Zoe Name Meaning

With all the spunk of Chloe and the cool factor of Z, it’s no wonder that parents are loving Zoe. Her meaning of “life” or “alive” is also a winning feature for many.

Despite her surge in popularity and ancient roots, Zoe is quite the modern newcomer, first hitting the U.S. Top 100 in 2000. This relative new popularity makes her undeniably modern regardless of her sporadic use in early history, being the name of two saints and an ancient empress. Zoe is relatively free of deep historical ties thanks to her light usage, allowing your little one to blaze a new path and leave her mark on the world.

Zoe is on-trend with the long -ee endings seen in Lily, Riley, and Avery, but also in a league of her own thanks to her use of Z. Historically the letter isn’t commonly used in females, adding some mystery and intrigue to the name that’ll set her apart from the crowd. Little Zoe is full of life, much like her meaning, vibrantly conquering each day like a warrior.

Spelling variations of the name are endless with Zoey, Zoie, and Zowie all floating about. Some other zesty Z names for girls are Zelda, Zara, and Zeva.

Infographic of Zoe name meaning, which is Meaning life, Zoe is a Greek name.
Ask your friends & family about Zoe…

Zoe Name Popularity

How popular is the name Zoe? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 735 10 0.0028%
1911 — 0 0%
1912 1,016 6 0.0012%
1913 — 0 0%
1914 1,255 5 0.0007%
1915 1,201 9 0.001%
1916 1,059 16 0.0017%
1917 1,042 17 0.0017%
1918 1,303 9 0.0008%
1919 1,633 5 0.0005%
1920 876 35 0.0031%
1921 868 39 0.0034%
1922 1,007 24 0.0022%
1923 1,148 16 0.0014%
1924 1,059 23 0.002%
1925 1,029 24 0.0021%
1926 1,555 5 0.0005%
1927 1,027 23 0.0021%
1928 979 25 0.0023%
1929 1,120 16 0.0015%
1930 1,066 19 0.0018%
1931 758 41 0.0042%
1932 795 38 0.0038%
1933 917 24 0.0026%
1934 799 36 0.0037%
1935 992 20 0.0021%
1936 802 36 0.0037%
1937 934 24 0.0024%
1938 964 22 0.0021%
1939 1,241 10 0.001%
1940 1,291 9 0.0008%
1941 1,279 10 0.0009%
1942 1,307 11 0.0009%
1943 1,188 16 0.0012%
1944 1,238 13 0.001%
1945 1,506 6 0.0005%
1946 1,137 22 0.0015%
1947 1,286 18 0.0011%
1948 1,215 22 0.0014%
1949 973 42 0.0026%
1950 1,188 25 0.0016%
1951 975 46 0.0027%
1952 1,039 40 0.0023%
1953 1,083 37 0.0021%
1954 1,036 46 0.0025%
1955 955 61 0.0033%
1956 1,112 43 0.0023%
1957 904 80 0.0042%
1958 906 81 0.0043%
1959 1,044 58 0.0031%
1960 1,071 56 0.003%
1961 990 71 0.0038%
1962 1,304 31 0.0017%
1963 1,143 46 0.0026%
1964 1,373 27 0.0015%
1965 1,391 24 0.0015%
1966 969 63 0.004%
1967 1,238 33 0.0022%
1968 1,120 47 0.0031%
1969 1,204 43 0.0028%
1970 974 80 0.005%
1971 1,023 71 0.0047%
1972 1,120 53 0.0039%
1973 985 71 0.0055%
1974 1,117 56 0.0043%
1975 1,029 67 0.0052%
1976 1,188 51 0.004%
1977 1,160 59 0.0044%
1978 1,284 47 0.0035%
1979 1,277 51 0.0036%
1980 1,249 56 0.0038%
1981 1,362 46 0.0031%
1982 1,169 66 0.0044%
1983 887 117 0.0079%
1984 790 148 0.0099%
1985 866 130 0.0086%
1986 808 155 0.0103%
1987 749 188 0.0123%
1988 820 174 0.0112%
1989 587 326 0.0202%
1990 513 422 0.0255%
1991 357 685 0.042%
1992 283 941 0.059%
1993 234 1,172 0.0752%
1994 215 1,313 0.0856%
1995 176 1,717 0.1139%
1996 155 2,056 0.1373%
1997 132 2,362 0.1597%
1998 122 2,689 0.1797%
1999 104 3,234 0.216%
2000 82 3,770 0.2468%
2001 65 4,644 0.3082%
2002 60 4,886 0.326%
2003 57 5,085 0.3342%
2004 54 5,359 0.3516%
2005 58 4,960 0.3244%
2006 54 5,152 0.329%
2007 56 4,934 0.3127%
2008 58 4,781 0.3093%
2009 47 5,146 0.3443%
2010 31 6,262 0.4345%
2011 31 6,303 0.4424%
2012 30 6,455 0.453%
2013 31 5,969 0.4192%
2014 32 5,870 0.4029%
2015 32 6,038 0.415%
2016 35 5,737 0.3979%
2017 41 5,122 0.367%
2018 40 5,054 0.3679%
2019 38 5,029 0.3715%
2020 41 4,650 0.3653%
2021 43 4,313 0.3528%
2022 38 4,977 0.3773%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Zoe

