From a Greek name meaning 'life'. The name was used in Rome towards the end of the classical period, largely at first as a nickname. TV presenter Zoe Ball.

Zoe’s a cute, slightly quirky name with a really nice meaning: “life” (it comes from the Greek word for it). So, no wonder it’s rocketing up the charts these days. Modern as it sounds though, it’s not a new name -- it’s actually a translation of the very first name (Eve), and was used by two early saints and popular during the eleventh-century Byzantine Empire. After its early popularity though, it didn’t really come back into common usage until the early ‘90s. Possible relation: Zoe the muppet, introduced on Sesame Street in ’92. It’s been shooting up the charts since then, is a celeb fave and has already spawned variations like Zoey, Zooey, and Zoie. In other words, look for this name to stick around for awhile.

Means "life" in Greek. From early times it was adopted by Hellenized Jews as a translation of EVE. It was borne by two early Christian saints, one martyred under emperor Hadrian, the other martyred under Diocletian. The name was common in the Byzantine Empire, being borne by a ruling empress of the 11th century. As an English name, Zoe has only been in use since the 19th century. It has generally been more common among Eastern Christians (in various spellings).