2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kovas
A Lithuanian surname derived from the word "kovas" meaning March, likely referring to a birth month.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Kovas. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kovas 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Kovas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kovas, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kovas
The surname KOVAS is of Lithuanian origin, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Lithuanian word "kovas," which means "March" or "battle." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals born in the month of March or those who were known for their warrior-like qualities.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname KOVAS can be found in historical documents from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which was a prominent state in Eastern Europe during the medieval period. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Vilnius and Kaunas, where it was borne by both noble families and commoners alike.
One of the earliest known bearers of the KOVAS surname was Jonas Kovas, a Lithuanian nobleman who lived in the late 16th century. He was a prominent landowner and played a significant role in the political affairs of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during his lifetime.
In the 17th century, the KOVAS name gained prominence through the exploits of Martynas Kovas, a celebrated military commander who fought against the Swedish forces during the Northern Wars. His bravery and tactical prowess on the battlefield earned him a reputation as one of the most skilled military leaders of his time.
Another notable figure bearing the KOVAS surname was Petras Kovas, a Lithuanian scholar and linguist who lived in the 18th century. He made significant contributions to the study and preservation of the Lithuanian language, publishing several works on grammar and vocabulary.
During the 19th century, the KOVAS name was associated with the Lithuanian national revival movement. Antanas Kovas, born in 1820, was a prominent writer and poet who played a crucial role in promoting the use of the Lithuanian language and fostering a sense of national identity among his fellow countrymen.
In the 20th century, the KOVAS surname gained international recognition through the achievements of Juozas Kovas, a Lithuanian-American basketball player who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1964. Born in 1912, he was a pioneering figure in the sport and helped popularize basketball in Lithuania during the interwar period.
While the KOVAS surname has its roots in Lithuania, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and diaspora communities. Today, individuals bearing this surname can be found in various countries, carrying with them the rich heritage and history of this ancient Lithuanian name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kovas
Among Census respondents with the surname Kovas, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kovas 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 Kovas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 105
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kovas
Kovas appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,346 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,346 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 Kovas 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 | #143,149 | #146,495 | -2.3% |
| Count | 116 | 114 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kovas bearers went from 116 to 114 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,346 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #146,495.
FAQ
Kovas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kovas?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Kovas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Kovas?
Kovas ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Kovas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kovas.
Has Kovas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kovas went from 116 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Kovas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kovas, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Kovas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kovas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Black (1.8%). 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 Kovas (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 Kovas mean?
A Lithuanian surname derived from the word "kovas" meaning March, likely referring to a birth month. 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 Kovas (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Kovas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.