Tove is a

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

that derives from the Old Norse name Tófa. The name is usually given to girls but occasionally to boys. It is also an alternative English spelling of the Hebrew name more commonly spelled Tovah or

Tova Tova is a given name, nickname and a surname. Notable people with this name include: Given name * Saint Tova of Thorney (died ), Anglo-Saxon martyr * Tova of the Obotrites (, Slavic princess and queen consort of Denmark * Tova Beck-Friedman ( ...

Origins

Some believe the name to be a shortening of Thorfrithr, "beautiful

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...

" or "peace of Thor", though the carvings on the

Sønder Vissing Runestone Sønder Vissing I or DR 55 is a runestone located in the church of Sønder Vissing in eastern Jutland, Denmark. Sønder Vissing is a small settlement located in Horsens municipality approximately south of Silkeborg, west of Skanderborg and nort ...

show the name to have come from the

rune Runes are the letter (alphabet), letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were used to write various Germanic languages (with some exceptions) before they adopted the Latin alphabet, a ...

for Tyr, the ancient Norse and Germanic god of sky, justice and war. While the two middle characters suggest cattle/Aurochs, and cattle/wealth/

Frey Freyr (Old Norse: 'Lord'), sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested god in Norse mythology, associated with kingship, fertility, peace, and weather. Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden and ...

respectively, the last of the four runic characters also denotes gender. Tófa and Tófi appear to have been relatively popular names in the 10th and 11th centuries and are found in Anglo-Scandinavian court witness lists and later in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

in their Latinised form. The personal name became a surname in medieval England, with spellings of Tovi, Tovie (16th century) and Tovey recorded in wills and church documents.

Notable women

Tove of the Obotrites Tove of the Obotrites, also called ''Tova'', ''Tofa'' or ''Thora'', (10th century) was a Slavic princess and a Danish Viking Age queen consort, the spouse of King Harald Bluetooth. Tofa, her name carved in runes as ᛏᚢᚠᛅ'','' was the d ...

, 10th-century Wendish princess *

Tove Alexandersson Tove Alexandersson (born 7 September 1992) is a Swedish orienteer, ski orienteer, skyrunner and ski mountaineer. She has won a total of 17 gold medals at the World Orienteering Championships and 10 gold medals at the World Ski Orienteering Champ ...

, Swedish orienteer *

Tove Ditlevsen Tove Irma Margit Ditlevsen (14 December 1917 – 7 March 1976) was a Danish poet and author. With published works in a variety of genres, she was one of Denmark's best-known authors by the time of her death. Life Tove Ditlevsen was born i ...

, Danish poet and author *

Tove Edfeldt Tove Edfeldt (born 24 November 1983) is a Swedish actress. She studied at the Swedish National Academy of Mime and Acting between 2004 and 2008. Filmography *1986 – '' The Children of Noisy Village'' *1987 – '' More About the Children of No ...

, Swedish actress * Tove Fergo, Danish vicar and politician *

Tove Jansson Tove Marika Jansson (; 9 August 1914 – 27 June 2001) was a Swedish-speaking population of Finland, Swedish-speaking Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from ...

, Finnish artist and author *

Tove Lindbo Larsen Tove Kirsten Lindbo Larsen (25 December 1928 – 29 September 2018) was a Danish Social Democrats politician who served as Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs and Minister for Greenland from early 1981 to late 1982 in the government of Anker Jø ...

, Danish politician *

Tove Lo Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson (born 29 October 1987), known professionally as Tove Lo (), is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She has been called "Sweden's darkest pop export" by ''Rolling Stone.'' She is known for her raw, grunge-influenced take o ...

, Swedish singer *

Tove Maës Tove Maës (30 April 192131 December 2010) was a Danish actress of stage, television and film best known for her starring roles in the series of "Morten Korch" films, in particular '' The Red Horses''. Maës was a three-time recipient of the Bo ...

, Danish actress *

Tove Nilsen Tove Nilsen (born 25 October 1952) is a Norwegian novelist, children's writer and literary critic. She made her literary debut in 1974 with the novel ''Aldri la dem kle deg forsvarsløst naken''. Her adolescence novel from a dormitory town, ' ...

, Norwegian writer *

Tove Nielsen (politician) Tove Nielsen (born 1941) is a Danish teacher who served as the minister of education in the cabinet led by Poul Hartling between 1973 and 1975. She was also a member of the Danish Parliament and European Parliament. Biography Nielsen was born ...

, Danish politician *

Tove Styrke Tove Anna Linnéa Östman Styrke (; born 19 November 1992) is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She gained popularity as a contestant on '' Swedish Idol 2009'', finishing in third place. After the show, she started a solo career in electropop. Sh ...

, Swedish singer

Notable men

Tove (sculptor) Tove was a sculptor and stonemason active in Scania during the Middle Ages. The artist made and signed the baptismal font of Gumlösa Church with the words ''Tove gierhi'' ("Tove made me"). Gumlösa Church was inaugurated in 1191. Tove also made t ...

, 12th-century Scania sculptor *

Tove Christensen Tove Christensen (born February 20, 1973) is a Canadian-American film producer and actor. He is the older brother of actor Hayden Christensen. Early life Christensen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, the son of Alie, an American speechwri ...

, Canadian actor and producer

Fictional characters

* a legendary young woman, mistress of the Danish King

Waldemar Waldemar, Valdemar or Woldemar is an Old High German given name. It consists of the elements ''wald-'' "power", "brightness" and ''-mar'' "fame". The name is considered the equivalent of the Slavic name Vladimir, Volodymyr, Uladzimir or Włod ...

, and subject of a poem by Jens Peter Jacobsen best known for its musical setting as the

Gurre-Lieder ' is a large cantata for five vocal soloists, narrator, chorus and large orchestra, composed by Arnold Schoenberg, on poems by the Danish novelist Jens Peter Jacobsen (translated from Danish to German by ). The title means "songs of Gurre", refe ...

of Arnold Schoenberg * a fictional, slithy creature created by

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...

that appears in his poem

Jabberwocky "Jabberwocky" is a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll about the killing of a creature named "the Jabberwock". It was included in his 1871 novel ''Through the Looking-Glass'', the sequel to ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865). The bo ...

References

{{given name Scandinavian feminine given names Swedish feminine given names Danish feminine given names Norwegian feminine given names

Origins

Notable women

Notable men

Fictional characters

See also

References