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koval

Koval is a surname of Ukrainian and East Slavic origin, and it also appears as a common noun in several Slavic languages. In these languages, the root word koval (коваль, ковал) or its closest equivalents means blacksmith, making Koval a traditional occupational surname that later became hereditary. In Ukrainian, коваль denotes a metalsmith, while in Russian the corresponding term is kovál or koval’. The Polish cognate is Kowal.

As a transliteration from Cyrillic and related alphabets, Koval is one of several spellings found in English-language

The name’s meaning and origin are tied to the occupation of metalworking, though contemporary bearers of the

See also: Kowal; Kovalyov.

contexts.
Variants
include
Kowal
(Polish),
Kovalev
or
Kovalyov
(patronymic
forms
in
Russian),
and
other
regional
renderings.
The
distribution
of
the
name
reflects
historical
migration
and
diaspora,
with
concentrations
in
Ukraine
and
among
Ukrainian
communities
abroad,
as
well
as
populations
in
Russia
and
Belarus.
surname
bear
no
inherent
association
with
that
trade.
Its
usage
today
is
primarily
as
a
family
name,
with
no
universal
pronunciation
or
spelling
rules
across
languages.