Zoey is a modern English spelling of Zoe, from Greek, meaning "life."
Zoey is the bright, modern-faced spelling of a very ancient idea. It comes from the Greek word zoe, meaning “life,” a word that early Greek-speaking Christians used with special theological force to suggest spiritual life as well as simple vitality. In the ancient world, Saint Zoe appears among early Christian martyrs, giving the name a long religious pedigree even before it became fashionable in English-speaking nurseries.
The spelling Zoe is the older form, while Zoey emerged later, especially in English, partly to make the pronunciation unmistakable. For much of history, Zoe belonged more to Byzantine empresses, saints, and classical revivals than to everyday English naming. Empress Zoe Porphyrogenita, who ruled in 11th-century Byzantium, gave the name imperial weight, while the modern era gave it a livelier, more playful image.
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Zoey rose quickly in the United States and elsewhere, helped by its cheerful sound and by visible bearers such as actress Zoey Deschanel. Compared with the sleeker Zoe, Zoey often feels more informal and contemporary, but both carry the same core meaning: life in its fullest sense. That gives the name an appealing double character, at once ancient and fresh, rooted in sacred language yet glowing with modern energy.