Kovács or Kovacs, meaning

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

, is one of the most common Hungarian

family name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

History

The name is found in

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

and Hungarian expatriate communities. There are similar names with the Kováts or Kovách spellings. The name means "

" in Hungarian, and it is a

loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because th ...

from

Slavic languages The Slavic languages, also known as the Slavonic languages, are Indo-European languages spoken primarily by the Slavic peoples and their descendants. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Slavic, spoken during the Ear ...

. There are 221,688 people in Hungary who are named ''Kovács'', making the name the second most common family name among

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...

Cognates

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 ...

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

* Koufax in

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

* Kovač in many South Slavic and West Slavic communities *

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 ...

* Kovach, the Carpatho-Ruthenian form * Kovachev in

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

* 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 ...

Kaval The kaval is a chromatic end-blown flute traditionally played throughout the Balkans (in Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Southern Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Northern Greece, and elsewhere) and Anatolia (including Turkey and Armenia). The ka ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

(also Kavalchuk, Kavalenka,

Kavaliou Kavalyow or Kavaliou ( be, Кавалёў), or Kavalyova, Kavaliova (feminine; Кавалёва), is a common Belarusian surname, an equivalent of the English "Smith" and Russian " Kovalyov" (derived from the Belarusian word ''kaval'', which means ...

, Kavalski, Kavalchyk, Kavalevich) *

Koval Koval may refer to: *Koval (surname) *Koval Distillery, a craft distillery in Chicago, Illinois Fiction *Funky Koval, a 1980s Polish comic book *Koval, a Romulan in Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges (''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'') See also * * Kow ...

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 "blacks ...

) *

Kovář Kovář (; meaning "smith"; feminine Kovářová ) is a Czech surname. Kovář or Kovar may refer to: * Daniela Kovářová (born 1964), Czech politician * Dennis G. Kovar, American physicist * František Kovář (1888–1969), Czech Hussite bi ...

(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 ...

. * Kowal in

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 populous ...

(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)

Notable people

Ágnes Kovács Ágnes Kovács (born 13 July 1981) is a Hungarian swimmer who competed at the Hungary at the 1996 Summer Olympics, 1996, Hungary at the 2000 Summer Olympics, 2000 and Hungary at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 2004 Olympics. In Swimming at the 2000 ...

(born 1981), Hungarian swimmer *

Angela Kovács Angela Anna Margareta Kovács (born 23 May 1964 in Vaksala, Uppland) is a Swedish actress of Hungarian descent. She studied at the Gothenburg Theatre Academy from 1987 until 1990. She then began her career as a stage actress, working at the Go ...

(born 1964), Swedish actress * Barbara Kovács (born 1993), Hungarian racewalker *

Balázs Kovács Balázs Kovács (born 14 June 1977) is a retired Hungarian hurdler who specializes in the 110 metres hurdles. He was born in Ajka. He competed at the 2000 Olympic Games, the 2001 World Indoor Championships and the 2002 European Indoor Champio ...

(born 1977), Hungarian hurdler * Bill Kovacs (1949–2006), American pioneer of commercial computer animation technology * Dan Kovacs (born 1970), American powerlifter *

Dénes Kovács Dénes Kovács (18 April 1930 – 11 or 14 February 2005) was a Hungarian classical violinist and academic teacher, described as "pre-eminent among Hungarian violinists". He won the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition in 1955. In his care ...

(1930–2005), Hungarian violinist *

Edit Kovács (fencer) Edit Kovács (born 9 June 1954, Veszprém Veszprém (; german: Weißbrunn, sl, Belomost) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative c ...

(born 1954), Hungarian foil fencer * Edit Kovács (swimmer) (born 1951), Hungarian swimmer *

Ella Kovacs Ella Kovacs (born 11 December 1964) is a retired Romanian middle-distance runner of Hungarian descent who specialized in the 800 metres.

