Given name
Zooey
“life”·“a life-giving woman; alive”
In English use, Zooey has a related form in Zoë. One Greek interpretation is “life.” Zooey is a variant of Zoe. One Greek interpretation is “a life-giving woman; alive.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Zooey has a related form in Zoë. One Greek interpretation is “life.” Zooey is a variant of Zoe. One Greek interpretation is “a life-giving woman; alive.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Zooey has a related form in Zoë. An origin associated with Zoë is Greek.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2003. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Zooey through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,106
- 0 boys · 1,106 girls
- Most popular year
- 2012
- 194 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #13,199 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −61%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 13,199 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 61.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 194 in 2012. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 984 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Zooey’s family of names
Zooey has a related form in Zoe. In English usage, Zooey has a related form in Zoë.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Zooey
- Zooey DeschanelAmerican actress and singerborn 1980
- Zooey ZephyrAmerican politician and university administratorborn 1988
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Zooey, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.