Zoe, Zoë or Zoey?

[BramwellHadThoughtOfEverything]

Just interested to know what people’s take on spelling preference for this name is and why? When first started thinking about I realised I thought Zoë was “correct” but now from reading not so sure, seems Zoe more usual English spelling? Also something I really like about Zoey. Tempted by all 3!

Zoë

Zoë, for all the reasons mentioned above.

I'd probably spell it with the dots on officially on the birth certificate, but be happy to use it without on a day to day basis. I think it's correct to have the dots on due to the pronunciation as others have said, however its really not needed for day to day usage in the UK, as everyone knows how to pronounce Zoe, and frankly it's a pain on many keyboards (my current one included!)

Zoe

Hardly anyone will know how to do the dots, so you might as well not bother and then they won't have to get cross with everyone missing them out. Zoey just looks wrong imo.

Zoe.

Hardly anyone will know how to do the dots

I think most people do. And when writing by hand, it's even easier.

Zoë looks much nicer and more 'correct'.

Zoë

Zoe and Joe are pronounced Zo and Jo, as others have said.

Zoe isn't pronounced Zo in the UK. In the UK people know it is pronounced Zo-ee (as in Zoe Ball). It is a common enough name and I have never come across anyone who doesn't know how to say it. 'Zo' might be correct phonetically, but common usage gets it right at 'zo-ee'.

Agree that Zoey is weird and unnecessary and may make people think it has a different pronunciation eg Zo-ay. Zoë will often be written Zoe - as long as you can make peace with that, go for the dots if you want but nobody will ever mispronounce Zoe anyway as it is so well known.

@Zaphod

She has an older teenage sister called Isla. I liked the names both having four letters.. I chuckled at the downmarket and unnecessary Y comments. Zoey is not American it is Greek in origin and means life. No-one has ever called her anything but the usual pronunciation.

I have a Zoe , no one has ever pronounced it Zo and no one has ever written it with the dot’s above the e either.

In The uk every one knows how to pronounce it without the dots.

My dd loves her name and says she is glad it doesn’t haven the dots as ‘it looks silly’ . Some of these comments are just rude!

I have a Zoë. I think it looks much nicer than Zoe, and I regard it as the correct spelling. But it doesn't bother me when people write Zoe, and I do so myself sometimes when typing it. Never ceases to amaze me how many people write Zöe, though.
It's a great name

Thanks so much for everyone’s input, much appreciated. Seems this is one that divides people!!

My dd loves her name and says she is glad it doesn’t haven the dots as ‘it looks silly’ . Some of these comments are just rude!

Dots look silly? Seriously? Tell that to the French and Germans. The dots define the pronunciation of her name and derive from Latin.

Zoey is not American it is Greek in origin and means life. No-one has ever called her anything but the usual pronunciation.

The spelling Zoey is American. The name originates from Greece but comes to us via Latin. The Greek was ζωή = zōḗ.

I agree with both your posts Tatiana. The dots are not silly. It's like education levels have dropped with people unable to cope with things like these dots, or even to have known the original name has two dots.

Zoey is not Greek in origin. The original name, Zoë, is Greek in origin and Zoey is a phonetic, American modern-day spelling of it. Zoie is now in the top US 1000 names so I expect that'll travel across the Atlantic too.

Zoie is a bloody awful spelling.

I have a Zoë I love the name. My mum however did think Zoe was pronounced Zo as in toe, she always called Zoë Wanamaker Zo! She also says throat lozengers though. 😂. I have noticed on birthday cards etc some people write Zoé!!

Zoe.

It's a Greek name, from a Greek word, and it doesn't need an accent in its English version.

Zoe... just Zoe

Zoë

Zoe

I would go with Zoë but be prepared to let it go if people write Zoe.

To those who chose to spell it Zoey then embrace it and accept it’s an anglicised, phonetic spelling (like the parents of Neves, for example) you don’t have to justify its origins.

I'm a Zoey, never had any issues with the pronunciation in my nearly 25 years of living haha! & if someone asks my name for official reasons I always just say Zoey with a Y, dont believe at all its downgrading or American as pp said its Greek and means life, couldn't imagine being Zoe to me it feels like the names not finished off

Although I do like zoë