| Reuben | Zev | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | behold, a son | wolf |
| Origin | hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ROO-ben | ZEV |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1920 (465) | 2025 (277) |
| In 2025 | 269 | 0 |
| Trend | Steady | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Reuben | Zev |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,649 | 1,523 |
| 2010s | 2,359 | 1,642 |
| 2000s | 2,279 | 889 |
| 1990s | 2,436 | 453 |
| 1980s | 2,759 | 261 |
| 1970s | 2,542 | 190 |
| 1960s | 2,076 | 105 |
| 1950s | 2,193 | 90 |
| 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 the Hebrew 'ze'ev' (זְאֵב), meaning 'wolf'. In Jewish tradition it is associated with the tribe of Benjamin, described in Genesis 49:27 as a wolf; often paired with the name Benjamin.
Reuben is more popular than Zev today: about 269 US babies were given the name Reuben in 2025, compared with 0 named Zev.
Reuben means behold, a son (hebrew origin), while Zev means wolf (hebrew origin).
In US records, Reuben first appears in 1880 and Zev in 0, so Zev has the longer recorded history.