Kovalyov (), often written as Kovalev, or its feminine variant Kovalyova, Kovaleva (), is a common Russian surname, an equivalent of the English surname
Smithson (derived from the
Ukrainian word koval' (), which means "
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
"). Due to the ambiguous status of the
Cyrillic letter
The Cyrillic script ( ) is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Easter ...
''
yo'', the surname may be written with the Cyrillic letter ''
ye'' (/) instead, though literate Russian speakers always pronounce it ''yo''.
Notable people with the surname include:
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Aleksandr Sergeyevich Kovalyov (b. 1982), Russian footballer
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Aleksandr Vladimirovich Kovalyov (b. 1975), Russian sprint canoer
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Alexei Kovalev
Alexei Vyacheslavovich Kovalev ( rus, Алексей Вячеславович Ковалёв, , ɐlʲɪkˈsʲej vʲɪtɕɪˈslavəvʲɪtɕ kəvɐˈlʲɵf; born February 24, 1973) is a Russian professional ice hockey coach, executive and former pr ...
(born 1973), Russian professional ice hockey player
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Anton Kovalyov (born 1992), Ukrainian-born Canadian chess grandmaster
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Gennady Kovalev (born 1983), Russian boxer
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Gennady Kovalev (biathlete) (1945–2024), Soviet-Russian biathlete
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Mikhail Kovalyov (1897–1967), Soviet military leader
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Nikolay Kovalyov (politician) (1949–2019), Russian politician, Chair of the State Duma's Veterans' Committee, former head of the Federal Security Service (FSB)
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Nikolay Kovalev (fencer) (born 1986), Russian sabre fencer
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Oleksii Kovalov (1989–2022), Ukrainian politician
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Pasha Kovalev
Pavel "Pasha" Kovalev (; born 19 January 1980) is a Russian professional Latin and ballroom dancer.
Kovalev started dancing at the age of eight, and in 2000, moved to the United States with his professional dance partner Anya Garnis. In 2007, t ...
(born 1980), Russian professional Latin and ballroom dancer
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Praskovia Kovalyova-Zhemchugova, Russian serf actress and opera singer
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Sergey Kovalev (born 1983), Russian boxer
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Sergei Kovalev
Sergei Adamovich Kovalyov (also spelled Sergey Kovalev; ; 2 March 1930 – 9 August 2021) was a Russian human rights activist and politician. During the Soviet period he was a dissident and, after 1975, a political prisoner.
Early career and ...
(1930–2021), Russian human rights activist and politician, first Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation (1994–95)
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Sergei Nikitich Kovalev (Petrograd, August 15, 1919 – St. Petersburg, February 24, 2011), Russian designer of the U.S.S.R. nuclear submarine
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Valentin Kovalyov (born 1944), Russian politician
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Valery Kovalev (1970–2021), Russian entrepreneur, philanthropist and Wikipedian
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Vladimir Kovalyov
Vladimir Nikolayevich Kovalyov (; born 2 February 1953) is a retired Soviet-Russian figure skater who competed internationally for the USSR. He is an Olympic silver medalist and two-time World champion. He trained at VSS Trud in Moscow.
Career
K ...
(born 1953), Soviet figure skater
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Vladislav Kovalev
Vladislav Vladimirovich Kovalev (; born 6 January 1994) is a Belarusian chess player who holds the FIDE title of Grandmaster. He was Belarusian Chess Champion in 2016.
Chess career
Born in 1994, Kovalev won the Belarusian Junior Chess Champi ...
(born 1994), Belarusian chess grandmaster
In fiction:
:Major Kovalyov, protagonist of
Nicolai Gogol's ''
The Nose''
{{surname
Surnames of Ukrainian origin
Russian-language surnames