# Zebedee (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/zebedee/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | “my gift” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈzɛbɪdiː/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | Zeb |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 1,276 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 1,276 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 283, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Ultimately from Ancient Greek Ζεβεδαῖος (Zebedaîos), from Hebrew זְבַדְיָה (Zəḇaḏyâ), from זַבְדִּי (zab̲dî, “my gift”). Doublet of Zebadiah.

## What it means

Zebedee is grouped under gift.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 7 | 10,787 |
| 2012 | 6 | 12,258 |
| 2013 | 10 | 8,112 |
| 2014 | 8 | 9,630 |
| 2015 | 11 | 7,484 |
| 2016 | 10 | 8,144 |
| 2017 | 8 | 9,682 |
| 2018 | 10 | 8,146 |
| 2019 | 13 | 6,769 |
| 2020 | 14 | 6,291 |
| 2021 | 9 | 8,818 |
| 2022 | 21 | 4,846 |
| 2023 | 34 | 3,473 |
| 2024 | 38 | 3,213 |
| 2025 | 19 | 5,203 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 10 | 2,039 |
| 2012 | 7 | 2,721 |
| 2013 | 14 | 1,617 |
| 2014 | 13 | 1,721 |
| 2015 | 17 | 1,442 |
| 2016 | 10 | 2,175 |
| 2017 | 19 | 1,339 |
| 2018 | 15 | 1,610 |
| 2019 | 9 | 2,266 |
| 2020 | 11 | 1,935 |
| 2021 | 13 | 1,782 |
| 2022 | 14 | 1,692 |
| 2023 | 6 | 3,112 |
| 2024 | 12 | 1,951 |
| 2025 | 12 | 2,014 |

## People named Zebedee

- Earl Hooker, American Chicago blues guitarist (1929–1970)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.