NameRealm
Dov

Dov: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“bear”
Origin
Hebrew
Say it
DOHV · 1 syllable
Used for
Boys

A traditional Hebrew masculine name meaning 'bear'. It is also used in Yiddish-influenced Jewish naming contexts alongside the equivalent Ber.

Hebrew namesNames meaning animalNames meaning strengthShort namesBiblical names

How popular is Dov?

202440.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Dov in 2024133

2024 rank#1,402 boys

Peak year2022

Total US babies since 18803,494

Dov is rising: use over the last five years is 1.7× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Dov

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Noahrest; comfort · Hebrew
  • Jamessupplanter · Hebrew
  • Elijahmy God is Yahweh · Hebrew
  • JohnYahweh is gracious · Hebrew
  • Michaelwho is like God? · Hebrew
  • Benjaminson of the right hand · Hebrew
  • Levijoined, attached · Hebrew
  • DanielGod is my judge · Hebrew

Dov questions

What does the name Dov mean?

Dov means "bear". It comes from Hebrew. A traditional Hebrew masculine name meaning 'bear'. It is also used in Yiddish-influenced Jewish naming contexts alongside the equivalent Ber.

Is Dov a boy or girl name?

Dov is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Dov?

133 US babies were named Dov in 2024. Its peak year was 2022.

How do you pronounce Dov?

Dov is usually pronounced DOHV.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.