Given name
Zoë
“life”
Zoë is used as a given name. One Greek interpretation is “life.”
Original GreekΖωή
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “life.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
From Ancient Greek ζωή (“life”); its root is Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃-.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Zoë’s family of names
In English usage, Zoë has a related form in Zoe. In English usage, Zoë has a conventional equivalent in the Italian form Zoe. Zoë has a related form in Zoe.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Zoë has relatives in 18 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
16 related names in 18 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 15
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ΖωήGreek
- Zoyaequivalent
- Zoilaequivalent
- Zoellaequivalent
- ZojaPolish, Latvian
- ZoiaRomanian
- ZoéFrench, Portuguese
- زوئیUrdu
Show 7 moreShow fewer
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Zoë
- Zoe SaldañaAmerican actress, dancer, and model (born 1978)
- Zoë KravitzAmerican actress, director, singer and model (born 1988)
- Zoë WanamakerAmerican-born British actressborn 1949
- Zoë MëSwiss singer-songwriterborn 2000
- Zoë BellNew Zealand actressborn 1978
- Zoë LundAmerican performer and writer (1962–1999)
- Zoë HellerEnglish journalist and novelistborn 1965
- Zoë WicombSouth African author (1948–2025)
- Zoë QuinnAmerican video game developerborn 1987
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Zoë, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Zosa
“a lively and energetic woman”
>99% girls
Zeuxippe
>99% girls
Zanthe
“yellow-haired woman; blonde”
>99% girls
Zograf
“painter”
—
Zaharache
Zaharache is a surname from Greek. It is used in Romanian.
—
Zervas
Zervas is a surname from Greek.
—
Zeleia
>99% girls
Oenone
Oenone is a feminine given name from Latin, ultimately from Ancient Greek.
20% boys · 80% girls