Name of the Week

Lively Zoe has a short and sweet charm
combined with a rich Greek heritage.

 

Origin:

Derived from the Ancient Greek zoe (ζωή) meaning "life."

Usage:

Zoe was in use as a feminine name during the Classical Greek era, especially in Asia Minor and the Peloponnese, and the variant Zoes was notable in the Aegean islands.  It was picked up by the Hellenised Jews of Alexandria who used it to render the Hebrew name Eve, which also translated as "life." We know it was used in the Roman Empire, as there were two known Christian martyrs who bore the name: one persecuted in the reign of Hadrian, the other in the reign of Diocletian.  The name was also well used during the Byzantine Empire. Two notable royal women bore the name: Zoe Karbonopsina, the wife of Emperor Leo VI the Wise, and Zoe Porphyrogenita, daughter of Emperor Constantine VIII, Empress Consort by marriage and also co-regent Empress with her sister. In Britain, Zoe has been in use since the 16th century, though its usage was rare and remained so through the 18th century.  In the 19th century, Zoe remained below the top 200 in England and Wales. However it used consistently, with at least one birth per year, and had increased in use by the 1880s, averaging around twenty births per year.  Zoe leapt up into the Top 100 in the 1970s, ranking #30 in 1974. It was #41 in 1984, and by 1994 had moved back up to #30 again.  This ties in very nicely with Leslie Dunkling's data for the number of girls registered with the name Zoe in every 10,000 births in England and Wales, which shows that the name had begun to gain momentum in the 1960s, and between 1970 and 1975 had seen a veritable explosion in popularity:  1900 1925  1935 1950 1955 1960  1965  1970  1975  1980  1985  1990     2               2        2    12    30   107    50    52   92 Since the 1990s, Zoe has been gradually declining in use in England and Wales from its peak at #30 in both 1974 and 1994.  In 1997 (as with 1996) it ranked #31 with 1784 births. In 2000 it was #41 and by 2003 it had moved out of the top 50 to #53 (1019 births).  The variant spelling Zoey has marginally increased, from three births in 2000 to 46 births in 2010, though this is not enough to offset the decreased use of Zoe.  In 2012, Zoe ranked #91 with 620 births and Zoey ranked #1037 with 34 births. In previous centuries, Zoe has traditionally been less popular in Scotland, even up until the 1990s. It first appeared in the Scottish top 100 in 1975, which was below that of England and Wales in the same year, ranking at #75. In recent years however, Zoe has been comparatively more popular in Scotland than in the rest of the UK for each given year. It was #33 in 2005, #42 in 2007, #36 in 2009. #39 in 2011, #47 in 2012 and #51 in 2013 with 110 births.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Saints Exuperius and Zoe (d. 127 AD), 2nd century Christian martyrs. * Saint Zoe of Rome (d.286), Christian martyr.  * Zoe Karbonopsina (d.c. 920), Byzantine empress, wife of Emperor Leo VI the Wise. * Zoe Porphyrogenita (978-1056), Empress of the Byzantine Empire in her own right. * Zoe Palaiologina (c. 1455–1503), wife of Tsar Ivan III of Russia. Contemporary: * Zoe Wannamaker (b. 1949), British actress. * Zooey Deschanel (b. 1980), American actress. Literature and Media: * Zoe, a character on Sesame Street. * Zoe Heriot, a companion in Doctor Who.

Variants:

Zoey, Zoie, Zoa; Zoé (French), Zoë (Dutch), Zoja (Polish), Zoya (Russian)

Pronunciation:

ZO-ee [key]

Possible  Longer Forms:

Zenobia

Sibling Names:

Anna     Mia     Lara     Esme     Lucy     Tess  Leo     Nathan     Lewis     Seth     Alex     Jacob

Name Lists:

Dulcet Dainties   Short and Sweet

 

If you like Zoe you may also like:  Zelie, Eva, Clio, Hebe, Zara, Esme, Chloe, Elodie, Elora, Leonie

 

Thanks to Kerry for requesting this post.