Zooey
Zooey is a given name. Those bearing the name include:Zooey Deschanel, an American actress and singer named after the Salinger novel. Zooey Perry, British handballer Zooey Zephyr, American politician
Meaning & Origin of Zooey
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Zooey is a given name. Those bearing the name include:Zooey Deschanel, an American actress and singer named after the Salinger novel. Zooey Perry, British handballer Zooey Zephyr, American politician
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Zooey
Zooey first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 2003, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2012, when 194 Zooeys were born — ranking #1,249 that year. As of 2026, Zooey ranks #10,015 for baby girls with 5 births, falling sharply (-67%). In total, more than 1K Zooeys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 2000s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Zooey
Phonetically similar names — useful when Zooey 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 Zooey
What does the name Zooey mean?
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About the name Zooey
Zooey is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2003 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Zooey's peak popularity came in 2012 when it ranked #1,249. Use the chart and map above to compare Zooey'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.