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

Kovalenko, 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 Kovalenko surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kovalenko in America

Kovalenko is the 24629th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kovalenko surname appeared 1,014 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kovalenko.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kovalenko 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 Kovalenko

The surname Kovalenko is of Ukrainian origin, originating in the 16th or 17th century. It is derived from the Ukrainian word "koval", meaning "blacksmith", and the suffix "-enko", which indicates a patronymic or a family name. This suggests that the name originally referred to the descendant of a blacksmith.

The name is believed to have originated in the regions of modern-day Ukraine, particularly in the central and eastern parts of the country, where blacksmithing was a common profession. It is possible that the name first appeared in historical records or documents related to these regions during the 16th or 17th centuries, although specific references are not widely documented.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Kovalenko was Ivan Kovalenko, a Ukrainian Cossack who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was known for his participation in the Khmelnytsky Uprising against Polish rule in Ukraine.

Another notable figure was Hryhoriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian writer and poet who lived from 1868 to 1944. He was a prominent figure in the Ukrainian cultural renaissance of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and his works played a significant role in preserving and promoting Ukrainian language and literature.

In the 20th century, Oleksandr Kovalenko (1924-2006) was a renowned Ukrainian artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraits. His works are part of numerous collections in Ukraine and abroad.

Valentyn Kovalenko (1942-1995) was a Ukrainian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine from 1991 to 1994, following the country's independence from the Soviet Union.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Kovalenko is Andriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian professional football player who was born in 1987. He has played for various clubs in Ukraine and Russia and has represented the Ukrainian national team.

While the surname Kovalenko is predominantly of Ukrainian origin, it has also gained some prevalence in other parts of Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia and Belarus, due to historical migrations and cultural ties between these regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kovalenko

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

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

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

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