Zoey
Zoe, Zoey, Zoie, Zoi, Zoé, Zoia, Zoya or Zoë is a feminine first name of Greek origin, meaning "life". It is a popular name for girls in many countries, ranking among the top 100 names for girls born in the United States since 2000.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Zoey
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Zoe, Zoey, Zoie, Zoi, Zoé, Zoia, Zoya or Zoë is a feminine first name of Greek origin, meaning "life". It is a popular name for girls in many countries, ranking among the top 100 names for girls born in the United States since 2000.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Zoey
Zoey first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1967, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2012: 7,481 births, good for #20 nationwide. About 55% of every Zoey on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Zoey ranks #71 for baby girls with 3,222 births, falling sharply (-33%). All told, over 119K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Zoey
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Zoey. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Zoey
Phonetically similar names — useful when Zoey is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Zoey
What does the name Zoey mean?
What is the origin of the name Zoey?
How popular is Zoey in 2026?
When was Zoey most popular?
In which U.S. states is Zoey most popular?
Is Zoey a unisex name?
What names go well with Zoey?
What are nicknames or variants of Zoey?
About the name Zoey
Zoey is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1967 and has accumulated 119K births in the dataset. Zoey's peak popularity came in 2012 when it ranked #20. Use the chart and map above to compare Zoey's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2012 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "Z" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.