Tove is a Scandinavian given name 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. Origins Some believe the name to be a shortening of Thorfrithr, "beautiful Thor" or "peace of Thor", though the carvings on the Sønder Vissing Runestone show the name to have come from the rune 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 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 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, 10th-century Wendish princess Tove Alexandersson, Swedish orienteer Tove Ditlevsen, Danish poet and author Tove Edfeldt, Swedish actress Tove Fergo, Danish vicar and politician Tove Jansson, Finnish artist and author Tove Lindbo Larsen, Danish politician Tove Lo, Swedish singer Tove Maës, Danish actress Tove Nilsen, Norwegian writer Tove Nielsen (politician), Danish politician Tove Styrke, Swedish singer Birte Tove (1945–2016), Danish actress and nude model Notable men Tove (sculptor), 12th-century Scanian sculptor Tove Christensen, Canadian actor and producer Fictional characters a legendary young woman, mistress of the Danish King Waldemar, and subject of a poem by Jens Peter Jacobsen best known for its musical setting as the Gurre-Lieder of Arnold Schoenberg a fictional, slithy creature created by Lewis Carroll that appears in his poem Jabberwocky See also High Tove, a mountain in the English Lake District River Tove, tributary of the Great Ouse in England TOVE Project, an ontology for modelling enterprises Tove (film), a 2020 biopic about Tove Jansson Tova (disambiguation) References Scandinavian feminine given names Swedish feminine given names Danish feminine given names Norwegian feminine given names