Zoe? Zoey?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my experience while most people pronounce Zoe so it rhymes with Joey, a not insignificant number pronounce it as if it rhymes with Joe. But every name can be mispronounced.

In English, the dots are often termed dieresis, not umlaut.

It's a diaeresis if it's supposed to show that you pronounce the two vowels separately: naïve, Laocoön, coöperate, reëlect, Zoë.

It's an umlaut if it changes the pronunciation of the vowel: Brünnhilde, schön, Führer (when there's no umlaut, you write Bruennhilde, schoen, Fuehrer).

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-curse-of-the-diaeresis

Dang! Check. MATE!
Thanks to you and PP. I didn't know about the diaeresis.

[Anonymous]

I like Zoe! I say go for it.

I'd use it, but I named a family pet Zoey when I was younger so I think it's out for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Why would someone worry about the popularity of a name? Popular names are good, right? Who would deliberately give a child an unpopular name? That's nuts.

People have already answered your questions approximately 28,384 times this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my experience while most people pronounce Zoe so it rhymes with Joey, a not insignificant number pronounce it as if it rhymes with Joe. But every name can be mispronounced.

In English, the dots are often termed dieresis, not umlaut.

It's a diaeresis if it's supposed to show that you pronounce the two vowels separately: naïve, Laocoön, coöperate, reëlect, Zoë.

It's an umlaut if it changes the pronunciation of the vowel: Brünnhilde, schön, Führer (when there's no umlaut, you write Bruennhilde, schoen, Fuehrer).

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-curse-of-the-diaeresis

Dang! Check. MATE!
Thanks to you and PP. I didn't know about the diaeresis.

And this is why I read dcum, with all its bitchiness, instead of babycenter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my experience while most people pronounce Zoe so it rhymes with Joey, a not insignificant number pronounce it as if it rhymes with Joe. But every name can be mispronounced.

In English, the dots are often termed dieresis, not umlaut.

My sister is a Zoe, no umlauts, rhyming with Joe. She likes her name and does not find it annoying. Normally I'd agree to just spell it the traditional way, but there's no other way to spell "Zoe like Joes".

Thank you for this. I'm the one having a baby soon named Zoe and I haven't once been asked "like Rachel Zoe" and don't assume that Zoe was always pronounced like "Zoey". Like I said, she's named after my husbands grandmother...who was born in the 1920's so it's not like it's a made up name. I have met other Zoe's (and Zoey's) and love both variations of the name! My name is very common and I still have to correct people on how it's pronounced, even though it's *very* common and not spelled weird (think along the lines of Rebecca)

Happy to help! Especially if it's a family name, keep it how grandma spelled and pronounced it. I love interesting family names, great choice!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Why would someone worry about the popularity of a name? Popular names are good, right? Who would deliberately give a child an unpopular name? That's nuts.

People have already answered your questions approximately 28,384 times this year.

Huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are having a Zoe in less than 2 weeks (hopefully!).

Rhymes with Joe, not Joey. After my husbands grandmother. I think it's a great name but I'm obviously biased.

Zoe rhymes with Joey. Sorry. I get that the umlaut is missing, but it's presumed and not needed in our language.

I agree. You really are going to spend the next 18 years saying "it rhymes with Joe."

there's a congresswoman who pronounces it as if it rhymes with Joe. You just tell people once and they remember.