| Reuben | Zebadiah | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | behold, a son | Yahweh has bestowed |
| Origin | hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ROO-ben | zeb-ə-DY-ə |
| Syllables | 2 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1920 (465) | 2001 (49) |
| In 2025 | 269 | 0 |
| Trend | Steady | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Reuben | Zebadiah |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,649 | 124 |
| 2010s | 2,359 | 197 |
| 2000s | 2,279 | 252 |
| 1990s | 2,436 | 249 |
| 1980s | 2,759 | 211 |
| 1970s | 2,542 | 79 |
| 1960s | 2,076 | 0 |
| 1950s | 2,193 | 0 |
| 1940s | 2,060 | 0 |
| 1930s | 2,269 | 0 |
| 1920s | 3,860 | 0 |
| 1910s | 3,274 | 0 |
| 1900s | 820 | 0 |
| 1890s | 828 | 0 |
| 1880s | 741 | 0 |
Hebrew Re'uven, literally 'behold, a son!' (re'u 'see, behold' + ben 'son'). Genesis 29:32 layers a second biblical wordplay on it: Leah says 'the LORD has looked upon (ra'ah) my affliction' — that play is theological rather than the strict etymology.
From Hebrew Zebadyah, from zabad 'to give/bestow' (noun zebed 'gift') + yah (Yahweh) — 'Yahweh has bestowed/given'. A 'gift of God' name; sometimes rendered 'gift of the Lord'.
Reuben is more popular than Zebadiah today: about 269 US babies were given the name Reuben in 2025, compared with 0 named Zebadiah.
Reuben means behold, a son (hebrew origin), while Zebadiah means Yahweh has bestowed (hebrew origin).
In US records, Reuben first appears in 1880 and Zebadiah in 0, so Zebadiah has the longer recorded history.