Given name & surname
Zoya
“a life-giving woman; alive”
Zoya is a variant of Zoe. One Greek interpretation is “a life-giving woman; alive.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Zoya is a variant of Zoe. One Greek interpretation is “a life-giving woman; alive.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Zoya is a variant of Zoe. An origin associated with Zoe is Greek.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1963. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Zoya through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,885
- 0 boys · 4,885 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 358 babies
- 2025
- 252
- #1,002 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +27%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 252 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,002 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 27.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (42). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,052 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.
Zoya’s family of names
Zoya has a related form in Zoe. In Armenian usage, Zoya is a Roman-alphabet rendering of Զոյա. In Armenian usage, Zoya is a transliteration of Զոյա.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Zoya
- Zoya KosmodemyanskayaSoviet resistance member of World War II and Heroine of the Soviet Union (1923–1941)
- Zoya AkhtarIndian film directorborn 1972
- Zoya FyodorovaSoviet-Russian actress (1909-1981)
- Zoya VoskresenskayaRussian / Soviet author and diplomat (1907-1992)
- Zoya AfrozIndian Model and actressborn 1994
- Zoja RudnovaSoviet table tennis player1946–2014
- Zoya PirzadIranian writerborn 1952
- Zoya BoguslavskayaRussian literary critic1924–2026
- Zoya IvanovaSoviet athletics competitor (born 1952)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Zoya, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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