Find out how popular the last name Kovach is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kovach.

Kovach, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kovach surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kovach in America

Kovach is the 3940th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kovach surname appeared 9,040 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Kovach.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kovach to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kovach

The surname Kovach originated in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, particularly in Croatia and Serbia, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Slavic word "kova??," which means "blacksmith" or "metalworker." This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who worked in the metalsmithing trade.

Kovach is a variation of the more common Slavic surname "Kova??," which has its roots in the Proto-Slavic language. The spelling "Kovach" is believed to have emerged as a result of regional dialectal differences and linguistic influences in the areas where the name was prevalent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kovach can be found in the 16th century, when it appeared in the archives of the Dubrovnik Republic, a maritime city-state on the Adriatic coast. This historical reference indicates that the name was well-established in the region during that time period.

In the 17th century, the name Kovach was documented in the records of the Patriarchal Monastery of Pe?? in present-day Kosovo. This monastery was a significant cultural and religious center for Serbs during the Ottoman rule, suggesting that individuals bearing this surname played a role in the preservation of Serbian heritage and traditions.

Among notable historical figures with the surname Kovach, one can mention:

1. Marko Kova?? (c. 1460 - c. 1530), a renowned Serbian epic poet and guslar (traditional singer) whose works celebrated the heroic deeds of Serbian warriors during the Ottoman conquest.

2. Ivan Kova?? (1754 - 1829), a Croatian priest and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Croatian language and literature.

3. Jovan Kova??evi?? (1805 - 1839), a Serbian painter and one of the founders of the Romantic movement in Serbian art.

4. Konstantin Kova??evi?? (1834 - 1907), a Serbian diplomat and statesman who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Principality of Serbia.

5. Ante Kova??i?? (1854 - 1889), a Croatian playwright and novelist, considered one of the most important figures in the Croatian literary realism movement.

The surname Kovach has also been associated with various place names in the Slavic regions, such as the village of Kova??ica in Serbia and the town of Kova??ica in Croatia, both of which likely derived their names from the metalworking trade that was prominent in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kovach

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kovach.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kovach was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kovach has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kovach was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kovach, please contact us.

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