Kovár

Kovár is the Czech and Slovak word for a blacksmith, a craftsman who forges and shapes metal, especially iron and steel. Traditionally, kováři worked in a forge called a kovárna, using hammers, anvils, tongs, and heat to produce tools, hardware, weapons, and repairs. The role was central to both rural and urban communities, and smiths frequently belonged to craft guilds in medieval towns. In modern usage the term continues as an occupational name and in literature to denote metalworkers.

The term derives from kov, metal, with the agentive suffix -ár, forming a noun that means a person who works with metal. It has cognates in other Slavic languages, such as Russian koval (коваль) and Polish kowal, reflecting a shared historical root for metalworking.

Kovár (often written with diacritics as Kovář in Czech and Slovak) is also a surname in Czech and Slovak communities. The feminine forms include Kovářová in Czech. In Anglophone contexts the name may be rendered without diacritics as Kovár or Kovár; it appears in various transliterations and onomastic records. The surname, like many occupational names, preserves a memory of the historical smithing profession.

Modern references include individuals bearing the name and places deriving from smithing heritage in Slavic-speaking regions, as well as the general use of kovár to designate metalworkers in historical contexts.