Originally named Canal Dover due to its location and origins along the Ohio and Erie Canal, the land was platted in 1807, with Christian Deardorff and Jesse Slingluff recognized as the founders. Beginning in 1815, the post office first began operation. Canal Dover incorporated as a village in 1842 and became a city under the Ohio municipal code of 1903. On February 12, 1916, the city officially changed its name to Dover.
