Drove as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Drove

What is the meaning of the name Drove ?

The baby name Drove is a Unisex name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /droʊv/ (DROHV).

Drove is English in Origin.

Drove is an English word-name rooted in Old English drāf, “a herd; the act of driving,” from Proto-Germanic *drībaną “to drive,” source of modern drive. In medieval Britain, a “drove” or “drove road” was a route used by drovers to move cattle to market, a usage that seeded many British place names; Drove also appears as a rare surname. The term’s lexical history frames the name with images of movement, guidance, and purposeful travel.

As a given name it remains highly uncommon, aligning with the modern taste for crisp, nature/place, and occupational word-names. Meaning centers on “a herd on the move” or “stock route,” with a secondary craft sense from the stonemason’s “drove,” a broad chisel. Unisex in feel. Related forms include the occupational Drover and, by sound-adjacent association, Drew. Possible short forms are Roe or Droe.

⚙ Drove is an extremely rare name. Across our dataset of national birth registries and international name records, Drove appears only 5 times in total — found in 4 countries. If you're considering it, you'd be giving your child a name almost nobody else has.