The title of the book comes from the name of its writer.
"Zephaniah"means "Yahweh hides [or has hidden],""Yahweh's watchman,"or "Yahweh treasured."The uncertainty arises over the etymology of the prophet's name, which scholars dispute. I prefer "Yahweh hides."
Zephaniah was the great-great-grandson of Hezekiah (1:1), evidently King Hezekiah of Judah.1If he was indeed a descendant of the king, this would make him the writing prophet with the most royal blood in his veins, except for David and Solomon. Apart from the names of his immediate forefathers we know nothing more about him for sure, though it seems fairly sure where he lived. His references to Judah and Jerusalem (1:10-11) seem to indicate that he lived in Jerusalem, which would fit a king's descendant.