2000
#6,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,578
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.70
Rare Last name
Koval
A Ukrainian occupational surname referring to a blacksmith or metalworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,280 Americans carry the last name Koval. That puts it at #7,032 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,916 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koval 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Koval with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,916
Census rank
#7,032
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,604 bearers of the surname Koval in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7032nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koval, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koval
The surname Koval originated in Eastern Europe, primarily in Ukraine, Belarus, and parts of Russia. It is believed to have derived from the Slavic word "koval," which means "blacksmith" or "metalworker." This occupational surname likely emerged during the medieval period when surnames began to gain prominence.
The name Koval can be traced back to the 15th century in various historical records and documents. For instance, the name appears in the Metryka Litewska, a collection of administrative records from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which covered parts of modern-day Belarus, Ukraine, and Lithuania.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Koval was Petro Koval, a blacksmith who lived in the village of Kozelets, near Chernihiv, Ukraine, in the late 15th century. His name is mentioned in the Litovskaya Metrika, a collection of legal documents from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
In the 16th century, the name Koval was also found in the Akty Zapadnoy Rossii, a collection of historical documents from Western Russia. One notable mention is of Ivan Koval, a metalworker from the town of Smolensk, who was involved in the construction of a local church in the 1540s.
The surname Koval has been associated with various place names throughout Eastern Europe. For example, the village of Kovalivka in Ukraine is believed to have derived its name from the presence of blacksmiths or metalworkers in the area.
Several notable individuals with the surname Koval have made significant contributions throughout history. One such figure is Mykola Koval (1898-1978), a Ukrainian painter and art educator who played a crucial role in the development of modern Ukrainian art.
Another prominent individual is Yuri Koval (1938-2003), a Soviet and Russian actor known for his roles in numerous films and television shows. He was awarded the prestigious title of People's Artist of the Russian Federation in 1992.
In the field of literature, Vasyl Koval (1921-2005) was a renowned Ukrainian writer and poet. He authored numerous works, including novels, poetry collections, and children's books, and received various literary awards for his contributions.
In the realm of sports, Olha Koval (born 1973) is a Ukrainian former professional tennis player who achieved notable success in the 1990s and early 2000s. She won three singles titles and reached a career-high ranking of No. 20 in the world.
Lastly, Volodymyr Koval (1942-2003) was a prominent Ukrainian politician and economist who served as the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 1992 to 1994 during a critical period of the country's transition to independence and market reforms.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koval
Among Census respondents with the surname Koval, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Koval 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 Koval surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 4,343
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 127
- Two or more races1.9% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 30
- Black or African American0.2% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koval
Koval 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
#6,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,855
+277 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Down 125 places
2020
#7,032
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,604
-251 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 120 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,787 | 4,578 | 1.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,912 | 4,855 | 1.65 | +277 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 125 places |
| 2020 | #7,032 | 4,604 | 1.54 | -251 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 120 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 Koval 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 | #6,912 | #7,032 | -1.7% |
| Count | 4,855 | 4,604 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.65 | 1.54 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koval bearers went from 4,855 to 4,604 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 120 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,912 to #7,032.
FAQ
Koval surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koval?
Name Census estimates that about 5,280 living Americans carry the surname Koval. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,916 residents.
How common is Koval?
Koval ranks #7,032 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,604 people with the surname Koval. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,280), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Koval.
Has Koval become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koval went from 4,855 recorded bearers to 4,604. That is a decrease of 251 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,912 to #7,032.
What does the Census say about the background of Koval?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koval, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Koval in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (4,343 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koval appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (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 Koval (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 Koval mean?
A Ukrainian occupational surname 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 Koval (1.54 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 Koval?
If you just want to know how many people are called Koval, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.