Cove
A small coastal bay or inlet with calm waters.
Name Census estimates that about 1,412 living Americans carry the first name Cove. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 73.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Cove today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cove births was 2024 (248 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cove. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Cove is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 6 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 242,744 Americans
Peak year
2024
248 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,207
Tracked since 1997
Gender
Gender distribution for Cove
Cove is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,422 total registrations, 1,050 (73.8%) were male and 372 (26.2%) were female.
Cove as a male name
- Ranked #1,207 in 2024
- 167 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (167 births)
Cove as a female name
- Ranked #2,279 in 2024
- 81 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (94 births)
Popularity
Cove: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cove from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 912 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cove by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cove during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Coves live
The SSA's state-level files cover 18 states and territories. California, Utah, Texas recorded the most babies named Cove, while Virginia, Oregon, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 28 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cove
The name Cove has its origins in Old English and Middle English, derived from the word "cove," which originally referred to a small coastal inlet or bay. It is believed to have been used as a surname initially, referring to people who lived near or worked in such coastal areas.
In its earliest recorded use as a given name, Cove appears to have emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly in England and parts of the British Isles. Some historical records suggest it may have been used as a diminutive or nickname for names like Coventry or Coveney.
While not commonly found in ancient texts or religious scriptures, the name Cove does have a few notable historical references. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Cove Jones, an English sailor and explorer who was part of Sir Walter Raleigh's expeditions to the Americas in the late 16th century.
Another prominent figure was Cove Sydenham (1615-1654), an English parliamentarian and supporter of Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War. He played a significant role in the establishment of the Commonwealth of England.
In the 18th century, Cove Borlase (1738-1809) was a prominent English antiquarian and naturalist, known for his contributions to the study of geology and Cornish history.
Moving into the 19th century, Cove Higginson (1823-1911) was an American author, minister, and abolitionist, who wrote extensively about social reforms and served as a colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
More recently, Cove Cameron (1925-2001) was an American actor and stuntman, best known for his work in Western films and television shows, including appearances in popular series like "Gunsmoke" and "Bonanza."
While not an exhaustive list, these examples illustrate the historical presence and use of the name Cove across different periods and contexts, ranging from exploration and military service to literature and the arts.
People
Cove + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cove as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cove: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cove?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,412 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cove going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 242,744 US residents.
Is Cove a common name?
We classify Cove as "Rare". It ranks above 92.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,422 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cove most popular?
The single biggest year for Cove was 2024, when 248 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cove is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cove a male name?
Yes, 73.8% of people registered as Cove in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.