(born 1964), Romanian middle distance runner *

Ernie Kovacs Ernest Edward Kovacs (January 23, 1919 – January 13, 1962) was a Hungarian-American comedian, actor, and writer. Kovacs's visually experimental and often spontaneous comedic style influenced numerous television comedy programs for years afte ...

(1919–1962), American entertainer * Ervin Kováts (1927–2012), Hungarian-born Swiss chemist known for the

Kovats retention index In gas chromatography, the Kovats retention index (shorter Kovats index, retention index; plural retention indices) is used to convert retention times into system-independent constants. The index is named after the Hungarian-born Swiss chemist Erv ...

Frank Kovacs Frank Kovacs (December 4, 1919 – February 1990) was an American amateur and professional tennis player in the mid-20th century. He won the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships singles title in 1941. He won the World Professional Championsh ...

(1919–1990), American tennis player * Fred Kovacs, American soccer player * Gábor Kovács (financier) (born 1957), Hungarian financier, banker, art collector, philanthropist and founder of KOGART *

Greg Kovacs Gregory Mark Kovacs (December 16, 1968 – November 22, 2013) was a Canadian IFBB professional bodybuilder. According to Canadian bodybuilding publication, ''Muscle Insider'', Kovacs retired from competitive bodybuilding in 2005 to start his own ...

(born 1968), American bodybuilder *

Iván Kovács Iván Kovács (born 8 February 1970) is a Hungarian épée The ( or , ), sometimes spelled epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern derives from the 19th-century , a weapo ...

(born 1970), Hungarian épée fencer *

János Kovács János Kovács (born 11 September 1985) is a Hungarian footballer who plays for Pénzügyőr SE as a defender. He has played for MTK, Bodajk, Chesterfield, York City, Lincoln City, Luton Town and Hereford United. Club career MTK Born in Budap ...

(born 1985), Hungarian footballer *

Joe Kovacs (puppeteer) Joe Kovacs (Born Joseph Stephen Kovacs; December 15, 1967) is an American puppeteer and actor. Kovacs was born in Independence, Ohio. In 2006 and 2007, Kovacs handled the puppet Madame Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of ...

(born 1967), American puppeteer *

Joe Kovacs Joseph Mathias Kovacs (born June 28, 1989) is an American track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and has a personal record of 23.23 meters outdoors and 22.05 meters indoors. He won gold medals at the 2015 and 2019 World ...

(born 1989), American track and field athlete * Julie Kovacs (born 1959), American chemist *

Kálmán Kovács (disambiguation) Kálmán Kovács may refer to: * Kálmán Kovács (footballer, born 1965), Hungarian football player * Kálmán Kovács (footballer, born 1911) (1911–?), Hungarian football player * Kálmán Kovács (canoeist) Kálmán Kovács is a Hunga ...

* Katalin Kovács (born 1976), Hungarian canoer *

Ladislav Kovács Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...

(born 1991), Slovak ''Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'' player *

László Kovács (politician) László Kovács (; born 3 July 1939) is a Hungarian politician and diplomat, former European Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union. He was the foreign minister of Hungary twice, from 1994 to 1998 and from 2002 to 2004. He also served as ...

(born 1939), Hungarian politician and diplomat * László Kovács (cinematographer) (1933–2007), Hungarian-American cinematographer *

Magda Kósáné Kovács Magda Kósáné Kovács (4 November 1940 – 27 July 2020) was a Hungarian politician who was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Hungarian Socialist Party, part of the Party of European Socialists. She left the Socialist Party an ...

(1940-2020), Hungarian politician and Member of the European Parliament * Michal Kováč (1930-2016), first president of Slovakia *

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 *

Margit Kovács Margit Kovács (1902–1977) was a Hungarian ceramist and sculptor. Life Margit Kovács was born in Győr, Hungary on 30 November 1902. She originally wished to become a graphic artist but she grew interested in ceramics in the 1920s and we ...

