How popular is Zoe, really?

General Name Discussion
1

I have yet to come across a girls name that I love or feel like I could actually use on my future child. I am very drawn to [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] and my husband hasn’t completely shot it down. Of course we have to disagree on something, and it’s the spelling in this case. I prefer [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], he prefers [name_f]Zoey[/name_f]. So to start, which spelling do you prefer and why?

Secondly, when I suggested [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], hubby said “that’s a really popular name” which I’m usually not on board with. I don’t know of ANY [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]'s in my life though, not even through association. I live in the northeast US. I know [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is listed in the 30s on nameberry, but is it really that popular in real life? [name_m]How[/name_m] many [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]'s do you know, how do they spell their name and where do you live (in general)?

And as always, name suggestions similar to [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] are always welcome!!!

Thanks all!!

2

The spelling of [name_f]Zoey[/name_f] is actually number #24 for the year of 2013. So that means it’s very popular.
That being said if you love it use it.

[name_f]Melody[/name_f]
[name_u]Story[/name_u]
[name_f]Chloe[/name_f]
[name_f]Holly[/name_f]

Theres not a whole lot of other names that sound like [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]. Sorry! [name_f]Hope[/name_f] this helps!

3

I know one two high school aged [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]'s and that’s it. Weirdly, I know three dogs named [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], so that’s one more dog than person!

You should go to the SSA website and see how many [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]'s were born in your state last year. That’s the best indicator of how many are really in your neck of the woods. That being said, I agree that if you love it you should use it, no matter what. Especially if it’s the only one you can agree on!

4

I know two zoes, 1 in 10th grade and 1 i 2nd grade.I would say use it.

5

I know one [name_f]Zoey[/name_f] (3) and one [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] (1). I wouldn’t worry about popularity. If you love it, use it. When you look at the actual stats, even when you combine the [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] and [name_f]Zoey[/name_f] spellings, it still adds up to less than 1% of babies born in one year. Popularity is really more of a regional thing than a national thing. For instance, I’ve yet to run into a toddler/baby named [name_f]Mia[/name_f], even though it’s ranked 6 for the nation. It’s just not popular in my area. Evangaline. on the other hand, is ranked 300, yet I know two babies with that name (I live in the South).

As for spelling, I prefer [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]. It just looks more sophisticated and classy. [name_f]Zoey[/name_f] is cute enough on a little girl but seems too cutesy/childish for a grown woman.

6

I really like [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], but can’t get behind [name_f]Zoey[/name_f]. Tell your husband that spelling is the more popular one if he doesn’t like that, either. [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] doesn’t need extraneous letters, and most people know how to say and spell it at this point. It’s a lovely Greek name, keep it simple.

Also, to echo a previous poster’s advice, keep in mind where you live depends on how popular a name feels - try checking the popularity lists for your state vs. the entire country to get a better feeling. Look at how popular [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is in your area right now (what ranking, how many were born last year, etc.) and compare that with how popular your own name/names of your friends were for your area and the year you were born; this should give you a better idea of what’s current vs. what’s “too popular.”

For example, my own name was #33 in my state/#43 in the country and 174 born in the state/7,600 in the country, the year I was born. I only know two girls the same age as me with my name, none were in any classes until high school. [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] ranked higher in my state in 2013 (#17) and in the country (#31) but there were less babies with the name (146 in my state, 5,920 in the country). I have only met one little girl named [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], and she was three years old. Though more babies are being born now, there is a wider range of names being used, so statistically, even the Top 100 names aren’t used quite as much as when most people on this site were born, in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. I am really against using an overly popular name, but after doing some comparisons myself, I realized that the only names that really feel off-limits (for me personally) are those in the Top 20 in the country and in the state I live in and surrounding areas. (Yes, I vet each name I like against the Social Security lists… don’t judge me too harshly).

7

Ok thanks all. I’ll check out the SSA website, I didn’t know they broke it down by state there.
His main worry with the spelling “[name_f]Zoe[/name_f]” is that people will pronounce it “zoh” instead of “zoh-ee”. I think both spellings are pronounced like the phenotical version [name_f]Zoey[/name_f]. [name_f]Do[/name_f] berries tend to agree?

