The Greek Aristoboulos (Ἀριστόβουλος) means 'best counsel' or 'best deliberation' — from aristos (best) and boule (counsel, will). Paul greets 'those who belong to the household of Aristobulus' in Romans 16:10 — likely referring to slaves and freedpersons of this household who had become Christians. Aristobulus himself may not have been a believer.
The greeting to 'those in the household of Aristobulus' reveals the social texture of early Roman Christianity. The gospel spread through households — and not always top-down. Scholars suggest this Aristobulus may have been a grandson of Herod the Great, whose household would have been absorbed into the imperial household after his death. The believers Paul greets were likely slaves in that household — men and women with no social standing who nonetheless formed part of the Roman church. The cross creates community where the world sees only hierarchy. That Paul names specific household groups rather than influential leaders reflects the egalitarian nature of early Christian fellowship.