Chloe

A Greek name for new growth

Chloe means “green shoot” in Greek, referring to fresh plant growth. It was an epithet of Demeter, the Greek goddess associated with agriculture. The meaning gives the name a concrete image of new leaves and growing crops rather than a later invented floral association.

The Greek written form is Chloē. In English, Chloe is normally KLOH-ee, with two syllables and stress at the beginning. The ch has a k sound. Chloë uses a diaeresis over the e, while French Chloé uses an acute accent; both are familiar forms within the same name family.

Chloe in an early Christian letter

Chloe also appears in the New Testament. In the opening chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul says that people associated with Chloe have reported quarrels within the community. The brief reference places the name in the everyday social world surrounding the letter.

English use developed after the Protestant Reformation, when biblical names became more widely adopted. Chloe therefore has two ancient cultural settings: the agricultural imagery associated with Demeter and the Christian letter that helped carry it into later naming traditions.

Daphnis and Chloe

The ancient Greek romance Daphnis and Chloe, by Longus, supplies another lasting literary connection. Its two young protagonists are discovered as abandoned children and raised in the countryside, one by a goatherd and the other by a shepherd. Their developing relationship brings them into contact with love, jealousy, rivals, and danger.

The story combines a pastoral landscape with pirates, dreams, and the intervention of the god Eros. Its central pair remained recognizable through later literature, painting, and music, including Maurice Ravel's work inspired by the romance. Chloe's name is part of the title, preserving it through centuries of reading and adaptation.

Chloé Zhao and contemporary film

Filmmaker Chloé Zhao gives the name a modern artistic bearer. At the 2021 Academy Awards, she received the directing Oscar for Nomadland. The film also won best picture and the leading-actress award for Frances McDormand.

Before those Oscars, Nomadland had received the Golden Lion at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival. Zhao's credited first name uses the accented Chloé spelling, connecting the same Greek name family with a contemporary career in cinema.

Popularity in the United States

Chloe's largest American count and best rank for girls both came in 2009, when 11,922 births placed it at number 9. It ranked number 17 in 2015, number 25 in 2020, and number 23 in 2025. The 2025 total was 6,203 girls.

Its recent figures show continued substantial use after the top-ten peak. The American rise followed renewed interest in Britain, where Chloe had already become a leading girls' name in the late twentieth century.

How popular is Chloe?

In 2025, Chloe ranked #23 among girls in the United States, with 6,203 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1880; its largest annual count was 11,922 in 2009. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.