Rubin

Rubin is a surname of German origin, derived from the word rubin, meaning ruby. It is also used as a given name in some cultures, often as a variant of Ruben or Reuben. The name is found in various communities around the world and has many transliterations and spellings.

Notable uses of the name include in science and culture. Vera Rubin (1928–2016) was an American astronomer whose observations of galaxy rotation curves provided pivotal evidence for the existence of dark matter. In her honor, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile houses a large survey telescope and will conduct the Legacy Survey of Space and Time. Rubin’s vase, a classic optical illusion created by Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin, is widely cited in discussions of figure-ground perception and perceptual switching.

Beyond people, Rubin also appears as a surname in institutions and projects named after individuals bearing the name, and, in German, rubin remains the term for the gemstone ruby. The word has been adopted in various languages and remains a recognizable element in names, literature, and science.