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Zephaniah

♀ Girl

Pronounced zef-uh-NY-ah /ˌzɛf.əˈnaɪ.ə/Medium

Meaning: From Hebrew Tzefanyah, 'the Lord/Yahweh has hidden/treasured; hidden by God'; overwhelmingly a boys' name; here for girls; flaggedLow

In 30 seconds: The Lord has hidden/treasured: Zephaniah is Hebrew. Lyrical, devout, and warm. Overwhelmingly a boys' name (here for girls).

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Origin LowHebrew

MeaningFrom Hebrew Tzefanyah, 'the Lord/Yahweh has hidden/treasured; hidden by God'; overwhelmingly a boys' name; here for girls; flagged

U.S. rank (2024)#7933 ↘ Falling

2024 U.S. births14 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year2016

Total births (all-time)≈ 456

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Zephaniah comes from Hebrew Tzefanyah, 'the Lord/Yahweh has hidden/treasured; hidden by God' (a minor prophet of the Hebrew Bible). It is overwhelmingly a boys' name; here it is used for a girl (slug distinguished; we flag the cross-sex use). A lyrical, devout name (said 'zef-uh-NY-ah'; nickname Zeph).

In the U.S. it is overwhelmingly a boys' name. Rare for girls, hidden-by-God at the root, and devout.

Did you know? Zephaniah means 'the Lord/Yahweh has hidden/treasured; hidden by God' in Hebrew (a minor prophet) — overwhelmingly a boys' name, used here for a girl (we flag the cross-sex use; said 'zef-uh-NY-ah').

Overall data confidence 38%

References — Zephaniah — overwhelmingly boys'; here girls'

Variations

ZephaniaZefaniahZephaniya

Nicknames

Zeph

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Zephaniah mean?

Zephaniah is Hebrew 'the Lord has hidden/treasured; hidden by God'; overwhelmingly a boys' name, used here for a girl.

How do you pronounce Zephaniah?

It's said zef-uh-NY-ah /ˌzɛf.əˈnaɪ.ə/ — four syllables, stress on the third.

Is Zephaniah a boy or girl name?

Zephaniah is overwhelmingly a boys' name; this page covers its rarer use as a girl's name.

How popular is Zephaniah?

Zephaniah is very rare as a girl's name in the U.S.