Kowalski ([kɔˈvalskʲi]; feminine: Kowalska, plural Kowalscy) is the second most common surname in Poland (140,471 people in 2009). Kowalski translates to smith's son, as it is the patronymic form of the Polish equivalent of Smith, "Kowal" (see the Polish surname Kowal and the Ukrainian surname Koval). Several other surnames, such as Kowalczyk, Kowalewski, and Kowalewicz, are also derived from the word Kowal.
The name Jan Kowalski is the equivalent in both translation and popularity to John Smithson in English-speaking countries.
The "Kowalski Sausage" phenomenon, as it is popularly known, has made a major impact on the American meat packing industry.
A sizable number of Polish immigrants to the United States came in the 1960s and 1970s. Some came to pursue higher educations, but upon graduating with MBAs, engineering or other degrees could not find professional jobs or jobs that paid well. Many of them worked in blue collar jobs and saved up to buy undervalued or dilapidated sausage factories, turning them into businesses. As many as 60% of mid-sized sausage links and patties companies all over the US are owned by people of Polish origin. Of this nearly one-third have the surname Kowalski—a popular one among Polish immigrants.
According to the Polish American Sausage Association (P.A.S.A.), 50 percent of sausage makers in the United States are owned by people of Polish origin. A large immigrant population of educated Polish came in the 1960s and 1970s. These Kowalskis are known as founding fathers, having worked hard, saved, and then invested in the industry. Having a steady amount of income and savings, they called over their distant relatives and friends from the villages of Poland. Upon their arrival, these immigrants would already have financial assistance from the founding fathers and would be able to find employment with them until they could afford to start up their own businesses.
In popular culture, the Polish film Burial of a Potato satirizes the community's fascination with emigrating to the United States.
Kowalski is:
1st in Masovia Voivodeship (26,270)
2nd in Silesian Voivodeship (11,811)
3rd in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (12,076)
2nd in Łódź Voivodeship (15,005)
2nd in Lower Silesian Voivodeship (9,429)
3rd in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (6,480)
2nd in West Pomeranian Voivodeship (6,345)
3rd in Lubusz Voivodeship (2,904)
Alexander Kowalski (1902–1940), Polish ice hockey player killed in the Katyn massacre
Aleksander Kowalski, Polish Nordic combined skier
Aleksander Kowalski (1908–1951), Polish trade union activist
Aleksander Kowalsky (born 1943), Croatian-Austrian classical music conductor
Alexander Kowalski (musician) (born 1978), German DJ, electronic music artist
Alfred Kowalski-Wierusz (1849–1915), Polish painter
Aneta Kowalska (born 1982), Polish pair skater
Anna Kowalska (1903–1969), Polish writer
Bernard Louis Kowalski (1929–2007), American director
Bolesław Kowalski (1915–1944), Polish trade union activist and underground fighter (AL)
Daniel Kowalski (born 1975), Australian Olympic swimmer
Danuta Kowalska (born 1929), Polish artist, designer of interior decoration
Emmanuel Kowalski (born 1969), French mathematician
Franciszek Kowalski (1799–1862), Polish poet, insurgent of the November Uprising
Frank Kowalski (1907–1974), American US Army soldier and United States Representative
Grzegorz Kowalski (born 1942), Polish sculptor, designer of interior decoration
James Kowalski (born 1954), United States Air Force Lieutenant General, Commander Air Force Global Strike Command Barksdale AFB
Janusz Kowalski, Polish cyclist
Janusz Andrzej Kowalski (born 1935), Polish artist, designer of interior decoration
Jerzy Kowalski (1893–1948), Polish writer and classical philologist
Jerzy Bogdan Kowalski (born 1923), Polish professor of theory of state and law
Jochen Kowalski (born 1954), German singer
John Kowalski (born c. 1951), American soccer coach
Józef Kowalski (1900–2013), Polish supercentenarian and last Polish-Soviet war veteran
Józef Kowalski (1911–1942), Polish Roman Catholic priest killed at Auschwitz, beatified
Józef Kowalski-Wierusz (1866–1925), Polish physicist
Julie Kowalski (born 1983), French female biker (nickname: "la reine des petits bouchons")
Kasia Kowalska (born 1973), Polish pop rock singer and songwriter
