Zoia
From Greek, where it carries the sense of "life", and used mainly in Poland's Ukrainian community. Fewer than 3,000 women carry it here, so most Poles have never met one, and newborns are growing scarcer.
Zoia Pronunciation
Zoia is pronounced ZO-yah (/ˈzɔja/).
What Zoia means
Where Zoia comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Zoia begins in a single Greek word, zoe, which means life. Polish states the meaning plainly: życie. The form travels east as well, and its Ukrainian coloring is strong, which is why many people first meet a Zoia through a Ukrainian family rather than an Athenian one. Beside it sits the variant Zoja, the same name given a softer Slavic spelling.
The link to life runs deep in the record. When Greek scholars translated the Hebrew scriptures, they rendered Eve, the mother of all living, as Zoe. So the word carried life before anyone wore it as a name. Early Christians took it up, and a martyr called Zoe was later kept as a saint.
The meaning stayed close to the surface.
On a Polish class register, Zoja looks short and complete next to longer names. It holds four letters and one clear idea. Whatever else a child grows into, the name says life.
How many people are named Zoia
1 in 8409 women in Poland is named Zoia. 2,684 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #619 among female names.
Zoia's popularity over time
Fewer than 2 girls were given the name in 2025. It has been climbing since 2025.
Where Zoia is most popular
Zoia is most popular in Lesser Poland, 852% above the national average (2 girls born 2019–2025).
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Lesser Poland2 girls born+852%
Zoia as a middle name
Zoia is a first name for 2,684 women in Poland and a middle name for another 3, a 100/0 split. In the women's middle-name ranking it sits 5383rd, between Zipporah (3) and Zola (3).
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#5381 Zipi3
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#5382 Zipporah3
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#5383 Zoia3
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#5384 Zola3
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#5385 Zuhal3