Cove
- Gender
- Unisex
- Say it
- KOHV
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #455 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,191 for boys
Cove is a name of English origin, meaning “small sheltered bay”. In 2025 it ranked 455th for boys in the UK (98 babies) and 1,191st for boys in the US (171 babies).
What does Cove mean?
English: English word name
“small sheltered bay”
From Old English cofa, which meant a small chamber or den.
Is Cove a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Cove has been given to both girls and boys. In 2025, it was given to 31 girls and 98 boys in the UK and 100 girls and 171 boys in the US.
How popular is Cove in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 455th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 98 about 1 in 3,100 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fast up 669% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 98 boys in the UK were named Cove, making it the 455th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,359th. 31 girls were also named Cove in 2025 (1,135th for girls).
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 5 years. 2025 had the most boys named Cove of any year since it first appeared, in 2014.
Half of all the boys named Cove in the UK since 1996 were born between 2022 and 2025, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 109 boys in the UK were given Cove or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #422, up from #455 for this spelling alone.
- Cove 98
- Kove 11
In 2020, 53% of the babies named Cove in the UK were girls. By 2025 it was 24%, with more boys than girls since 2022.
Among boys in 2025, it was 444th in England and Wales and 316th in Scotland.
Cove in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 98 | #455 |
| 2024 | 52 | #738 |
| 2023 | 50 | #750 |
| 2022 | 27 | #1,130 |
| 2021 | 11 | #2,100 |
| 2020 | 9 | #2,359 |
| 2019 | 9 | #2,399 |
| 2018 | 8 | #2,576 |
| 2017 | 5 | #3,608 |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 3 | #4,829 |
How popular is Cove in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,191st among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 171 about 1 in 10,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fast up 127% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 171 boys in the US were named Cove, making it the 1,191st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,977th. It first appears in the records in 1997. 100 girls were also named Cove in 2025 (1,927th for girls).
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had the most boys named Cove of any year since it first appeared, in 1997.
Half of all the boys named Cove in the US since 1880 were born between 2017 and 2024, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 221 boys in the US were given Cove or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #932, up from #1,191 for this spelling alone.
- Cove 171
- Kove 50
Girls were 9% of the babies named Cove in the US in 2015, and 37% in 2025.
Cove in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 171 | #1,191 |
| 2024 | 168 | #1,205 |
| 2023 | 145 | #1,315 |
| 2022 | 136 | #1,374 |
| 2021 | 72 | #2,039 |
| 2020 | 72 | #1,977 |
| 2019 | 83 | #1,823 |
| 2018 | 58 | #2,299 |
| 2017 | 51 | #2,492 |
| 2016 | 44 | #2,725 |
| 2015 | 53 | #2,411 |
| 2014 | 22 | #4,389 |
| 2013 | 28 | #3,659 |
| 2012 | 28 | #3,711 |
| 2011 | 19 | #4,820 |
| 2010 | 16 | #5,475 |
| 2009 | 11 | #7,231 |
| 2008 | 15 | #5,762 |
| 2007 | 5 | #12,361 |
| 2006 | 5 | #12,048 |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 7 | #8,921 |
| 2003 | 5 | #10,886 |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 5 | #10,548 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 5 | #9,259 |
Names like Cove
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Finn, Ronan, Cassian, Callan, Kayden, Conan, Brody, Reign, Lochlan, Cillian, Caelan, Rowan
Other spellings of Cove
Names related to Cove
More English names
Lily, Evelyn, Hudson, Ivy, Harper, Grace, Violet, Willow, Daisy, Poppy, Riley, Oakley, Mason, Cooper, Ruby, Hallie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Cove: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/cove, updated 20 October 2026.