Given name & surname
Ove
“giver of life; egg”·“one who worships God”
Ove is a variant of Ova. One Latin interpretation is “giver of life; egg.” Ove is a variant of Oved. One Hebrew interpretation is “one who worships God.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Ove is a variant of Ova. One Latin interpretation is “giver of life; egg.” Ove is a variant of Oved. One Hebrew interpretation is “one who worships God.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old Norse.
How it developed
In Scandinavian use, Ove is used as a form of Aghi.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1915. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ove through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 40
- 40 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1931
- 7 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1934. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 7 in 1931. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 155 as a first name in 2020; 117 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ove’s family of names
In Norwegian usage, Ove has a feminine form in Ovedia. In Norwegian usage, Ove has a conventional equivalent in the German form Uwe. Ove has a related form in Oved.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ove has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Old Norse roots to each of them.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Ove
- Ove KindvallSwedish association football player (1943–2025)
- Ove Anderssonrally driver and Toyota Motorsport boss (1938–2008)
- Ove GrahnSwedish association football player (1943-2007)
- Ove Høegh-GuldbergDanish politician (1731-1808)
- Ove ArupAnglo-Danish engineer (1895-1988)
- Owe OhlssonSwedish footballer and managerborn 1938
- Ove AunliNorwegian cross-country skierborn 1956
- Ove AndersenFinnish athletics competitor (1899–1967)
- Ove SprogøeDanish actor (1919-2004)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ove, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Lute
“stooping”
>99% boys
Roald
“praise, fame” · “ruler, chieftain”
>99% boys
Alver
“wholly, entirely” · “weather”
96% boys · 4% girls
Other
Other is a masculine given name from Old Norse.
>99% boys
Wray
“a wise protector”
97% boys · 3% girls
Alvis
“one who is wise”
>99% boys
Roosevelt
“from the field of roses”
77% boys · 23% girls
Cosby
“farm; settlement”
90% boys · 10% girls