If you like Zoe, you’ll love these other names like Zoe.

What names are variants of Zoe?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Zoe.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Zoee

Life

Greek

Zoey

Life

Greek

Zoie

Life

Greek

Zooey

Life

Greek

What names sound like Zoe?

If you like how Zoe sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Zoe.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Chloe

Green sprout

Greek

Joey

Jehovah increases

Hebrew

Josey

Jehovah increases

Hebrew

Josie

God will increase

English

Josy

Jehovah increases

Hebrew

Zola

Lump of earth

Italian

Zora

Dawn

Slavic

What names are similar to Zoe?

Find a name that’s like Zoe, but just a little bit different.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Ava

To live

Latin

Avery

Elf counsel

English

Harper

Harp Player

English

Kaya

Restful place, yew tree, forgiveness; home; stone; willow, wise child; the one with the beautiful body, profile

Turkish

Penelope

Weaver

Greek

Quinn

Descendent of Conn

Irish

Riley

Rye clearing

Irish

Una

One

Latin

Zara

Blooming flower

English

Zinnia

An allusion to the flower of the same name, so designated in honor of J.

Latin

Lists With Zoe

Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Zoe.

Siblings of Zoe

Mamas with kids named Zoe also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Ezra

Help

Hebrew

Elizabeth

God is my oath

Hebrew

Austin

Great

English

Beau

Handsome

French

Malachi

My messenger

Hebrew

Zayne

God is gracious

American

36 Comments

  1. I went to emergency during pregnancy, I thought I was going to loose my baby. The name Zoe means life, and I was reminded to pray life over her.

    Reply

  2. My lovely twin girls are Zoe and Chloe <3

    Reply

  3. My husband loved the name. We didn’t have a name picked out until the day we were leaving the hospital.

    Reply

  4. It’s cute ?

    Reply

  5. – Unique but not hard to spell

    Reply

  6. My name is Zoe and I’m a bit paranoid about everything. I’m a Pisces and well that’s it : )

    Reply

  7. well well well… Zoe is a spunky name it makes me want to curl up in a ball and drink warm lumpy milk. Zoe is the name of my ugly sisters daughter and she looks just like her good looking dad who works out a lot and i have no idea how my horrifying sister pulled him. anyway Zo? makes me want to jump in bed with my sisters husband and make another one!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply

    • My names Zoe and you sound jealous and insecure think about this and ask about why you posted this

      Reply

  8. my name is zoi (zoe) and i kinda like my name:) i like telling people the meaning and i think the spelling with an i on the end is super cute, even though nearly everyone pronounces it wrong haha
    zo is a nice nickname for it too ^^

