Tove

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". 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 Skutnabb-Kangas (1940-2023), Finnish linguist and educator
 * 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