Kovalchuk (Ukrainian and Russian: Ковальчук), Kavalchuk (Belarusian: Кавальчук), Kowalczuk (Polish), Covalciuc (Moldovan/Romanian), also transliterated as Kowalchuk (in the North American diaspora), is a common East Slavic surname (one of the most popular in Ukraine).^[1] The Kovalchuk name extends back to before 1500 AD in Kievan Rus.^{[citation needed]}

Koval (Коваль) literally translates as forge or blacksmith. The suffix -chuk denoted either a son of, or an apprentice to a blacksmith. It is somewhat similar in commonality to English surname Smith. It is also cognate with very popular Polish surnames Kowalczyk and Kowalski.

In East Slavic languages, the correct pronunciation is ko-vahl-CHOOK. Among Ukrainian Canadians, the pronunciation ko-WAL-chuk is more common.^{[citation needed]}

People

Kovalchuk

• Andrey Kovalchuk (born 1959), Russian sculptor
• Andriy Kovalchuk (born 1972), Ukrainian general
• Anna Kovalchuk (born 1977), Russian actress
• Boris Kovalchuk (born 1977), Russian official, son of Yury Kovalchuk
• Ekaterina Kovalchuk (born 1990), Belarusian footballer
• Ilya Kovalchuk (born 1983), Russian ice hockey player
• Kyrylo Kovalchuk (born 1986), Ukrainian footballer
• Mikhail Kovalchuk (born 1946), Russian physicist and politician
• Oleksii Kovalchuk (born 1989), Ukrainian poker player
• Olga Kovalchuk (born 1976), Ukrainian Paralympic sport shooter
• Petro Kovalchuk (born 1984), Ukrainian footballer
• Sergey Petrovich Kovalchuk (born 1973), Belarusian footballer
• Tatiana Kovalchuk (born 1979), Ukrainian tennis player
• Victoria Kovalchuk (1954–2021), Ukrainian artist
• Yury Kovalchuk (born 1951), Russian businessman and financier

Kavalchuk

• Aksana Kavalchuk (born 1979), Belarusian volleyball player
• Maksim Kavalchuk (born 2000), Belarusian footballer
• Syarhey Kavalchuk (born 1978), Belarusian footballer

Kowalczuk

• Aleksandra Kowalczuk (born 1996), Polish taekwondo practitioner
• Chris Kowalczuk (born 1985), Canadian football player
• Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk (born 1967), German historian and author
• Jadwiga Kowalczuk (1931–1998), Polish athlete

Other

• Ed Kowalchuk (1926–2003), Canadian politician
• John Russell Kowalchuk (1921–2000), Canadian politician
• Serghei Covalciuc (born 1982), Moldovan-Ukrainian footballer