Dov

Dov m

Jewish: name meaning ‘bear’ in Hebrew. There is no biblical character of this name: it represents a translation into Hebrew of an animal name that became popular in European languages in the early Middle Ages. The bear is often associated with the name ISSACHAR (SEE Issachar), although the reason for this is not clear, for in Jacob's dying blessing (Genesis 49: 14) Issachar is referred to as a ‘strong ass couching down between two burdens’. There was a famous rabbi named Issachar Dov (SEE Dov), but this may have been simply a fortuitous pairing of the two names. Subsequent bearers may then have been named after him.