The Baby Name Wizard

Reader Contributions

Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Chloe!

Comments and insights on the name Chloe: | Edit

Chloe has an interesting history on the SSA baby name charts. The name ranked 367 in 1880 and mostly stayed in the top 400 until 1901, when it began to decline. In 1944 the baby name Chloe dropped off the charts completely. Chloe was missing from the top 1000 until 1982, when it returned at 852. By 1991 the name broke into the top 200; it made the top 100 only seven years later. Since then Chloe has steadily moved up the chart, ranking 10 in 2008.

I have loved this name for a really long time and if I have a daughter this will be her name...

In Greek, it is pronounced hlo-EE (no K sound) and is an uncommon name. I think the Anglicized pronunciation makes it sound less dignified and more like a cartoon character.

Chloë and Chloe are both accepted spellings in English. A dieresis over the 'e' in Chloë indicates that the two consecutive vowels - 'o' and 'e' - are pronounced separately.

In France the name is written as Chloé and pronounced kloh-AY.

The name Chloe is #7 on the list of top 100 cool baby girl names in the baby name book "Cool Names" by Pamela Redmond Satran and Linda Rosenkrantz.

Personal experiences with the name Chloe: | Edit

My niece's name. In the American south, some people pronounce it "Cloy", which irritates her mother to no end. She also gets "that's my dog's name!" a lot.

Although Chloe has also been used as a name for pets, this is the same for many other popular baby names, including Bella and Molly, Max and Jake.

Yes, that first one is true. When I say that my name is Chloe, the first response I get is "Wow, I like your name!" and then they try and spell it... Cloe, Cloie, Clowey, Chole... I even had a gym teacher call me Shiloh all semester because he couldn't pronounce my name.

Anything you want with the name Chloe on it ( trinkets from vacations like, pens, a mini license plate, magnets, stickers... etc.) They are very difficult to find, in 24 years I have found 2 items pre-made with the name Chloe on it. A magnet in Panama City, FL and on at Disney World in Orlando. I bought both. Anything else is by request or custom made only.

I have actually found lots of things with Chloe on them.I love my name so much but the only thing is everyone spells it wrong.People spell it Cloe,Chole and even cloey It's really annoying.The other bad thing is that it's a popular dog name!Personly I think it is better a human name rather than a dog name.

Nicknames for Chloe: | Edit

Clo, Lolo, CoCo, Cola, Clover

Meanings and history of the name Chloe: | Edit

The use of Chloe as a given name in the English-speaking world almost certainly derives from the fleeting mention of a woman named Chloe in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 1:11), leading to the name's adoption in the 17th century among the Puritans.

Another influence was the 16th to 18th century "Classical Revival" period, when the English looked to ancient Greek and Roman mythology. Chloe is one of the Classical Rival names, made popular by a 1587 translation of the ancient Greek romance "Daphnis and Chloe" and by the use of the name Chloe by some of the pastoral poets.

In the American South, Chloe was among classical names from Greek and Roman mythology and history that accounted for one-fifth of the names slave owners gave to newly arrived slaves and the slaves' babies before 1800. Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-slavery novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1852) promoted the use of the name among 19th century African Americans. In the novel Chloe is the name of Uncle Tom's wife.

The popularity of the name Chloe in France, beginning in the 1970s, may have influenced the name's rise in other countries. Chloe was used in 19th century France, but the use of the name was very low in the 20th century until Chloe reappeared after 1965 with the rediscovery of Boris Vian's novel "L'Ecum des jours" and its heroine called Chloe. A film by the same name was released in 1968. Chloe entered the French Top 200 baby names in 1977 and by 1983 was in the Top 100. Chloe peaked in France at #3 in 2001.

It is probable that the popularity of Chloe in England was influenced by the name’s popularity in France, and that, in turn, the rise of Chloe in the US has been influenced by the name’s popularity in England. Chloe was the number 1 name in England and Wales from 1997 through 2002. In 2008 Chloe was still in the top 10 at #6, while in the U.S. the name entered the top 10 for the first time, at #10.

Greek, "young green shoot," "meadow" or "blooming."
From the same root as chlorophyll.
Another name for the Greek agricultural goddess Demeter.
In Greek: Χλοη
A person in the New Testament.
1 Corinthians 1:11 My brothers, some members of Chloe's family have made it clear to me that there are quarrels among you.

Famous real-life people named Chloe: | Edit

Toni Morrison, born Chloe Anthony Wofford, Pultizer Prize winning writer and academic
Chloë Agnew, (1989)- angelic soprano of Celtic Woman
Chloë Sevigny, actress
Chloe Webb, actress
Chloe Malle (b. 1985), daughter of American actress Candice Bergen and French film director Louis Malle
Chloë Smith, youngest Member Parliament, UK

Chloe in song, story & screen: | Edit

Chloe was a pastoral maiden in the ancient Greek poem "Daphnis & Chloe". An English translation was published in 1587.

"Daphnis et Chloe" is a ballet with music by Maurice Ravel that premiered in Paris on June 8, 1912. It was adapted from the romance by Greek writer Longus thought to date from around the 3rd. century AD.

She was also the star of Chloe in the Afternoon.
Chloe is the best friend of Clark Kent in the hit TV series "Smallville".
Chloe is the main character in the Darkest Powers trilogy by Kelley Armstrong.

Chloé is a Paris-based French luxury fashion design house, founded in 1952, that designs and sells women’s clothing, accessories and fragrances. "The name Chloé was chosen to stress on the brand’s design philosophy of warm yet audacious feminism and to reflect the new post-war mood of Paris: youthful, modern and daringly spirited."