8

Where you live is important. I live in a rural area in the [name_u]North[/name_u] [name_f]East[/name_f], I know probably 5-6 human [name_f]Zoey[/name_f]/[name_f]Zoie[/name_f]/[name_f]Zoe[/name_f] 's and another 7 or 8 dogs with the name

9

I’d say so. 40 years ago it probably would have confused a lot of people, but it’s popular enough now that I think most people would know that [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is pronounced ‘[name_m]ZO[/name_m]-ee’ rather than ‘[name_m]ZO[/name_m]’. I prefer the [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] spelling, partly just because it’s the original and partly because I think the ‘y’ was added by a lot of people who had your husband’s concern and I don’t think it’s necessary anymore.

As to national popularity (I don’t know how to see it by state and don’t know what state you’re in anyway), I added up the number of babies named [name_f]Zoey[/name_f], [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] and [name_f]Zoie[/name_f]. Together, they total 13,534 babies, which if we considered it one name would make it #6 on the overall list. As it is, [name_f]Zoey[/name_f] is #24, [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is #31, and [name_f]Zoie[/name_f] is way down at #663. So nationally it’s pretty popular but of course it can vary a lot by state or region. I live in eastern [name_f]Canada[/name_f] and off the top of my head I think I’ve met two human Zoes (not sure of each one’s spelling) and two cat Zoeys. Keep in mind though that I don’t have children and never find myself surrounded by little ones, so I may not be a good barometer.

10

[name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is my grandmother’s name, and I think it is awesome. It has been my favorite name for over 2 years now. I don’t know many people named [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] though. I know one girl who is in her teens. My grandmother, who is in her eighties. One of the teachers at my school has a granddaughter named [name_m]Zo[/name_m]ë. And I saw a little girl at the preschool I shadowed at with this name, but I can’t think of any more.
I prefer the [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] spelling because it is the original, and it looks the cleanest in my opinion. I also really like the [name_m]Zo[/name_m]ë spelling but don’t care for any of the other ones.
[name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is the only name I’d keep even if it became number one. It is that special to me. I think it is stunning, sophisticated, and classy. It is ancient and modern at the same time. I love it.

11

I know five Zoes, ages 3, 4, 12, 15, and 16. I don’t know anyone who spells it with a y. Also, there was a girl named [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] who pronounced it ‘Zoh’ on my soccer team in fifth grade, but I’ve never met or heard of anyone else who pronounces it that way.

12

I know one [name_f]Zoey[/name_f], one [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], and two [name_f]Zoie[/name_f]'s… Which is my least favorite spelling. [name_f]Zoey[/name_f] I think is my favorite. It seems more “complete” than [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]. I also work in childcare and volunteer at my oldests elementary school. I only perosnally know one of the Zoeys.

I agree with checking SSA website for a more accurate view on how popular it is in your area. But if you two love the name and agree on it I say use it.

There’s a lot of names that are similar in sound. I find zoey to be my favorite. Besides the obvious [name_f]Chloe[/name_f] the names to come to mind are [name_f]Vivia[/name_f], [name_f]Zella[/name_f], [name_f]Zelie[/name_f], and [name_f]Zelia[/name_f].

13

I live in the northeastern US (PA to be exact) and I have several friends/coworkers (6-ish) who have named their young daughters [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] in the last few years. The spelling of their daughters’ names is pretty evenly split between the two main spellings. I personally prefer the [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] spelling because it is the original and more streamlined/sophisticated to me somehow. I do think [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is rather popular right now. That said, a popular name now is not NEARLY as “popular” as popular names were in the past, so looking at percentages of births helps to give you a good idea of use more than mere ranking does. Something that is helpful to me is to look at the percentage of births a name has versus names with similar percentages the years I was born to see really how common it is. For instance, [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] was given to .31% of girls last year. In the late eighties, names with around the same percentage were [name_u]Whitney[/name_u], [name_f]Christine[/name_f], [name_f]Kristin[/name_f], and [name_f]Maria[/name_f]. Those were names I knew of as a child, heard of, but definitely didn’t run into all the time. There certainly weren’t [name_u]Whitney[/name_u] A, B, and C in my classes as a child. So will a little [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] born now know other Zoes? Probably. [name_m]Will[/name_m] she be stuck as [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] A all her life? Probably not, but its a risk with any name.

14

Very! I do volunteer work at a local school for pre-k, kindergarden, 1st, any of the lower grades they need help with that day. Each classes averages about 16 kids. I know 3 girls named [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] and 2 more girls named [name_f]Zoey[/name_f].