(1902–1977) Hungarian ceramist and sculptor *

Pál Kovács Pál Kovács (17 July 1912 – 8 July 1995) was a Hungarian athlete, who began as a hurdler, but eventually switched to fencing. By the time Kovács won his first fencing gold, in 1936, he had already been a member of the winning Hungarian tea ...

(1912–1995), Hungarian saber fencer *

Péter Kovács (footballer) Péter Kovács (born 7 February 1978) is a Hungarian former professional footballer played as a forward for Újpest and Vác in Hungary, for Lahti and Haka in Finland, for Tromsø, Viking, Strømsgodset, Odd Grenland, Sarpsborg 08, Sandefjord a ...

(born 1978), Hungarian footballer * Richard Kovacs (1885–1950), physician * Robin Kovacs (born 1996), Swedish ice hockey player *

Rita Kovács 17times world cup championship Rita Kovács (born 29 March 1970 in Nyíregyháza) is a former long-distance swimmer from Hungary. She represented her home country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in 800 metre freestyle. She also competed ...

(born 1970), Hungarian swimmer * Sándor J. Kovács (born 1947), Hungarian-American cardiologist * Sandy Koufax (born 1935), American baseball player *

Sharon Kovacs Sharon Kovacs (born 15 April 1990), known professionally as Kovacs, is a Dutch singer from Baarlo. Career Kovacs studied at Rock City Institute, a vocational school in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. She graduated in 2013. In 2014 she worked wit ...

(born 1990), Dutch singer *

Stephen Kovacs Stephen Matias Kovacs (January 4, 1972 – January 15, 2022) was an American saber fencer and fencing coach.

(1972–2022), saber fencer and fencing coach, charged with

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

, died in prison *

István Kovács (footballer born 1920) István Kovács may refer to: *István Kovács (actor) (born 1944), Hungarian actor *István Kovács (boxer) (born 1970), Hungarian Olympic boxer *István Kovács (footballer born 1920), Romanian footballer and manager * István Kovács (footballer, ...

(1920–1995), Romanian football manager *

Viktor Kovács Viktor Kovács (born 27 December 1973) is a Hungarian sprinter specializing in the 100 metres. He finished seventh with the Hungarian 4 x 100 metres relay team, which consisted of Kovács, Gábor Dobos, Roland Németh and Zsolt Szeglet, at the ...

(born 1973), Hungarian track and field athlete *

Zoltán Kovács (ice hockey) Zoltán Kovács (born 2 January 1962) is a Hungarian ice hockey coach and administrator. He joined the Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation as a secretary in 1994, then served as its general secretary from 1998 to 2017, and has served as its vice-pr ...

(born 1962), Hungarian ice hockey coach and administrator *

Zsófia Kovács (triathlete) Zsófia Kovács (born 7 February 1988 in Gyöngyös) is a Hungarian professional triathlete, winner of the Hungarian Cup 2010 ''(Triatlon Ranglista)'' and member of the National Team. Since 2004 Zsófia Kovács has regularly taken part in IT ...

(born 1988), Hungarian triathlete

Fictional characters

Takeshi Kovacs Takeshi Lev Kovacs is the protagonist in the books ''Altered Carbon'', '' Broken Angels'', and '' Woken Furies'' by Richard K. Morgan, which take place in or around the 26th century. Fictional history Novels Kovacs was human born in the city ...

, a fictional character in three books by Richard Morgan * Walter Kovacs, the identity of the character

Rorschach Rorschach may refer to: * Hermann Rorschach, a Swiss psychiatrist ** Rorschach test, his psychological evaluation method involving inkblots * Rorschach (character), a character from the comics ''Watchmen'' * Rorschach (comic book), a 2020 comic * ...

, in the

DC Comic DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their ...

series '' Watchmen'' * Kirilli Kovacs, a character in Darren Shan's series, '' The Demonata''.

References

Hungarian-language surnames Hungarian words and phrases Occupational surnames {{Hungary-hist-stub