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

Kovacs, 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 Kovacs surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kovacs in America

Kovacs is the 3917th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kovacs surname appeared 9,072 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 Kovacs.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kovacs 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 Kovacs

The surname Kovacs has its origins in Hungary, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Hungarian word "kovacs," which means "blacksmith" or "smith." This occupation-based surname was commonly given to individuals who worked as blacksmiths or metalworkers.

Kovacs is a relatively common surname in Hungary and has been recorded in various historical documents throughout the centuries. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the 14th-century records of the city of Buda, where several individuals with the surname Kovacs were listed as residents.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name Kovacs began to spread beyond Hungary's borders, as many individuals bearing this surname migrated to neighboring regions, such as present-day Slovakia, Serbia, and Romania. This diaspora resulted in various spellings and variations of the name, including Kowacz, Kovać, and Kovácz.

One notable individual with the surname Kovacs was Mihály Kovács, a Hungarian military officer and revolutionary who played a significant role in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-1849. He was born in 1818 and died in 1892.

Another famous bearer of the name was Ferenc Kovács, a Hungarian poet, and writer who lived from 1923 to 1997. He was renowned for his contributions to Hungarian literature and was a recipient of several prestigious literary awards.

In the 19th century, the surname Kovacs was also found in various regions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including present-day Austria and Croatia. One example is István Kovács, a Hungarian-born Croatian politician and writer who lived from 1839 to 1914.

The name Kovacs has also been associated with several place names in Hungary, such as Kovácsvágás and Kovácshida, which likely derived their names from the presence of blacksmiths or metalworkers in those areas.

Another notable figure with the surname Kovacs was József Kovács, a Hungarian composer and conductor who lived from 1926 to 2005. He was known for his contributions to the Hungarian classical music scene and for promoting the works of Hungarian composers internationally.

In the 20th century, the surname Kovacs gained further recognition through individuals like Ernie Kovacs, an American comedian and actor of Hungarian descent, who lived from 1919 to 1962. He was a pioneer in television comedy and is considered one of the most influential comedians of his time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kovacs

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

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 Kovacs 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 Kovacs 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 Kovacs was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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