Baby Name of the Day: Cove

The baby name Cove is a rare nature name with plenty of potential.

Thanks to SJ for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME COVE MEAN?

A cove is a body of water, either an inlet or small bay. It’s typically sheltered, and can be quite small – sometimes little more than a protected recess. 

There’s a second use of the term, to describe a small valley, used primarily along the Appalachian Trail, presumably evolved from the original sense.

The word comes from the Old English cofa – chamber – via an older word meaning tent or hut. 

Meet someone with the surname, and odds are their ancestor once lived near a cofa.

There’s a second meaning. It’s archaic now, but cove was once the equivalent of bloke, dude, fellow, chap – a slang term for a guy. It’s said be from a Romani word, but it doesn’t appear to be a Romani given name.

NAMES INSPIRED BY WATER

The baby name Cove fits nicely with our love of names inspired by nature. Water names like River and Ocean are popular. Surnames with subtle ties, like Parker or Wilder, also appeal.

COLE MEETS RIVER

Speaking of River, Cove also succeeds on sound.

It combines the long O of popular names like Cole, Owen, and Noah with the V of River, Levi, and Oliver.

Like Cole, Cove would be just one-syllable. It fits with classic Jack and Luke. Like Kai and Crew, it’s associated with the water, too. If these similar names succeed, could Cove be the next on trend choice?

SIGNIFICANT PLACES NAMED COVE

The iconic Sydney Harbour, home to the soaring opera house and distinctive bridge, is also the location of Sydney Cove. The cove was the actual landing site of the First Fleet in 1788. 

Worth noting: the First Fleet was on aboriginal land. Sydney Cove is also known as Warrane, the traditional name in the indigenous language of the Eora or Cadigal people, who resided in the area before the European settlers’ arrival and continue to shape Australia today. 

Many geographical coves aren’t called coves at all, but other places with the name include: 

• Shark Fin Cove, south of San Francisco, California and nearby Kirby Cove
• There’s Toms Cove in Virginia and Thoms Cove in Maryland
• More than one Smith Cove exists, on the east and west coasts of the United States
• Scotland’s Achmelvich Cove and Cornwall’s Porth Joke Cove
• Greece gives us Shipwreck Cove
• New Zealand’s Cathedral Cove has featured in movies, including The Chronicles of Narnia

The list goes on.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME COVE?

Parents have been taking baby name inspiration from nature for generations, but it’s really picked up in the last few decades.

According the US Social Security Administration data, five boys were named Cove in 1997, marking the name’s SSA debut. It has yet to be given to enough boys to rank in the US Top 1000. As of 2023, 144 boys received the name. (The threshold to rank for 2023 was at least 219.) 

It’s also been used as a girl’s name, just like River and Ocean. 

Six girls received the name in 2014, marking the name’s debut in the SSA data. As of 2023, 93 girls received the name.

One possible reason Cove is trending as a girl’s name? YouTuber Aspyn Ovard and her now ex-husband are the parents of daughters Cove, Lola, and a third whose name has not been officially confirmed, but is rumored to be Elle. Cove was born in 2019, and there’s a clear uptick in the name’s use for girls after that date. 

Worth noting: the name did not decrease in use after Covid-19 hit, even though the pandemic might’ve given some parents pause. 

It’s also recently entered the Top 1000 in England and Wales.

FRESH NATURE NAME 

There’s a peaceful image to the baby name Cove. Like other nature names, it can suggest tranquility, but also adventure. It’s a fun, distinctive choice with an on-trend, cool sound. 

It fits nicely with popular choices like Levi and Rowan, Ava and Willow. And it might make the perfect middle name for parents seeking something just a little different.

Overall, it’s a fresh nature name with unisex potential, the kind of name that’s equal parts surprising and just familiar enough to wear well.

What do you think of the baby name Cove?

First published on May 30, 2012, this post was revised on March 27, 2025.