Tzefaniah
/ˌtsɛfəˈnaɪə/noun
A Hebrew masculine name corresponding to the biblical name Zephaniah.
Did you know?The name belongs to Zephaniah, a biblical prophet whose message warned of the coming “Day of the Lord,” making it both protective and apocalyptic in tone.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
צְפַנְיָה (Ṣəfanyāh)
“Yahweh has hidden, treasured, or protected”
First Millennium BCE
Hebrew
Ṣəfanyāh
“The personal name of the prophet Zephaniah and several other biblical figures”
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Greek
Σοφονίας (Sophonías)
“Greek transliteration of the Hebrew personal name”
4th–5th Century CE
Latin
Sophonias
“Latin form of the biblical name”
Old English / Medieval English
English
Sophonia(s)
“Biblical name transmitted through Latin and ecclesiastical tradition”
Modern English
English
Zephaniah / Tzefaniah
“A biblical masculine given name; Tzefaniah is a closer Hebrew-style transliteration”
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