Zoe

femaleAncient Greek

Means 'life' in Greek.

Origin: Ancient Greek

Official popularity data is available for 7 regions, from 1968 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #8 in New South Wales, Australia in 2015. See regions.

Zoe: Recorded since 1968, it reached #8 in 2015, and it was still inside the top 100 in 2025.

7registrars recorded it
228times a registrar ranked it
58years from first to last
#8highest recorded position
38groupings it qualifies for
53names it appears alongside

What stands out in Zoe's record

Held a top-100 place for 41 years running. Names by top-100 run
England and Wales registered 1,897 births with the name in 1996, its largest count from any one registrar. Names by yearly birth count
Held at least one birth in every 2,000 for 24 years. Names by sustained share
Moved 221 places between two consecutive years — its largest recorded change. Names by largest single-year move

ZOH-ee/ˈzoʊi/

Compare Zoe Run Name Checker on Zoe

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: SubstantialEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)

Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (7) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin: Ancient Greek
Meaning: Means 'life' in Greek.
Pronunciation: ZOH-ee
Syllables: 1
Common nicknames: None recorded
Classification: Traditional & modern
Gender usage: female
Language family: Ancient Greek

Popularity

Region

Falling

among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2025

View as table

England and Wales · Girls rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#31
1997	#31
1998	#45
1999	#48
2000	#41
2001	#43
2002	#43
2003	#53
2004	#58
2005	#67
2006	#74
2007	#80
2008	#83
2009	#83
2010	#84
2011	#92
2012	#91
2013	#97
2014	#99
2015	#89
2016	#92
2017	#105
2018	#96
2019	#96
2020	#107
2021	#116
2022	#106
2023	#102
2024	#99
2025	#104

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among girls in Republic of Ireland in 57 of the 58 years from 1968 to 2025.

In 2025: #19 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, #46 among girls in Republic of Ireland, #104 among girls in England and Wales, #313 among girls in Norway.

Official data from 7 national registrars across 7 regions, 1968–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1968
First recorded at #401 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1968 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #104 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls

Zoe appears in 7 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Girls, which has ranked it in 57 years beginning in 1968, and has registered 5,043 births with the name.

Zoe across 7 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Zoe's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Girls	#401 (1968)	#26 (2016)	#46 (2025)	57 of 58	5,043 (1968–2025)	219 (2016)
New South Wales, Australia · Girls	#90 (1981)	#8 (2015)	#19 (2025)	44 of 45	10,322 (1981–2025)	368 (2015)
Norway · Girls	#637 (1987)	#211 (2020)	#313 (2025)	29 of 39	291 (1987–2025)	22 (2020)
New Zealand · Girls	#72 (1988)	#11 (2010)	#24 (2023)	36 of 36	4,779 (1988–2023)	219 (2010)
England and Wales · Girls	#31 (1996)	#31 (1996)	#104 (2025)	30 of 30	24,253 (1996–2025)	1,897 (1996)
Northern Ireland · Girls	#37 (1997)	#32 (2002)	#105 (2024)	28 of 28	1,329 (1997–2024)	75 (2002)
England and Wales · Boys	#4991 (2023)	#4270 (2024)	#5137 (2025)	3 of 3	10 (2023–2025)	4 (2024)

Zoe by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Zoe in Republic of Ireland · Girls, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1960s	3	1 of 10	3
1970s	100	10 of 10	10
1980s	227	10 of 10	23
1990s	721	10 of 10	72
2000s	1,421	10 of 10	142
2010sbusiest	1,875	10 of 10	188
2020s	696	6 of 10	116

Across Republic of Ireland · Girls, the 2010s were its busiest decade, averaging 188 births a year.

Its sharpest single-year move came between 1997 and 1998, when recorded births fell by 67, from 132 to 65.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Zoe appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

What the record shows

Recorded by 7 registrars between 1968 and 2025, ranked in 57 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #8, first reached in 2015.

It held a top-100 place in 44 years, 41 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 1,897 births, registered in England and Wales in 1996.

