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The name Zoe comes from a rich heritage, with its roots reaching as far back as the Roman Empire, where two saints by the name of Zoe were martyred, by two equally infamous Roman emperors named Hadrian ( 90 A.D.) and the other, Diocletian ( 300 A.D.) Better still, Zoe was the name of the Byzantine Empress (978-1050)who ruled a dynasty which became the longest running empire in the history of mankind. Thus, are the origins and history of Zoe, deeply entrenched in religion.

GENDER: Feminine

PRONUNCIATION: ZO-ee (English)

ETYMOLOGY: The name Zoe comes from Greek meaning "life".

POPULARITY:
From 1900's-1930's, Zoe was not a popular name. The 1950's saw a brief resurgence, only to have it go into hiding again until the 1990's. Since then it has steadily climbed the charts until it ranked as number 54 ( 2006) out of 1000 names. However, Zoe has ranked modestly in the following country, out of 100 names survey. They are England/Wales, Scotland, Ireland,France, Belgium, Canada, Australia, and Northern Ireland.

ZOE VARIANTS: Zoe ( French and English)
Zoie, Zoey ( Modern English)
Zoja ( Czech, Polish)
Zowie ( Modern English)
Zoya ( Russian)

CELEBRITY NAMESAKES:
Zoe Akins ( Oct. 30, 1886- Oct. 29, 1958) - 20th C. writer
Zoe Caldwell ( Sept. 14, 1933) - actress/entertainer
Zoe Fairbairns ( Dec. 20, 1949) - published author
Zoe Gregory-Paul - writer
Zoe McLellan ( Nov. 6, 1974) - actress/entertainer
Zoe Naylor ( Feb. 19, 1962) - model
Zoe Tay ( Jan. 10, 1968) - actress/entertainer
Zoe van Gastel - model, Miss Antwerp 2004
Zoe Wanamaker ( May 13, 1949) - actress/entertainer
Zoe Wicomb ( Nov. 23, 1948) - writer

CELEBRITY BABIES: The following celebrities have named their baby girls Zoe. They are
Gena Rowlands, Henry Winkler, John Cassavettes, Laurie Metcalf, Lea
Thompson, Lenny Kravitz, Paul Michael Glaser, Rosanna Arquette, Samuel L.
Jackson, Woody Harrelson.

The name Zoe seems to inspire a long list of good characteristics when people are asked what they think of the name Zoe. For me, Zoe implies someone who is stable, reliable, and a no nonsense type of person. Anyone wanting to name their child Zoe would be influenced by strong and desirable traits represented by the name Zoe. If I were to give another meaning to Zoe, I would give "up on high".

People see Zoe as a feminine and a good name. The top qualities rank Zoe as youthful, informal, refined, strange, simple and wholesome. Further down the list are traits like upper class, strong, and modern. You can't go wrong naming a baby girl Zoe.

PLACES, THINGS, AND DAYS FOR ZOE:

There are name days to celebrate Zoe and they are October 27 ( Czech), April 13 ( Greek), and
May 2 (French).

A trendy Metroplex pet accessory boutique is called "Zack and Zoe".

Besides baby baseball cards, personalized toy boxes with the name Zoe, there is also an online toy store which specializes in Zoe Babies with their own taggie pillow.

A school has even dedicated their 2007-2008 School Year Calendar to their superintendent and a former mayor who name his new baby girl, Zoe Ellen Meyers.

Zoe Motors Inc. used to be an automotive store in the 1980's, based out of California, which made a "Zoe Zipper" three-wheeled microcar. Zoe Motors traded on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol ZOEP.

There is a place called Zoe, Oklahoma. Also a Chinese restaurant called Zoe's in the Boston area. There is also a 400 lb. solar-powered roving machine called Zoe ( Aug. 18, 2004)

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