Comments
Meaning
Usage
Pronunciation
Famous
Impression
Other
Zoe is already a common name so making sure it isn't pronounced 'zo' would not be a problem, but spelling it like Zoë just makes it a little prettier. Zoe without any extra letters (like Zoey, Zooey, Zoie, Zowie) is already my preference, but the diaeresis just gives it some added charm. That being said, if you name your child Zoë in an English speaking country especially, prepare for people to regularly forget about the diaeresis and just spell it like Zoe.
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This is how the name was originally spelled, so it would be 'zo-E" and not "zo".
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Actually, it was originally spelled Ζωή, because it's an Ancient Greek name. It would be translated into different alphabets in different languages differently, but Ζωή is the original.
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Zoe is perfectly fine without the unnecessary diaresis. This spelling also makes me think of that psycho Zoë Quinn.
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Loved the entire name, especially the "ë".
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I like Zoë with two dots because it's so pretty, nice and cute name. I absolutely love it. :)
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Those saying the ë is pretentious…. No, it’s there for a reason. It indicates that the vowels are pronounced separately. It’s a Greek name, like Phoebe, where ‘oe’ is pronounced ‘ee’. So Zoe would be Zee. Or if ignoring the Greek-ness and using English conventions, Zoe would be pronounced Joe. See also naïve (ny-eve, not ‘nave’), and Anaïs (An-a-ees, not ‘anays’). Letters are used for a reason usually. Ë vs E makes a difference. This also renders ‘Zoey’ unnecessary.
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Pronounced Zo-ay.
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Zoë Zebra is one of Peppa Pig's friends in the eponymous animated series.
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This is also my favorite version of the name. ‘Zoe’ just looks incomplete, though I prefer ‘Chloe’ to ‘Chloë’.
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I think this makes more sense then Zoe because Zoe would be pronounced Zo. But the "ë" makes it sound like Zo-ee.
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My name is actually Zoë though for many years I just wrote my name as Zoe. People tend to pronounce it Zo, which is extremely frustrating! Also, when I tell people my name I have to make sure that I tell them “spelled without a y” which you wouldn’t think would be a problem but sometimes you just don’t want to be rude. I love my name very much as it is different from other people. I just wanted to show that there’s a bit of a complication but overall when people find out what my name actually is they always say they love it and that it’s so unique.
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It's alright, I guess. Though, since I'm used to reading Russian cryllic, I can't help but mistakenly read "Zoë" as "Zo-yo", and so on with Chloë and "Clo-yo". Personal nitpick, but more or less, if the accent has no purpose except to look cool, just don't have it, in my opinion.
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Another bearer of this name is Zoe Nightshade from Percy Jackson.
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Zoë is my favorite spelling. Zooey and Zoey do not look as good as the traditional spelling. I also prefer Zoë to Chloe.
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Zoë Isabella Kravitz is an American actress, singer and model. She is the daughter of musician Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet. She first appeared in the films No Reservations and The Brave One, and played Angel Salvadore in the Marvel Comics film X-Men: First Class.
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Way too pretentious spelling it like this. Zoe & Zoey are perfectly fine. If you're from the states, don't even bother with accents on names. Seriously
So many born Zoe's & even Chloe's insist on having their name spelled with the accent. For instance, I knew this Zoe from school and recently she has begun to use the accent and spell her name as Zoë. I personally find spelling those names as such, Zoë & Chloë, they come as across as pretentious and more snobbish.
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So many born Zoe's & even Chloe's insist on having their name spelled with the accent. For instance, I knew this Zoe from school and recently she has begun to use the accent and spell her name as Zoë. I personally find spelling those names as such, Zoë & Chloë, they come as across as pretentious and more snobbish.
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(to that anon) How in the world is spelling it this way pretentious? Do you realize that this is the original spelling? Are all non English names pretentious now?
This name in its original form is lovely, and anyone who thinks it's "pretentious" or "too much" or whatever is uneducated.
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This name in its original form is lovely, and anyone who thinks it's "pretentious" or "too much" or whatever is uneducated.
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Zoë Wanamaker (born May 13, 1949) is a British actress. She played Rolanda Hooch in the first Harry Potter film, and she currently plays the Russian princess Marie in the TV series "Mr Selfridge."
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I have a girl on the way and decided to give her this name. It sounds cute and spunky. We were undecided with spelling it Zoey, Zoe, or Zoë. In the end we went with Zoë. The umlaut or whatever gives it a more unique and exotic look. I think Zoey is really cute but only works for little girls. Drop the Y and it's more traditional and timeless. What also sold me on the name was that it meant "life". Because of that we're going with the middle name "Belle" which means "Beautiful". Zoë Belle... Life is Beautiful!
