2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kovachevich
A surname likely of Slavic origin referring to a blacksmith or metalworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Kovachevich. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kovachevich surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Kovachevich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kovachevich, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kovachevich
The surname Kovachevich is of Croatian origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period in the Balkans. It is a patronymic name, derived from the occupational term "kovač" meaning "blacksmith" or "metalworker" in Croatian. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely skilled craftsmen involved in metalworking trades.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a 14th-century census record from the city of Dubrovnik, where a certain Radovan Kovachevich is mentioned as a resident. This indicates that the name was already well-established in the region during that time.
The name has also been found in various historical documents from other parts of Croatia and neighboring regions, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. For instance, a 16th-century manuscript from the Franciscan monastery in Fojnica, Bosnia, mentions a Petar Kovachevich, who was a prominent landowner in the area.
Kovachevich is also closely related to the Serbian variant Kovačević, which shares the same occupational origin. One notable bearer of this name was Miloš Kovačević, a Serbian writer and playwright who lived from 1909 to 1997 and was renowned for his works exploring the complexities of modern life.
Another individual of historical significance with this surname was Ivan Kovačević, a Croatian military leader who played a crucial role in the Croatian War of Independence in the early 1990s. He served as the chief of staff of the Croatian Army and was instrumental in the country's defense against the Yugoslav People's Army.
In the realm of sports, the name Kovachevich has also gained recognition. Nikola Kovačević, born in 1976, was a professional basketball player from Serbia who represented his country in several international competitions, including the Olympic Games.
While the surname Kovachevich has evolved over time and can be found with various spellings, such as Kovacevic or Kovacevich, its core meaning and connection to the metalworking tradition remain intact. This name serves as a testament to the rich cultural heritage and skilled craftsmanship that have shaped the history of the Balkan region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kovachevich
Among Census respondents with the surname Kovachevich, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kovachevich bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Kovachevich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kovachevich
Kovachevich appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,106 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,370 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 12,106 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 8,370 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Kovachevich surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #145,220 | #153,590 | -5.8% |
| Count | 114 | 104 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kovachevich bearers went from 114 to 104 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 8,370 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #153,590.
FAQ
Kovachevich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kovachevich?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Kovachevich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Kovachevich?
Kovachevich ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Kovachevich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kovachevich.
Has Kovachevich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kovachevich went from 114 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Kovachevich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kovachevich, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kovachevich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kovachevich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Kovachevich (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Kovachevich mean?
A surname likely of Slavic origin referring to a blacksmith or metalworker. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Kovachevich (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Kovachevich?
See how many Americans have the surname Kovachevich on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.