Dove Meaning in the Bible

Dove is an English word used as a given name, so it has no ancient etymology to trace. What it has instead is the densest symbolic record of any creature in Scripture, which is why it keeps appearing on Christian name lists.

The dove first matters in Genesis. Noah sends one out from the ark, and it returns 'in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated' (Genesis 8:11) — the original image of a dove carrying peace. In the law the dove is the offering of the poor, the sacrifice permitted to those who cannot afford a lamb (Leviticus 5:7), which is exactly what Mary and Joseph bring at the presentation of Jesus in Luke 2:24.

Its highest use is at the Jordan: 'and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him' (Matthew 3:16). Jesus later uses the bird for character — 'be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves' (Matthew 10:16) — pairing shrewdness with an absence of malice.

The Hebrew name for dove is Jonah (yonah), and it is worth knowing that the prophet who ran from Nineveh carries it. If you want the meaning inside a true biblical name rather than the English word, Jonah is it — for a daughter, the Hebrew Yona and the Greek Peristera are both used, though rarely.