In my old high school there were 3 girls named [name_f]Zoey[/name_f] and one named [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]. I also know a baby too young for school named [name_f]Zoey[/name_f]. I live in a town with less than 100,000 people. The only name I am more sick of hearing is [name_f]Emma[/name_f]. (It’s like every other girl under 10 is named [name_f]Emma[/name_f]!)

15

I live in the midwest and know three people who have given their kids this name, and all three are spelled [name_f]Zoey[/name_f] (ages 14, 2, and infant). However, my husband and I really like the [name_m]Zo[/name_m]ë spelling. There’s just something about that accent! Plus it’s the Dutch version of the name, which is another reason my husband and I like it. I wouldn’t worry about people mispronouncing [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] – I think it’s popular enough these days that people know how to pronounce it. I didn’t even realize the pronunciation issue is a reason that a lot of parents spell it [name_f]Zoey[/name_f] (until it was pointed out in this thread). And yes, it’s been a pretty popular name for babies in recent years, but if you love it, don’t let that stop you!

16

I know a couple [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]'s, one who spells it [name_m]Zo[/name_m]ë. I don’t know anyone who spells it [name_f]Zoey[/name_f] which is the spelling I prefer.

17

My name’s [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], spelt that way, and I had another [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] in my year right through school. As I got older it got more popular, and now where I live it is ridiculously common. Pretty much all spelled [name_f]Zoe[/name_f].

I wouldn’t let it throw you, it’s all very dependent on your exact location.

18

I love [name_f]Zoe[/name_f]! I’ve recently added it to my list (well, as a trial period. We’ll see if it actually lasts, haha), so obviously I prefer that spelling. I used to prefer [name_f]Zoie[/name_f] (there are a lot of name trends I’m glad I grew out of, haha!), but I have grown to really love the classic beauty of the traditional spelling. I love that it seems sort of cute and sweet, but it’s got serious spunk and history (it was used about a thousand years ago–with regularity!–so a name with that amount of staying power, I think, is one that’s worth keeping around!). Most people I come across seem to expect it to just be a cute little girls’ name, and not to really age very well, but the majority of Zoes I’ve met have been around sixty or so, so I see it with much more class and timeless grace than a cutesy little girl name. I think it ages extremely well. I love how it’s international–it’s well-loved in most English speaking countries, as well as [name_f]France[/name_f], as well as Greek, and from what I understand, it was used on a Turkish empress in the 1100s, making it so completely versatile. There are so many international variants (Zoja, [name_f]Zoya[/name_f], [name_f]Zoelie[/name_f], etc.!), and it’s just so versatile and spunky and fun and yet timeless. I think it’s fantastic. [name_f]Every[/name_f] time I come across a [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], I just grin really big. I love it so much.

As for similar names, idk. [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_u]Eden[/name_u], [name_f]Lyra[/name_f], [name_f]Eva[/name_f], and [name_f]Daisy[/name_f] seem to be of a similar style to me, but I also see it fitting in really well with a lot of my favorites, so I would add names like [name_f]Isabelle[/name_f], [name_f]Arianne[/name_f]/[name_f]Ariana[/name_f]/[name_f]Arielle[/name_f]/[name_f]Ariella[/name_f], [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], [name_f]Violet[/name_f], [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], [name_f]Elena[/name_f]/[name_f]Eleni[/name_f]/[name_f]Eleanor[/name_f], [name_f]Grace[/name_f], [name_f]Audrey[/name_f], [name_f]Tess/name_f, [name_f]Claire[/name_f], [name_f]Julia[/name_f], [name_f]Emmeline[/name_f]/[name_f]Emilia[/name_f]/[name_f]Emma[/name_f], [name_f]Catherine[/name_f], [name_f]Audrey[/name_f], etc. to that list. (Although, my tastes seem to lean more toward traditional and popular, so I’m not sure how helpful this list is, lol!)

Good luck!

19

I like the [name_m]French[/name_m] name [name_f]Zelie[/name_f] (zay-lee), which can be short for Azelie or [name_f]Azalea[/name_f]. As to [name_f]Zoe[/name_f], I know a Shih Tzu w/the name.

20

I think everyone knows [name_f]Zoe[/name_f] is pronounced with the E saying it’s name at the end. “[name_f]Zoey[/name_f]” looks too childish…I say go with the original. I know two Zoes off the top of my head and I live in TX. One is in preschool and one is in kinder.