Possibly derived from Ugartic zbl meaning "prince". Zebulun is the tenth son of Jacob in the Old Testament and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Genesis 30:20 implies two different roots for the name: זָבַל (zaval) "to honour" or "to dwell", and זֵבֵד (zeved) "gift, dowry". These are probably only folk etymologies.