1 registrar ranked it inside their own top 10.

Its record falls into 2 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 1 year.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1981, and 56 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Zoe was ranked #8 in New South Wales, Australia · Girls in 2015. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Ziyan · #1595, 16y
Zlata · #625, 17y
Zoey · #66, 32y
Zofia · #121, 40y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 7 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Isaac · #8, 52y
Jamie · #8, 61y
Leah · #9, 58y
Natalie · #9, 62y

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1960 and 1969.

Aisling · #8, 62y
Danielle · #8, 60y
Hazel · #8, 62y
Isaac · #8, 52y

Comparisons involving Zoe

Existing comparison pages where Zoe and another name were ranked in the same published list, in the same years, on the same scale. Each has its own evidence; none of them says the names are alike.

Longest shared records

Names ranked alongside Zoe in the same published list across at least 25 years.

Zoe vs Natasha
In 1996 they stood at #31 and #33 in England and Wales · Girls, 2 places apart; by 2025 they were #104 and #1362.
Zoe · Natasha · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking
Zoe vs Chelsea
In 1996 they stood at #31 and #34 in England and Wales · Girls, 3 places apart; by 2025 they were #104 and #983.
Zoe · Chelsea · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking
Samantha vs Zoe
In 1996 they stood at #32 and #31 in England and Wales · Girls, 1 places apart; by 2025 they were #778 and #104.
Samantha · Zoe · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking

Closest long-running positions

Names that stayed close to Zoe within one registrar's list over many years. A gap measured inside that list, never across registrars.

Mia vs Zoe
Across 23 shared years in New Zealand · Girls, Mia and Zoe averaged 7.4 places apart, ending at #13 and #24.
Mia · Zoe · 23 shared years, 2001–2023 · Closest over the longest run
See the 2023 New Zealand ranking
Grace vs Zoe
Across 38 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Grace and Zoe averaged 7.6 places apart, ending at #11 and #19.
Grace · Zoe · 38 shared years, 1988–2025 · Closest over the longest run
See the 2025 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Ella vs Zoe
Across 28 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Ella and Zoe averaged 9.3 places apart, ending at #11 and #19.
Ella · Zoe · 28 shared years, 1998–2025 · Closest over the longest run
See the 2025 New South Wales, Australia ranking

Order changes

Pairs where Zoe and another name exchanged position in a published list, taken as the final meaningful change.

Ruby vs Zoe
In 2019, Ruby moved ahead of Zoe in New Zealand · Girls — #23 and #12 the year before became #5 and #16.
Ruby · Zoe · 32 shared years, 1992–2023 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 2019 New Zealand ranking
Laura vs Zoe
In New Zealand · Girls, Zoe moved into the top 50 at #23 in 2004 as Laura fell out of it to #53, having been #32 the year before.
Laura · Zoe · 20 shared years, 1988–2008 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 2004 New Zealand ranking
Poppy vs Zoe
In Northern Ireland · Girls, Poppy moved into the top 50 at #27 in 2021 as Zoe fell out of it to #61, having been #45 the year before.
Poppy · Zoe · 26 shared years, 1998–2024 · One took the other's place near the top
See the 2021 Northern Ireland ranking

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

Pairs involving Zoe measured in New South Wales, Australia's own published lists — the registrar that recorded Zoe at its highest position.

Lily vs Zoe
Across 29 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Lily and Zoe averaged 9.7 places apart, ending at #9 and #19.
Lily · Zoe · 29 shared years, 1997–2025 · Closest over the longest run
See the 2025 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Zoe vs Matilda
Across 22 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Zoe and Matilda averaged 10.0 places apart, ending at #19 and #16.
Zoe · Matilda · 22 shared years, 2004–2025 · Closest over the longest run
See the 2025 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Ava vs Zoe
Across 23 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Ava and Zoe averaged 10.3 places apart, ending at #18 and #19.
Ava · Zoe · 23 shared years, 2003–2025 · Closest over the longest run
See the 2025 New South Wales, Australia ranking

New South Wales, Australia overview→

Zoe and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,577 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Zoe without appearing here.

