Kovač ( sh-Cyrl, Ковач), meaning "

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

" in South Slavic languages, is a common surname in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, Bosnia-Herzegovina,

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

and

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

. Kovač is a common surname in Croatia, with 9,614 carriers (2011 census), most of them living in northern and eastern parts of the country. The surname is one of the most common surnames in five counties of

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. It is common in Serbia, with 8,749 people bearing it. In Slovenia, some 4,800 have this surname. Outside

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, the surname is fairly common in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

(especially

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

. The surname Kovács is the Hungarian loanword of this word, and is one of the most frequent surnames in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

. The

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language *** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language ** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...

form is

Covaci Covaci is the Romanian form of the name Kovač (Ковач), meaning "forger" or "blacksmith" in Slavic languages. Cognates * Kovač in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovenia * Kovac in the United State ...

, and it is also a relatively frequent surname in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

. The derivative forms Kovačić or Slovenian Kovačič, as well as

Kovačević Kovačević ( South Slavic, Cyrillic: Ковачевић), Kovačevič ( Slovene and Slovak; feminine (Slovak): Kovačevičová) or Kovačovič ( Slovak; feminine: Kovačovičová), is a Slavic surname meaning "lackmith's son". The surname is d ...

and

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

Kovachev Kovachev ( bg, Ковачев; also transliteration, transliterated ''Kovačev'') is a Bulgarian surname originating from the word ''Kovach'', meaning blacksmith. Notable people with the surname include: *Andrey Kovatchev *Bogomil Petrov Kovachev *B ...

, are also very common.

Cognates

* Koval in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

(also

Kovalchuk Kovalchuk ( Ukrainian and Russian: Ковальчук), Kavalchuk ( be, Кавальчук), Kowalczuk ( Polish), Covalciuc (Moldovan/Romanian), also transliterated as Kowalchuk (in the North American diaspora), is a common East Slavic surname (o ...

Kovalenko Kovalenko ( uk, Коваленко) is a very common Ukrainian surname. It is used commonly to describe a son of a blacksmith and is the equivalent of ''Smithson'' in the English-speaking world, derived from the root ''koval'' ( uk, коваль; m ...

Kovalev Kovalyov (russian: Ковалёв), often written as Kovalev, or its feminine variant Kovalyova, Kovaleva (), is a common Russian surname, an equivalent of the English surname Smithson (derived from the Ukrainian word koval' (), which means "black ...

) *

Kowal Kowal may refer to: *Kowal (surname) Kowal is a Polish surname meaning "wikt:smith, smith". It may refer to: * Andrzej Kowal (born 1971), Polish volleyball coach * Aneta Kowal (born 1991), American model * Austin Kowal (born 1985), American artis ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

(also

Kowalczyk Kowalczyk is the fifth most common surname in Poland (98,739 people in 2009).Ministry of Interior (Poland). Statystyka najpopularniejszych nazwisk występujących w Polsce in 2009'' (The most popular surnames in Poland in 2009). The name comes ...

Kowalski Kowalski (; feminine: Kowalska, plural: Kowalscy) is the second most common surname in Poland (140,471 people in 2009). ''Kowalski'' surname is derived from the word ''kowal'', meaning " lackmith". " Jan Kowalski" is a name that is used as a p ...

) * Kovach, the Carpatho-Ruthenian form * Kovács, Kováts or Kovách in

Kováč Kováč, feminine: Kováčová, is a surname in Slovakia. It may refer to: ; Kováč * Alan Kováč (born 1993), Slovak footballer * Dušan Kováč (born 1942), Slovak historian * Ervín Kováč (1911–1972), Slovak footballer * Henrich K ...

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

* Kovář (also Kováč) in

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

* Kovaçi in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

Notable people

Aleksandra Kovač Aleksandra Kovač ( sr-cyr, Александра Ковач, ; born 1972) is a Serbian singer-songwriter, composer, and music producer. She is the eldest daughter of eminent composer Kornelije Kovač and the elder sister of singer Kristina Kovač ...

(born 1972), Serbian singer/songwriter * Boris Kovač (born 1955), Serbian composer and multi-instrumentalist * Edvard Kovač (born 1950), Slovenian theologian *

Jože Kovač Joze Kovac (born September 23, 1961) is a former Yugoslav ice hockey player. He played for the Yugoslavia men's national ice hockey team at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other lan ...

(born 1961), Slovenian hockey player * Kordula Kovac (born 1957), German politician *

Kornelije Kovač Kornelije "Bata" Kovač ( sr-Cyrl, Корнелије "Бата" Ковач, ; hu, Kovács Kornél; 1 January 1942 – 13 September 2022) was a Serbian composer. Early life Born in Niš during World War II in the Nazi-occupied Serbia to a ...

(born 1942), Serbian musician/producer *

Kristina Kovač Kristina Kovač ( sr-Cyrl, Кристина Ковач, ; born 10 November 1974) is a Serbian singer and composer. She became famous during the 1990s when she and her sister Aleksandra Kovač were a big attraction in Serbia and surrounding count ...

(born 1974), Serbian singer/songwriter * Marko Kovač (born 1981), Serbian architect, film director and actor * Mario Kovač (disambiguation), multiple people * Mirko Kovač (1938–2013), Montenegrin writer * Mirko Kovač (born 1983), Serbian basketball player *

Mišo Kovač Mate "Mišo" Kovač (; born 16 July 1941) is a Croatian recording artist. He is the best selling artist from Croatia, with well over 20 million records, cassettes and compact discs sold to date, and is often regarded as one of the most popular mu ...

(born 1941), Croatian singer *

Niko Kovač Niko Kovač (; born 15 October 1971) is a Croatian professional football coach and former player. He is currently the manager of Bundesliga club VFL Wolfsburg. Kovač was the long-standing captain of the Croatia national team until his retire ...

(born 1971), Croatian football player and coach * Nikola "NiKo" Kovač (born 1997), Bosnian professional CSGO player *

Robert Kovač Robert Kovač (; born 6 April 1974) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He was known for his ability with the ball and skill at dispossessing opponents. His older brother is football manag ...

(born 1974), Croatian football player *

Roberto Kovac Roberto Kovac, (born 2 May 1990) is a Swiss professional basketball player. He has been a member of the Swiss national basketball team and participated at the 2015 EuroBasket qualification. Club career In August 2019, Kovac signed with Úrvals ...

(born 1990), Swiss basketball player * Slobodan Kovač (born 1967), Serbian volleyball player *

Sonja Kovač Sonja Kovač (born 18 June 1984) is a Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map ...

(born 1984), Croatian actress and model *

Tinkara Kovač Tinkara Kovač (born 3 September 1978) is a Slovenian singer and musician. She represented her country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, finishing in 25th place. Career Career in general Her professional career as a singer s ...

(born 1978), Slovenian singer/musician

Fictional characters

Luka Kovač Luka Kovač is a fictional character from the NBC television series ER. The role was portrayed by Goran Višnjić from the sixth season episode, "Leave It to Weaver", which aired on September 30, 1999 until the thirteenth season episode, "The ...

, doctor portrayed by Goran Višnjić on ''ER'' * Steve Kovac, character cryogenically frozen in Howard Fast's ''The Cold, Cold Box''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kovac Occupational surnames Serbian surnames Montenegrin surnames Bosnian surnames Croatian surnames Slovene-language surnames

Cognates

Notable people

Fictional characters

See also

References