Jebediah is an uncommon, yet distinctive given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "beloved of the Lord." It is a variant spelling of the more familiar Jeddiah, which is derived from the Hebrew name Jehudiel. The name Jebediah has been used sparingly throughout history but gained some popularity in the mid-19th century, particularly in the United States. It is composed of two elements: "Jeb," which could be a short form of Job or an independent name element meaning "exalted" or "honored"; and "-ediah," which is derived from the Hebrew word for "beloved.
The name Jebediah experienced significant popularity from the mid-1970s to around the late 1980s and early 1990s, with peaks of 23 births in 1978 and 22 births in 1979. However, it started declining thereafter until the late 1990s when it began to rise again, reaching an all-time high of 29 births in 2016. Despite recent fluctuations, Jebediah remains relatively uncommon overall, with a total of 713 births recorded between 1973 and 2023.