Zoe moved ahead of

Tonje
In 2017 they stood at #439 and #412 in Norway · Girls; by 2018 that had become #268 and #529.
Rita
In 2017 they stood at #439 and #409 in Norway · Girls; by 2018 that had become #268 and #525.
Jorunn
In 2012 they stood at #541 and #489 in Norway · Girls; by 2013 that had become #328 and #577.
Jane
In 2012 they stood at #555 and #528 in Norway · Girls; by 2013 that had become #328 and #576.

Moved ahead of Zoe

Caoimhe
In 1970 they stood at #307 and #363 in Republic of Ireland · Girls; by 1971 that had become #349 and #289.
Mabel
In 2019 they stood at #96 and #98 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2020 that had become #107 and #68.
Sadie
In 2021 they stood at #61 and #66 in Northern Ireland · Girls; by 2022 that had become #76 and #40.
Meabh
In 2016 they stood at #49 and #82 in Northern Ireland · Girls; by 2017 that had become #77 and #44.

Moved the opposite way to Zoe

Aisling Compare
Between 1968 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Zoe went from #401 to #46 while Aisling went from #87 to #180.
Andrea Compare
Between 1968 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Zoe went from #401 to #46 while Andrea went from #179 to #304.
Bernadette
Between 1968 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Zoe went from #401 to #46 while Bernadette went from #21 to #718.
Bridget
Between 1968 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Zoe went from #401 to #46 while Bridget went from #10 to #213.

Moved the same way as Zoe

Aoife
Between 1968 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Zoe went from #401 to #46 and Aoife from #181 to #34.
Clodagh Compare
Between 1968 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Zoe went from #401 to #46 and Clodagh from #164 to #47.
Hazel
Between 1968 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Zoe went from #401 to #46 and Hazel from #164 to #55.
Heidi
Between 1968 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Zoe went from #401 to #46 and Heidi from #401 to #91.

Meaning & Origin

Means 'life' in Greek.

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Ancient Greek

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Zoe is officially recorded

7 official registrars have recorded Zoe, between 1968 and 2025, in 57 of those 58 years. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

Registrar	Recorded	Years	Its own highest position
Republic of Ireland	1968–2025	57	#26 in 2016
New South Wales, Australia	1981–2025	44	#8 in 2015
Norway	1987–2025	29	#211 in 2020
New Zealand	1988–2023	36	#11 in 2010
England and Wales	1996–2025	30	#31 in 1996
Northern Ireland	1997–2024	28	#32 in 2002
Scotland	2024	1	#76 in 2024

Its high point came 28 years earlier in England and Wales (1996) than in Scotland (2024).

Variants

No spelling variants or nicknames recorded yet.

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

ZOH-ee/ˈzoʊi/

Syllables: 1
Ease: easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Zoe Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Zoe in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

New South Wales, AustraliaEngland and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNorwayNew Zealand

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

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Zoe

Zoe at a glance

What stands out in Zoe's record

Overview

Popularity

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Zoe across 7 official records

Zoe by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Zoe appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Zoe

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Comparisons involving Zoe

Longest shared records

Closest long-running positions

Order changes

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

Zoe and the names beside it

Zoe moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Zoe

Moved the opposite way to Zoe

Moved the same way as Zoe

Meaning & Origin

Where Zoe is officially recorded

Variants

Similar Names

Spelling

Pronunciation

Where Zoe Is Recorded

Notable Usage

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Zoe at a glance

What stands out in Zoe's record

Zoe across 7 official records

Zoe by decade in Republic of Ireland · Girls

Zoe appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Zoe

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1960s

Comparisons involving Zoe

Longest shared records

Closest long-running positions

Order changes

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

Zoe and the names beside it

Zoe moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Zoe

Moved the opposite way to Zoe

Moved the same way as Zoe