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Help[Opinions] Zoe
i used to not care for it at all, but i've recently come to like it a lot, to the point that i'd use it. i really like how it's been used as a translation of Eve.
wdyt? would many people say it as one syllable instead of two? a few people in the comments say that they get it misspelled Zoey, or that it should be spelled that way to have two syllables. i don't mind some people pronouncing their name as "zo", you do you, i just don't get how people can refuse to believe that the two syllable pronunciation makes sense, when you have names like Chloe that are always said that way.
and do you like any of these:
Acacia Zoe
Adelaide Zoe
Esther Zoe
Ildikó Zoe
Ileana Zoe
Zoe Helena
Zoe Serafina
Zoe Vera
Zoe Yolanda
Zoe Yvonne
wdyt? would many people say it as one syllable instead of two? a few people in the comments say that they get it misspelled Zoey, or that it should be spelled that way to have two syllables. i don't mind some people pronouncing their name as "zo", you do you, i just don't get how people can refuse to believe that the two syllable pronunciation makes sense, when you have names like Chloe that are always said that way.
and do you like any of these:
Acacia Zoe
Adelaide Zoe
Esther Zoe
Ildikó Zoe
Ileana Zoe
Zoe Helena
Zoe Serafina
Zoe Vera
Zoe Yolanda
Zoe Yvonne
This message was edited 2/17/2018, 6:32 AM
Archived Thread - replies disabled
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Replies
I love Zoe. Zo-ee. 2 syllables always. It’s gorgeous!
Zoe Helena.
Zoe Helena.
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It’s a bit “perpetual toddler”. Not that I’ve never seen it on an adult, or that they haven’t done well in life. I just imagine the type of parents using it being the young type themselves, who haven’t quite grasped the concept that the “childhood” part of life is comparatively short. I like it better as a middle name.
PLEASE don’t misspell it to dumb it down.
PLEASE don’t misspell it to dumb it down.
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the name actually sounds much more like a cool aunt/cool older woman name to me than a toddler name. though i get that association may come from it being so popular nowadays.
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The popularity has been pretty consistent over the years, at least in the encounters I’ve had. It’s more the cutesy sound for me.
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Well, we also have Joe, which is pronounced with one syllable.
The few times I ran across the name Zoe when I was very young, I assumed it was one syllable. I only learned there was a different way to say it when Sesame Street introduced a Muppet named Zoe, two syllables, and even then I didn't realize that the two-syllable version was the "correct" one.
I've learned that the one-syllable pronunciation was more usual way back; a friend's grandmother's first name was Zoe, pronounced one syllable, though she went by her middle name which was something like Bernice or Bernadette or something.
Zoe's kind of cute, way better than Chloe, but it's a bit too cute, like the original Muppet, or a cat or dog.
The few times I ran across the name Zoe when I was very young, I assumed it was one syllable. I only learned there was a different way to say it when Sesame Street introduced a Muppet named Zoe, two syllables, and even then I didn't realize that the two-syllable version was the "correct" one.
I've learned that the one-syllable pronunciation was more usual way back; a friend's grandmother's first name was Zoe, pronounced one syllable, though she went by her middle name which was something like Bernice or Bernadette or something.
Zoe's kind of cute, way better than Chloe, but it's a bit too cute, like the original Muppet, or a cat or dog.
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I used to really like it. Now I still think it's nice but it feels so overdone and I think it is already about to feel really dated. Zoe is perfectly fine but Zoie, Zoey etc are awful, in my opinion. Hardly anyone would pronounce it with one syllable. It is super common! Now it is already on its way down so its best times are behind it. It still makes a nice middle name and has a great meaning but it feels tired. I like Zoe Helena but I like Zoe better in the middle. Helena Zoe is actually really nice.
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it's hard for me to visualize sometimes how common a name is nowadays, since i don't know many young children, and it was never a common among my age group, on top of me not currently living in the US. so many top 100/etc names don't seem tired to me, ex Jacob or Olivia.
i agree Zoey/Zoie is awful...tbh i think i was a little wary of it being misspelled like that because of the show Zoey 101, which i loved as a kid, and i think many people my age who grew up on Nickolodeon would also think of that. (on that note, i remember a joke in the show where her name was misspelled Zowie).
thanks for suggesting Helena Zoe, it does flow better.
i agree Zoey/Zoie is awful...tbh i think i was a little wary of it being misspelled like that because of the show Zoey 101, which i loved as a kid, and i think many people my age who grew up on Nickolodeon would also think of that. (on that note, i remember a joke in the show where her name was misspelled Zowie).
thanks for suggesting Helena Zoe, it does flow better.
This message was edited 2/17/2018, 7:35 AM
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My little sister is 12 and I’ve been going through her yearbooks since she was 6, not once have I ever came across a Zoe! I have a distant cousin named Zoe who I believe is around 4 now but that’s the only Zoe I’ve ever come across, and I’m young myself (18).
