Girl name · Greek
Zoe
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: life, livingZoe is a girl's name that comes from Greek and means "life, living". It is used in English, French, Greek, Italian, Spanish and German and more.
- Meaning
- Life, living
- Origin
- Greek
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #31 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Zoe
As a girl's name, Zoe comes from Greek and means "life, living". It is used in English, French, Greek, Italian, Spanish, German and Dutch. In French it is spelled Zoé. In Dutch it is spelled Zoë.
In French, say zoh-AY. In Italian, say DZOH-eh. In Spanish, say SOH-eh. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Zoe on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Zoe on 7 lists.
“Life, living; Greek. Say zoh-AY”
From French girl names, popular French girl names right now
“Life; Greek. Germans say TSOH-eh”
From German girl names, popular German girl names
“Greek for life, for a lively, bright-eyed cat”
From Female cat names, classic girl cat names
“Greek for life, for a girl who is full of it”
From Girl dog names, popular girl dog names
“Life, living; Greek. Say DZOH-eh”
From Italian girl names, short Italian girl names
“Greek for life, and full of it”
From Taco Bell chihuahua name, girl chihuahua names
“Life; Greek. Short and bright. Say SOH-eh”
From Spanish girl names, popular Spanish girls' names in Spain (INE 2024)
How popular is Zoe?
- US rank in 2025
- #31
- 5,646 babies, 3,513 per million girls
- Best rank
- #29 in 2024
- Most babies: 6,466 in 2012
- Babies since 1880
- At least 163,256
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 214 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 145 per million |
| 1900s | 82 per million |
| 1910s | 57 per million |
| 1920s | 58 per million |
| 1930s | 69 per million |
| 1940s | 39 per million |
| 1950s | 58 per million |
| 1960s | 52 per million |
| 1970s | 72 per million |
| 1980s | 116 per million |
| 1990s | 933 per million |
| 2000s | 2,639 per million |
| 2010s | 3,319 per million |
| 2020s | 3,199 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #35 | #41 | #40 | #38 | #40 | #42 | #38 | #36 | #29 | #31 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Zoe
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- ZoiLife, living (Greek, girl)
Names spelled like Zoe
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- ZoeyVariant of Zoe, life (Greek, girl)
- ZhenPrecious, treasure (depends on characters) (Chinese, girl)
- ZivRadiance, brightness (Hebrew, unisex)
- ZoraDawn (Slavic, girl)
- ZoyaLife, from Greek zoe (Greek, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- EvaLiving, life (Hebrew, girl)
- AishaAlive, living (Arabic, girl)
- AvaVariant of Eve, life; in Persian, voice (Hebrew, girl)
- VitoLife (Latin, boy)
- AmrLife (Arabic, boy)
- AyşeAlive, living (Arabic, girl)
- AyushLife, long life (Sanskrit, boy)
- BeathagLife (Scottish Gaelic, girl)
- BeathanLife (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- CanSoul, life (Persian, boy)
Middle names for Zoe
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
- AmberAmber, golden fossil resin (Arabic, girl)
- AngelinaMessenger (Greek, girl)
- ColetteVictory of the people (Greek, girl)
- EsmeraldaEmerald (Spanish, girl)
- GabrielleGod is my strength (Hebrew, girl)
- JuniperEvergreen shrub (Latin, girl)
- NaomiPleasantness, sweetness (Hebrew, girl)
- SaoirseFreedom, liberty (Irish Gaelic, girl)
More girl names from Greek
- AlexandraDefender of men (Greek, girl)
- ElenaForm of Helen, probably from Greek torch (Greek, girl)
- IrenePeace, tranquility (Greek, girl)
- IrisA rainbow (Greek, girl)
- SofiaWisdom, skill (Greek, girl)
- SophieWisdom, skill (Greek, girl)
- AnastasiaResurrection, rising again (Greek, girl)
- ChristinaFollower of Christ (Greek, girl)
- NicoleVictory of the people (Greek, girl)
- PetraRock, stone (Greek, girl)
Zoe: common questions
What does the name Zoe mean?
Zoe comes from Greek and means "life, living".
Is Zoe a boy or girl name?
Zoe is mainly a girl's name. In 2025, 5,646 girls and 13 boys in the US were named Zoe, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Zoe come from?
Zoe comes from Greek and means "life, living". Today it is used in English, French, Greek, Italian, Spanish and German.
How popular is the name Zoe?
Zoe ranked #31 in the US in 2025, with 5,646 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Zoe?
Forms of Zoe with the same meaning and origin include Zoi (Greek).
What middle names go with Zoe?
Middle names that flow well with Zoe include Amber, Angelina, Colette, Esmeralda and Gabrielle. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.