Given name & surname
Dov
“bear”·“resembling a bear”
Dov is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “bear” (Hebrew) and “resembling a bear” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Hebrewדוב
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “bear” (Hebrew) and “resembling a bear” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1949. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Dov through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,623
- 3,623 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 160 babies
- 2025
- 123
- #1,453 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +15%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 123 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,453 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 14.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (77). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,560 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Dov’s family of names
Dov has a related form in Dahv. Dov has a related form in Dohv. In Hebrew usage, Dov is a Roman-alphabet rendering of דוב.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Dov
- Ber Borochovfounder of the Labor Zionist movement (1881-1917)
- Dov KheninIsraeli politicianborn 1958
- Dov Shilansky10th Speaker of the Knesset (1924–2010)
- Dov FrohmanIsraeli electrical engineer (born 1939)
- Dov YosefIsraeli politician (1899–1980)
- Dov GlickmanIsraeli actorborn 1949
- Dov HozIsraeli aviation pioneer (1894-1940)
- Dov SadanIsraeli literary scholar (1902-1989)
- Dov MoranIsraeli engineer, inventor and businessmanborn 1955
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Dov, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Zabdiel
“God has given” · “gift of God”
>99% boys
Adonai
“my foundation” · “my Lord”
88% boys · 12% girls
Jahdiel
“God makes glad” · “God gives joy”
>99% boys
Maaz
“anger”
>99% boys
Ozias
“power of Yah” · “Yah is strong”
>99% boys
Pharaoh
“great house” · “great civilization”
>99% boys
Eliab
“(my) God is father”
>99% boys
Asa
“doctor, healer” · “born in the morning”
89% boys · 11% girls