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yea, i think it's mainly kids 4 or under, and mainly 1-2 year olds at that. names get and lose popularity fast.
my sister is 18, and yea i don't remember her ever mentioning a Zoe.
my sister is 18, and yea i don't remember her ever mentioning a Zoe.
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Zoe is at #35 and Zoey is at #26. That already makes it very common and we didn't even add Zoie, Zoee etc. yet which are also being used. If you don't know many that might be because it isn't common in your area or because you don't know many children in that age group. In England it's only at #92 but it used to be as high as #31 so I guess it's a bit out of style there. In the US #30 was the highest Zoe went up to (so it has gone down a bit) Zoey was in the top 20 at #20 (so it has lost popularity too). You should check a combined spellings list my guess is that it would have been in the top 15. Not trying to talk you out of it, I love Lily which is crazy common. It's just something to be aware of because these statistics are pretty reliable and even if you don't know any now she might encounter many other Zoes and Zoeys at school. It makes me sad how Zoey is more popular than Zoe :(
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i haven't lived in the US for four years, and i didn't know many little kids back then, so i honestly would have no idea that it's common if not for the popularity charts on this site. though funnily enough, Zoé is apparently in the Top 10 here in Hungary (though i don't know many little kids here either).
i'm on and off about how much i care about a name being too common. it's not as big a deal to me if it hasn't been common for ages, like John or Kate. also i'm not having kids for like, probably 7 years at least, so a lot could change.
and yeaaa it's a shame Zoey is more common...would lead to more Zoe's having to correct people too.
i'm on and off about how much i care about a name being too common. it's not as big a deal to me if it hasn't been common for ages, like John or Kate. also i'm not having kids for like, probably 7 years at least, so a lot could change.
and yeaaa it's a shame Zoey is more common...would lead to more Zoe's having to correct people too.
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Zoe was my grandmother's middle name, it was my mother's first name, it's my daughter's middle name, and it's my granddaughter's middle name.
In my family, we pronounce it with one syllable. But would many people say it that way? No, because that hasn't been my experience at all. Everyone says it as two syllables, and then I have to "correct" them to one. I put "correct" in quotation marks because I know that one syllable isn't really correct, it's only "correct" for us.
Zoey is a dumbed-down abomination.
I like Zoe Yvonne.
Do you like Zoe Camille?
In my family, we pronounce it with one syllable. But would many people say it that way? No, because that hasn't been my experience at all. Everyone says it as two syllables, and then I have to "correct" them to one. I put "correct" in quotation marks because I know that one syllable isn't really correct, it's only "correct" for us.
Zoey is a dumbed-down abomination.
I like Zoe Yvonne.
Do you like Zoe Camille?
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sorry, i didn't mean to imply that saying Zoe with one syllable is some totally incorrect thing. what i don't get is people who act all shocked at the idea that it can be said with two syllables, or that any other name can be said differently than how it may look in English. i'll edit the original post to specify that. i can accept that "zo" can be correct in English, since Zoe has history being used in English. like how Camille is said with the l sound in English, but not the original French. i just get annoyed when people go all "what do you mean you have a name that doesn't have an English pronunciation", y'know.
also, i like Zoe Camille a lot! it's not what i'd expect, because they seem so different. Zoe has a very purple vibe, while Camille is orange or gold to me.
also, i like Zoe Camille a lot! it's not what i'd expect, because they seem so different. Zoe has a very purple vibe, while Camille is orange or gold to me.
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Zoe Camille was my mother's name. Glad you like it.
I wasn't offended at all. I used to argue that pronouncing Zoe with one syllable, to rhyme with "toe", was correct and a valid alternate pronunciation. But I finally conceded that it isn't correct, after not seeing it as a valid pronunciation in any source. I imagine my grandparents pronounced my mother's name that way because my grandmother pronounced her middle name that way, but it probably all started out just as sheer ignorance, lol. We keep the pronunciation because the name was used for my daughter and granddaughter for honoring purposes.
Strangely enough, however, my freshman year college roommate's name was Zoe and she also pronounced it with one syllable. My mom was born in 1928 and my roommate was born the same year that I was, 1960, both times when Zoe was highly unusual, so it was quite a coincidence that the college set me up with a roommate who also bore my mother's highly unusual name.
I wasn't offended at all. I used to argue that pronouncing Zoe with one syllable, to rhyme with "toe", was correct and a valid alternate pronunciation. But I finally conceded that it isn't correct, after not seeing it as a valid pronunciation in any source. I imagine my grandparents pronounced my mother's name that way because my grandmother pronounced her middle name that way, but it probably all started out just as sheer ignorance, lol. We keep the pronunciation because the name was used for my daughter and granddaughter for honoring purposes.
Strangely enough, however, my freshman year college roommate's name was Zoe and she also pronounced it with one syllable. My mom was born in 1928 and my roommate was born the same year that I was, 1960, both times when Zoe was highly unusual, so it was quite a coincidence that the college set me up with a roommate who also bore my mother's highly unusual name.
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