Katarzyna Kowalska (born 1985), Polish long distance runner
Kazimierz Kowalski (1925–2007), Polish professor of zoology, ordination, mammals paleontology
Kazimierz Maria Kowalski (born 1926), Polish writer and journalist
Ken Kowalski, Canadian politician
Louis Kowalski (born 1994), Tony Hawk's Pro Skater graffiti professional
Ludwik Kowalski (born 1931), Polish-American nuclear physicist and professor emeritus
Marian Kowalski (1821–1884), Polish astronomer
Saint Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938), Catholic saint
Myron Kowalsky, Canadian politician
Natalia Kowalska (born 1989), Polish racing driver
Piotr Kowalski, artist
Raymond Kowalski, (born 1951), American artist ceramicist and inventor
Richard Kowalski (born 1963), American Astronomer
Robert Kowalski (born 1941), British logician
Sharon Kowalski, subject of groundbreaking disability and LGBT legal rights case
Stanisław Kozyr-Kowalski (born 1936), Polish professor of sociology
Tadeusz Kowalski (1841–1904), Polish agronomist, agricultural activist and educator
Tadeusz Kowalski (1889–1948), Polish orientalist, expert on Middle East Muslim culture and languages
Thomas Schmidt-Kowalski (1949–2013), German composer
William Kowalski (born 1970), American author of Eddie's Bastard
Witold Cezariusz Kowalski (born 1936), Polish professor of geology
Wladek Kowalski (AKA "Killer" Kowalski) (1926–2008), Polish-Canadian professional wrestler, trainer
Władysław Kowalski (politician) (1894–1958), Polish trade union activist, writer and politician (PSL, ZSL)
Włodzimierz Tadeusz Kowalski (born 1935), Polish professor of modern history and publicist
Zygmunt Kowalski (born 1932), Polish professor of chemistry
Kowalski, character in the 1991 parody film Hot Shots!, played by Kristy Swanson
Kowalski, main character in Vanishing Point, played by Barry Newman
Kowalski, character in the PlayStation 2 game Syphon Filter 2
Kowalski, character in Madagascar and the TV series The Penguins of Madagascar
Mr Kowalski, original owner of Kowalski's, Rosie Duncan's florist store in the novel Fairytale of New York (ISBN 9781847561657), played by Miranda Dickinson
Mrs. Kowalski, Miriam Margolyes' character in the film How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008)
Baby Kowalski, supporting character in The Ren & Stimpy Show
Benjamin "Ben" Kowalski in the comic series Templar, Arizona
Major Charles Kawalsky, character in the popular science fiction television series Stargate SG-1
Dick Kowalsky, character in the French animated series Funky Cops (2003)
Jacob Kowalski, Dan Fogler's character in the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
Joe Kowalski, character in SIGMA Force book series by author James Rollins
Kitty Kowalski, Lex Luthor's companion in 2006 film Superman Returns, played by Parker Posey
Leon Kowalski, character in the 1982 film Blade Runner played by Brion James
Matt Kowalsky, George Clooney's character in the movie Gravity.
Peter "Petey" Kowalski in the video game Bully
Roch Kowalski, character in Sienkiewicz's novel With Fire and Sword
Roxanne Kowalski, Daryl Hannah's character in Roxanne, the 1987 remake of Cyrano de Bergerac with Steve Martin
Seaman Kowalski, crewman assigned aboard the submarine SSRN Seaview, on the 1964–68 TV series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, played by Del Monroe
Sergei Kowalski, the titular character in the spaghetti western The Mercenary, played by Franco Nero.
Sgt. Kowalski, character in Raising Arizona
Sgt. Kowalski, character in video game Call of Duty 3
Sophie Kowalski, Marion Cotillard's character in the 2005 French film Jeux d'Enfants, also known by its English title, Love Me If You Dare
Stanley and Stella Kowalski, characters in the Pulitzer Prize–winning play by Tennessee Williams and 1951 film, A Streetcar Named Desire
Detective Stanley Raymond Kowalski, character in the Gemini Award–winning television series Due South (named after the above Streetcar character)
Steve Kowalski, character in the 2007 film Devil's Diary
Viktor Kowalski, member of the OAS in The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
Walt Kowalski, protagonist of the 2008 film Gran Torino played by Clint Eastwood
In re Guardianship of Kowalski
Kavalski, a Yiddish variant
Koval'skiy (crater)
"Kowalski" (song) by Primal Scream
