Ze'ev

Ze'ev (Hebrew: זְאֵב / זאב‎ zeév) is a masculine given name relatively common among Ashkenazi Jews, especially those living in the State of Israel. It is a Biblical name, adapted from a reference to Benjamin in Genesis as a "wolf that raveneth." It re-appeared in relatively recent times as a translation of the Yiddish name װאָלףֿ / װאלף "Volf" or "Wolf," meaning literally "Wolf" in English. The name "Wolf" (in German) was relatively common among Germans.

The Bible mentions a person directly named Ze'ev, one of the Midianite leaders defeated by the Judge Gideon (see Oreb and Zeeb). However, the identical modern name is not derived from this character, an ancient enemy whom later Jews had no reason to emulate.