - and [name]Reuven[/name] is no exception. The “v” sound is stronger than the “b” sound (to my ears), so I don’t think [name]Reuven[/name] would cause too much confusion.
Thanks! I hadn’t thought of “groovin’” yet, myself, but that’s kind of cool…[name]Reuven[/name] also makes me think of the word “riven.” I wouldn’t use it as a name, but I like the sound of the word.
I don’t see a problem with Christians using Hebrew names, either. You are right about the connection between the religions, and many of the most popular boys’ names in [name]America[/name] right now (think [name]Jacob[/name], [name]Noah[/name] and [name]Ethan[/name]!) are Hebrew. And perhaps I could have phrased my question better. Maybe I should have asked whether people seeing the name [name]Reuven[/name] would suppose he was a Jew; but that wouldn’t be a bad thing. They’d just find out differently when they got to know him. Maybe I wondered more whether [name]Reuven[/name], as a Jewish-sounding name not as familiar to American ears as [name]Jacob[/name] or [name]Noah[/name], would stick out next to brothers, say, [name]James[/name] and [name]Edmund[/name]?
It has a lovely sound, I prefer it over [name]Reuben[/name]. There might be confusion between the two but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
I think the sound of it is great, especially since I hate the “oob” sound in [name]Reuben[/name]. I’m trying to get over it by making sure I say and hear it as “ROO-bin” and not “ROOB-in” but the alternative of [name]Reuven[/name] is a million times more appealing to me.
The fact that a [name]Reuven[/name] would definitely endure a lifetime of, “It’s [name]Reuven[/name]… with a V… after the U. Yeah, I know it’s close to [name]Reuben[/name]. Yes, that was on purpose” puts me off it, though.
Thank you for the continuing input!
I really like it. [name]Just[/name] a little twist on [name]Reuben[/name], but [name]WAY[/name] better! And I didn’t know it was Jewish, so I’m not sure how many people actually will?!
Yes, I’m starting to wonder whether that’s even an issue. Thanks!
for what it’s worth, i see [name]Reuven[/name] and don’t pronounce it like [name]Reuben[/name] with a v. The Hebrew name has 3 syllables, the e and the u in the beginning are said separately - it’s not so much Roovin as R’oo-vein. Seeing it on a non-Jewish kid would be really odd to me, although that doesn’t make it totally off limits to anyone else.
I say it more like 2.5 than 3?
I mean, yes, r’oo-vehn, but honestly I almost swallow the sound so its closer to 2 than 3. This is a .wav of someone else saying it. http://www.forvo.com/word/reuven/
I think some people would think it was related to [name]Raven[/name], which would get on my nerves. But I like [name]Reuven[/name] a lot. And it skips the rube and sandwich associations nicely. Some people will think it is made up (this is why my husband would not let me use my most favourite Hebrew v for b - [name]Gavriel[/name]) but you’ll know its not really made up, its authentic.
I would probably guess any [name]Reuven[/name] I met was a Jew (I’m Jewish) but it’s not like it’d be a long ongoing mystery or anything, and most non-Jewish people wouldn’t recognize it at all, anyway.
yeah, it’s more of a glottal stop than an actual syllable the way most people say it, but there’s still more going on than in the conventional English pronunciation of [name]Reuben[/name].
Thanks, spring13 and stripedsocks. I appreciate the different perspective and the link to the Hebrew pronunciation. I will keep it in mind if I’m ever seriously considering [name]Reuven[/name] for a son. If I used it, as a third-generation American with no Jewish heritage, I would probably have to pronounce it like [name]Reuben[/name] with a V to make it accessible.
As a side note–if an American Jewish family named a son [name]Reuben[/name] (with a B), would they most likely use the Anglicized pronunciation (ROO-bin) since the spelling is already Anglicized? If the same family used [name]Reuven[/name], would they use the authentic Hebrew pronunciation instead?
In my experience, if their English name is [name]Reuben[/name]. it’d be ROO-bin, with people at synagogue or whatever calling them [name]Reuven[/name] sometimes in the Hebrew form, same as Jonathans who are regular Jonathans everywhere else in town are often Yonatans or called Yonni at synagogue.
If they’re Reuvens outright, they’re generally using the Hebrew pronunciation. Because there’s not really any other standard pronunciation of [name]Reuven[/name], you know? Usually it’s a matter of wanting it to be straight forward, in which case [name]Reuben[/name], or wanting it to be ultra-authentic no compromises, so [name]Reuven[/name]? If that makes sense.
Incidentally, my mom did have some very old uncle Reubens/[name]Rubens[/name] the family called [name]Ruby[/name] (Yes, everyone else in [name]America[/name] has great-Aunt Rubys, I have great-Uncle Rubys) but I prefer [name]Ben[/name] or [name]Vin[/name] as nicknames. That’s the only really irritating thing keeping [name]Reuben[/name] off my list of otherwise good possibilities; my husband is a [name]Benjamin[/name] and 99% of the time a [name]Ben[/name]. I do really like both forms of [name]Reuven[/name]/[name]Reuben[/name].
Yes, thank you, that makes sense.