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I can't quite believe what I am reading about the name Zoe or even Zoë for that matter! I dread to think what people have written about some of the other names on this website considering what I read about this one! How would a name such as Zoë stop or prevent employment? That is totally ridiculous that an employer would choose a suitable candidate for the job by rating their Christian name, which that particular person had no involvement or say in what it would be anyway. I was born in Germany and my name is spelt: Zoë. I love it! I think it's unique, quirky and it suits me. I have never in my life been questioned on how to pronounce my name and I have never in my life been called Zo by accident, it's very clear that it is pronounced "ZO-EE". Some very strange and pathetic comments here about not liking a name purely because they know one other person in the world with the same name who they don't like! Wow!
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This is my middle name and while I'm fine with it, it's not my favorite. What I really hate are the umlauts on the e. To me they are so pretentious and obnoxious and just extremely irritating. I have debated removing them from my name but the paperwork seems a hassle and it is only my middle name.
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I simply adore this name. Ever since I started reading the Percy Jackson series, I started to associate people's names with the characters. Zoë is definitely in my top 10 favorite characters in the whole series.
I associate this name with a strong, independent girl.
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I associate this name with a strong, independent girl.
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The name of Haidee's maid in Lord Byron's Don Juan.
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One famous bearer is the actress Zoë Saldana, born 1978.
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Zoë's Diner is an American fast food chain.
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My name is really ZOE, but I like to be known as "ZOË". For people that say this is a child's name and when the person is 60, it will sound weird, well that's what everyone thought when they named their children Hilda, Penny, Lilian, Julie, etc. When I am in my 60s, it will be considered a formal name. And I can't help that my name is Zoe.
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A beautiful ancient name and faintly bohemian. I chose this name for my daughter because we are practising Christians and the name is used a lot in the New Testament (Greek) and refers to eternal life in this context. There is also a St. Zoe. I don't know why some people think it's a modern name -it's been around as a name for centuries, but has just had a resurgence in the UK over in the last few decades or so.
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I think that this name is a very nice one. I don't like Zoe without the umlaut on the end, because that way it looks incomplete.
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I like it better with the double dots over the E. Otherwise, it looks like it's pronounced "ZO".
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Zoë Nightshade was a ex-Hesperides who was Artemis' lieutenant in the third book of the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series.
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I think the name sounds quite harsh with the 'z' at the beginning, and also with the ''oh'' and ''ee'' sounds following one another. Chloë sounds softer. The name sounds a bit youthful despite being nothing new.
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This is my name. To the people who commented above (to the Zoe spelling): I am taken seriously by people, my name has not detracted from my credibility. This is a wonderful name, especially with this spelling. :)
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I think it makes people look really dumb to spell this name without the diareses on the "e". Besides, if you don't spell it Zoë, it makes it a lot easier for strangers to pronounce the name as "zo".
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Zoë was the girl who was murdered in the book Saving Zoë.
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Zoë (real name Zoë Pollock) is a British female pop singer and songwriter.
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Zoë Records is an independent record label in the United States. It is a part of the Rounder Records group.
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Zoë is a solar-powered autonomous robot with sensors able to detect microorganisms and map the distribution of life in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, duplicating tasks that could be used in future exploration of Mars.
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This name is perfectly fine for anybody. Besides, just because it is overused doesn't mean you can't use it. A long time ago, names like Ashley or Jennifer were unique, but now look at them.
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I love this name! What a great meaning, too.
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My friend is named Zoë, and I think it is pretty, graceful, elegant and not too common. I just think the different spellings of Zoe are difficult.
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I think the name Zoe has one of the best meanings, and it isn't all that common, so it is quite an honour for Zoe to be your name.
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My favourite name, it is great! Love the meaning as well.
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This name was also used as an honourific for Roman commanders if they had been especially courageous.
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I love my name as it's not very common but it's also not silly like some of the names you hear today. Some modern names sound made up!
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This was St. Catherine Laboure's given name (pronounced the French way).
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I love the name Zoe. It has a beautiful meaning in Greek and I know a really interesting, sweet person with this name.
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Ick. I dislike Chloe and Zoe. They sound like names for pets, not people.
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Comments are left by users of this website. They are not checked for accuracy.
• https://nl.wiktionary.org/wiki/Zoë (in Dutch)
• https://nl.forvo.com/search/Zoë/nl/ (in Dutch)
• https://youtu.be/bY8kGlS1PNE (in Dutch; the name is said at 0:08)
Converted to IPA, it should be: /'zo:.ʋe:/ [noted -ed]
Due to exposure to anglophone media, the English pronunciation of the name is increasingly becoming more common in the Netherlands. Here are a few examples of Dutch bearers who use the English pronunciation:
• https://youtu.be/PCDNmV6mJfU (in Dutch; the name is said at 0:04 and 0:20)
• https://youtu.be/1G_qz-R0MyQ (in Dutch; the name is said at 0:02)
• https://youtu.be/sKDnJW467bA (in Dutch; the name is said at 0:10)