Zoe

Traditionally associated with the Greek word for ‘life’.

Zoe is a feminine given name of Greek origin that is widely used in many countries today. It often feels modern because it is short and visually clean, yet it has a long-standing traditional anchor through its Greek roots. In common explanations, Zoe is traditionally associated with the Greek word for “life,” which is one reason it tends to read as bright and optimistic without needing any extra embellishment. Etymologically, many sources connect the name directly to Greek ‘zoe’, typically glossed as “life,” making it one of the clearer cases where the everyday meaning explanation aligns with a common reference gloss. In practice, Zoe also works well across languages because it’s easy to spell and easy to remember. Pronunciation in English is usually ZOH-ee, two syllables with stress on the first. A practical tip is to be aware of the diacritic spelling Zoë, which is sometimes used to prevent the name from being read as a single syllable; both forms usually refer to the same name in modern usage. A common short nickname is Zo.

Etymology: A Greek-origin name; many sources link it directly to Greek ‘zoe’, commonly glossed as ‘life’.