Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Zoie

Zoie is a modern American respelling of the ancient Greek Zoe which was generally rendered as Zoë in Latin (hence the diacritic ë from the Latin alphabet to denote the separate two-syllable sound). From the Greek, Zoe means “life.” The name was popular among early Christians as a way of showing their hopes for eternal life. The Roman Catholic Church recognizes two female Saints named Zoe from the 2nd and 3rd centuries. They were martyred for their Christian beliefs at a time when the Roman Empire still persecuted Christians (it wasn’t until 380 AD that Christianity became the official religion of Rome). While Zoe is a name of ancient origin, the English-speaking world did not adopt it until the 19th century. Now quite popular, new spelling variations (Zoey and Zoie) have emerged. These two more modern examples of Zoë explain away the diacritic ë by more clearly and phonetically displaying the name as two-syllable ZOH-ee.

All About the Baby Name – Zoie

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME ZOIE

The number one personality is a leader - strong and competitive. They are willing to initiate action and take risks. One personalities work hard toward their endeavors and have the ability to apply their creative and innovative thinking skills with strong determination. They believe in their ability to succeed and are too stubborn to be hindered by obstacles. Ones meet obstacles head-on with such mental vigor and energy that you better step aside. They resent taking orders, so don't try telling them what to do either. This is an intensely active personality, but they are also known as starters rather than finishers. They have a propensity to become bored and will move quickly to the next project if not properly challenged.  They are the ones to think up and put into action new and brilliant ideas, but they are not the ones to stick around and manage them. This personality has an enthusiastic and pioneering spirit. They are distinctly original.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME ZOIE

Zoe has been used for girls in America since the 1800s, but Zoey and Zoie did not appear on the charts until very recently in the 1990s. Zoey came first in 1995 and Zoie quickly followed in 1998; both names were riding the wave of Zoe’s snowballing popularity at the time. What’s interesting is that Zoey just surpassed the popularity of Zoe in 2011 and is now the most common spelling of this ancient Greek name. Zoie, on the other hand, hasn’t fared as well. While Zoie has done just okay on the charts, her sisters have soared into the Top 50. We wonder when Zoee or Zohee might pop up on the charts since American parents have a knack for new spelling creations. Collectively, the Zoe names are given to about 13,000 baby girls per year (which is quite a lot on a relative basis), but Zoie with an “ie” only gets about 4% of that market share. In other words, this is not the preferred spelling (which may cause some spelling confusion for name bearers later). Regardless, all names are essentially pronounced the same even if some insist on the one-syllable ZOH. Although Zoe is ancient, the name still sounds very modern and upbeat. A very “life” affirming choice for any baby girl.

Quick Facts

ON ZOIE

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

American

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

663

PRONUNCIATION:

ZOH-ee

SIMPLE MEANING:

Life

Characteristics

OF ZOIE

Independent

Individualistic

Ambitious

Strong-willed

Inventive

Successful

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Zoie

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME ZOIE

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Zoie

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME ZOIE

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Zoie


Popular Songs

ON ZOIE

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Zoie


Famous People

NAMED ZOIE

We cannot find any celebrities or significantly famous people with the first name Zoie.

Children of Famous People

NAMED ZOIE

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Zoie

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME ZOIE

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Zoie