Kovács or Kovacs is one of the most common Hungarian family names.
The name is found in Hungary and Hungarian expatriate communities. There are similar names with the Kováts or Kovách spellings. The name means blacksmith in Hungarian, and it is a loanword from Slavic languages. There are 221,688 people in Hungary who are named Kovács, making the name the second most common family name among Hungarians.
Kovač in many South Slavic and West Slavic communitiesKovac in the United States and parts of South America was often shortened from a longer last name given out to people who couldn't spell their last name. Example: Dukovac was shortened to Kovac.Koval in Ukraine (also Kovalchuk, Kovalenko, Kovalev)Kowal in Poland (also Kowalczyk, Kowalski)Kovach, the Carpatho-Ruthenian formKováč in SlovakiaKovář (also Kováč) in Czech Republic.Kovachev in BulgariaCovaci in RomaniaKovaçi in AlbaniaÁgnes Kovács (born 1981), Hungarian swimmerBill Kovacs (1949–2006), American pioneer of commercial computer animation technologyDan Kovacs (born 1970), American world champion powerlifterEdit Kovács (born 1954), Hungarian fencerElla Kovacs (born 1964), Romanian athlete (Ethnic Hungarian)Ernie Kovacs (1919–1962), American entertainer from the early days of televisionErvin Kováts (1927–2012) Hungarian-born Swiss chemist known for the Kovats retention indexFrank Kovacs (1919–1990), American tennis player in the 1940sFred Kovacs, American soccer playerGábor Kovács (financier) (born 1957), Hungarian financier, banker, art collector, philanthropist and founder of KOGARTGreg Kovacs (born 1968), American bodybuilderIván Kovács (born 1970), Hungarian fencerJános Kovács (born 1985), Hungarian footballerJoe Kovacs (born 1967), American PuppeteerKálmán Kovács (disambiguation)Katalin Kovács (born 1976), Hungarian canoerLászló Kovács (politician) (born 1939), Hungarian politician and diplomatLászló Kovács (cinematographer) (1933–2007), Hungarian-American cinematographerMagda Kósáné Kovács (born 1940), Hungarian politician and Member of the European ParliamentMargit Kovács (1902-1977) Hungarian ceramist and sculptorPál Kovács (1912–1995), Hungarian fencerPéter Kovács (footballer) (born 1978), Hungarian footballerRichard Kovacs (1885–1950), physicianRobin Kovács (born 1996), Swedish ice hockey playerRita Kovács, Hungarian swimmerSándor J. Kovács (born 1947), Hungarian-American cardiologistSharon Kovacs (born 1990), Dutch singerŞtefan Kovacs (1920–1995), Romanian former football managerViktor Kovács (born 1973), Hungarian track and field athleteZsófia Kovács (born 1988), a Hungarian triathleteFictional characters:
Takeshi Kovacs, a fictional character in three books by Richard MorganWalter Kovacs, the identity of the character Rorschach, in the DC Comic series WatchmenKirilli Kovacs, a character in Darren Shan's series, The Demonata.