| Zebadiah | Reuben | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Yahweh has bestowed | behold, a son |
| Origin | hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | zeb-ə-DY-ə | ROO-ben |
| Syllables | 4 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2001 (49) | 1920 (465) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 269 |
| Trend | Steady | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Zebadiah | Reuben |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 124 | 1,649 |
| 2010s | 197 | 2,359 |
| 2000s | 252 | 2,279 |
| 1990s | 249 | 2,436 |
| 1980s | 211 | 2,759 |
| 1970s | 79 | 2,542 |
| 1960s | 0 | 2,076 |
| 1950s | 0 | 2,193 |
| 1940s | 0 | 2,060 |
| 1930s | 0 | 2,269 |
| 1920s | 0 | 3,860 |
| 1910s | 0 | 3,274 |
| 1900s | 0 | 820 |
| 1890s | 0 | 828 |
| 1880s | 0 | 741 |
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'.
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.
Reuben is more popular than Zebadiah today: about 269 US babies were given the name Reuben in 2025, compared with 0 named Zebadiah.
Zebadiah means Yahweh has bestowed (hebrew origin), while Reuben means behold, a son (hebrew origin).
In US records, Zebadiah first appears in 0 and Reuben in 1880, so Zebadiah has the longer recorded history.