“Last name” in translation from Latin is “family”. Currently, the term has the meaning of "the hereditary name of a person, which indicates its origin from a certain genus." Nowadays, there is an incredible number of surnames, the origin of one or another, is associated with the professions of our distant ancestors, the territories where they lived, their customs, way of life, nicknames, appearance, characters. Many contemporaries have recently been interested in the question of the origin of their generic name. And this is far from idle interest. Each of us wants to know the story of our family and our distant ancestors. This article will talk about the amazing, beautiful and melodic surname Kovalev, its history and origin.
Origin of the surname
Worldly names, which include the name Koval, have long been used among the Slavs along with church ones. They often became the official names of the person, since their main goal was identification of the person. There were very few church names, and they were often repeated, therefore worldly names were used in addition to them.
The origin of the surname Kovalev is associated with a secular nickname and refers to a fairly common type of Russian generic names.
The nickname is derived from the Belarusian, Ukrainian and Russian words “koval”, which means “blacksmith”. As a rule, he was a famous and revered person in the village, so the naming was very common and widespread.
The blacksmiths were highly respected and valued very highly. The nickname has become a recognized name. And the children of Kovaly (the blacksmith) received a middle name, from which a surname subsequently came from. Thus, the origin of the surname Kovalev has two sources - from the nickname-name and from the name of the craft.
Blacksmiths were valued among the people, and their art was fanned with legends. They were considered shamans, sorcerers, many believed that they were connected with the devil and otherworldly forces. For example, in his work “The Night Before Christmas”, Gogol ascribes to the blacksmith Vakula a connection with the devil himself. This belief was very common in rural areas, it was believed that a blacksmith can not only forge a sword or plow, but also heal diseases, charm, protect the village from evil spirits. In the epic, it was the blacksmith who chained the Serpent of Gorynych for his tongue and defeated him.
Prevalence
The surname is not only common, but also has many analogues around the world. For example, the German surname Schmidt, the Spanish Herrero, the English Smith, the French Ferrand are associated with the profession of a blacksmith. The origin of the surname Kovalev refers to the old Slavic verb “kovati”. In all Slavic languages, “koval” is a blacksmith.
Where did the surname Kovalev come from? Basically, the nickname Koval was used in the southeastern part of Russia, it was from here that this generic name spread.
Surname written
The prevalence of the surname is confirmed by ancient documents that indicate its possible ancestors:
- Koval - a peasant, 1545, Novgorod;
- Stepan Kovanka - a peasant, 1624, Kurmysh;
- Ermak Kovach - peasant, XV century, Beloozero;
- Ivan Kovachev and Peter Kovalenok - peasants, 1628, Belev.
Thus, the descendants of the man who bore the name Koval, over time, acquired the name Kovaleva.
Gender Name Social
Inherited family names began to appear in the Russian Empire, as in other states, initially among the nobility. But since the princes and boyars were not blacksmiths, the surname of Kovaleva mainly belonged to peasants and craftsmen.
And indeed, according to historical documents, the Kovalevs were peasants.
Starting from the XVII century, this generic name began to be found among the most diverse layers of the population. Moreover, it was common among the Bashkirs, Tatars, Buryats, and Mordovians. A noble family with this generic name is also known in history. In 1857, Alexei Kovalev with his sons Nikolai and Konstantin were included in the Noble family tree of the Smolensk province.
Surname in history
Among the representatives of this clan name there are many prominent and illustrious people. For instance:
- atomic submarine designer Sergey Nikitich Kovalev;
- historian, writer, TV presenter, traveler, culturologist Konstantin Petrovich Kovalev;
- politician, dissident, human rights activist Sergei Adamovich Kovalev.