    Reply

  9. Hi my name is Zoe & I’m a Cancer. I love my name. It’s very beautiful.

    Reply

  10. When I was a kid I always said that my first girl was going to be Zoe Anastasia, because I believed it was a princes name lol. When I got older and I became pregnant I threw a bunch of names around and none of them felt right. But when my mom became ill and we found out the gender I knew that her name was going to be Zoe. You see my mother always referred to my future kid as Zoe, my mother passed the day after she found out that she is a girl. I got my mom the heart beat bear and told her meet Zoe. Needless to say the name Zoe Anastasia is very near and dear to my heart, also it’s a princess name

    Reply

    • This is so touching! Brought tears to my eyes. What a beautiful story. Condolences about your Mom. I too named my baby girl who was born in March, Zoe. It’s such a cute and spunky name, definitely fit for a princess.

      Reply

  11. My name is Zoee And middle name Irene. Zoee means life and Irene means peace. Both are greek. I would highly suggest spelling it Zoee or Zo? as some people may think its just Zo which is my nickname anyways. Zoee is just unique. I love my name.

    Reply

  12. Since the meaning of Zoe doesn’t necessarily connote feminism, can a boy child be named Zoe?

    Reply

  13. my name is zoe and i love my name but.. i can never find my name on a necklace or keychain and people always think it is pronounced “zo” but i don’t mind when ppl call me that because it is my nickname lol <3

    Reply

    • In The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida I found a keychain that said Zoe.

      Reply

    • Relatable everyone calls me Zo but I found a chain in tennessee that said Zoe

      Reply

  14. We liked that it was a simple name

    Reply

  15. I always loved Zoe. I picked this name since I was in high school! It means life!!! I am the kind of person who chooses name by their meaning. I strongly believe that calling someone by their name you are fully declaring the meaning of that name into that person’s life. My daughter’s name is Zo? Victoria which means a “victorious life”!

    Reply

  16. I chose the name Zoe because I liked the name and it’s meaning, “life”.

    Reply

  17. Zo? Grace was not even on our radar but it popped into my spirit one evening after putting my other 2 kiddos to bed & I just knew it was her name. Then when I looked it up, it means abundant life of God & it’s just so perfect for the season we are in ??

    Reply

  18. We like that Zoe means “life” ?

    Reply

  19. I love that it has a Z in it and it’s short and sweet and goes good with her last name.

    Reply

  20. Just lived it

    Reply

  21. Hi my name is Zoe i think its a wonderful name !

    Reply

    • I’m zoe also,it’s a very beautiful and special name, though people often find it confusing and difficult to pronounce. sometimes they’re like it’s pronounced zo and that’s actually what I’m fondly called sometimes ?.

      Reply

  22. Hello my name is Zoe and i always thought it was a beautiful. It is easy to spell and it means life. The name Zoe is Greek. It is mostly used it English, German and many more

    Reply

  23. Means life .

    Reply

  24. Her dad gave her the name and I liked it because of the meaning. It means LIFE and we actually went to alot during pregnancy. God actually gave us LIFE

    Reply

  25. Zoe means life and our Zoe is a miracle baby (conception and birth!) so it seemed appropriate. I like that this name is easy to spell, pronounce, and remember. I don’t like that it’s fairly common and we have met two other baby Zoes in get first ten months.

    Reply

  26. My hubby actually picked the name and I do like it because of the meaning and our Christian background. The name Zoe means life. The God kind of Life.

    Reply

  27. Me and my husband looked at a bunch of names but both kept coming back to zoe we just loved the way it sounds and how simple it is

    Reply

  28. Our third child, born in December, is a Zoe. We loved that it’s a unique name without being hard to spell. The fact that it means life is an added bonus, what a beautiful thing to represent!

    Reply

    • oops, sorry for the double post!

      Reply

  29. Our second daughter, born last December, is a Zoe. We loved that it has a unique sound without being too hard to spell (we have a very German surname). The fact that it means life is an added bonus, what a beautiful thing to represent!

    Reply

  30. We chose the name Zoe because I had always loved it! Additionally, we loved that it means “life”.

    Reply

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