Kowalski
Kowalski is the second most common surname in Poland. Kowalski surname is derived from the word kowal, meaning "Blacksmith|smith".
"Jan Kowalski" is used as a placeholder name in Poland to mean "John Smith", much as "Joe Bloggs" or "John Doe" is used in English-speaking countries.
Notable people
- Alexander Kowalski, Polish ice hockey player killed in the Katyn massacre
- Aleksander Kowalski, Polish Nordic combined skier
- Alexander Kowalski , German DJ, electronic music artist
- Alfred Kowalski, Polish painter
- Annette Kowalski, American producer, business partner of Bob Ross
- Bernard Louis Kowalski, American director
- Bronisława Kowalska, Polish politician
- Chana Kowalska, Polish Jewish painter and journalist
- Craig Kowalski, American ice hockey player
- Daniel Kowalski, Australian Olympic swimmer
- Faustyna Kowalska, Polish Catholic saint, nun and mystic
- Frank Kowalski, American US Army soldier and United States Representative
- Gary A. Kowalski, American author
- Gerry Kowalsky, Canadian car salesman
- Grzegorz Kowalski
- James Kowalski, United States Air Force Lieutenant General, Commander of Air Force Global Strike Command Barksdale AFB
- Janusz Kowalski , Polish cyclist
- Jerzy Kowalski
- Jochen Kowalski, German singer
- John Kowalski, American soccer coach
- Józef Kowalski, Polish supercentenarian and second-to-last Polish-Soviet war veteran
- Józef Kowalski, Polish Roman Catholic priest killed at Auschwitz, beatified
- Józef Wierusz-Kowalski, Polish physicist and diplomat
- Kasia Kowalska, Polish pop rock singer and songwriter
- Katarzyna Kowalska, Polish long distance runner
- Kazimierz Kowalski, Polish singer
- Ken Kowalski, Canadian politician
- Kerstin Kowalski, German rower
- Ludwik Kowalski, Polish-American nuclear physicist and professor emeritus
- Łukasz Kowalski, Polish footballer
- Manja Kowalski, German rower
- Lech Kowalski, American film director
- Maria Kowalska, Polish alpine skier
- Marian Albertovich Kowalski, Polish astronomer
- Myron Kowalsky, Canadian politician
- Natalia Kowalska, Polish racing driver
- Natalia Kowalska, Polish chess master
- Piotr Kowalski, French-Polish artist
- Richard Kowalski, American astronomer
- Robert Kowalski, British logician
- Sharon Kowalski, subject of groundbreaking disability and LGBT legal rights case
- Tadeusz Kowalski, Polish orientalist, expert on Middle East Muslim culture and languages
- Thomas Schmidt-Kowalski, German composer
- Wacław Kowalski, Polish actor
- William Kowalski, American author
- Wladek Kowalski , Polish-Canadian professional wrestler, trainer
- Władysław Kowalski , Polish trade union activist, writer and politician
- Zbigniew Kowalski, Polish mathematician
- Zbigniew S. Kowalski, Polish mathematician
- Yelizaveta Kovalskaya, Russian revolutionary
- Stanisław Kowalski, Polish supercentenarian masters athlete.
Fictional characters
- Kowalski, character in the 1991 parody film Hot Shots!, played by Kristy Swanson
- Kowalski, main character in the 1971 film Vanishing Point, played by Barry Newman
- Kowalski, character in the PlayStation 2 game Syphon Filter 2
- Kowalski, character in Madagascar and the TV series The Penguins of Madagascar
- Mr Kowalski, original owner of Kowalski's, Rosie Duncan's florist store in the novel Fairytale of New York
- Mrs. Kowalski, Miriam Margolyes' character in the film How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
- Kowalski, supporting character in The Ren & Stimpy Show
- Benjamin "Ben" Kowalski in the comic series Templar, Arizona
- Major Charles Kawalsky, a character in the science fiction movie Stargate and subsequent television series Stargate SG-1
- Dick Kowalsky, character in the French animated series Funky Cops
- Felix Kawalski, character in the British television series EastEnders
- Jacob Kowalski, Dan Fogler's character in the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
- Joe Kowalski, character in SIGMA Force book series by author James Rollins
- Kitty Kowalski, Lex Luthor's companion in 2006 film Superman Returns, played by Parker Posey
- Leon Kowalski, character in the 1982 film Blade Runner played by Brion James
- Matt Kowalsky, George Clooney's character in the movie Gravity
- Peter "Petey" Kowalski in the video game Bully
- Private Kowalski, character in the video game Fallout: New Vegas
- Roch Kowalski, character in Sienkiewicz's novel With Fire and Sword
- Roxanne Kowalski, Daryl Hannah's character in Roxanne, the 1987 remake of Cyrano de Bergerac with Steve Martin
- Seaman Kowalski, crewman assigned aboard the submarine SSRN Seaview, on the 1964–68 TV series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, played by Del Monroe
- Sergei Kowalski, the titular character in the Spaghetti Western The Mercenary, played by Franco Nero.
- Sgt. Kowalski, character in Raising Arizona
- Sgt. Kowalski, character in video game Call of Duty 3
- Sophie Kowalski, Marion Cotillard's character in the 2005 French film Jeux d'Enfants, also known by its English title, Love Me If You Dare
- Stanley and Stella Kowalski, characters in the Pulitzer Prize–winning play by Tennessee Williams and 1951 film, A Streetcar Named Desire
- Detective Stanley Kowalski, character in the 1994–1999 television series Due South
- Steve Kowalski, character in the 2007 film Devil's Diary
- Viktor Kowalski, member of the OAS in The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
- Walt Kowalski, protagonist of the 2008 film Gran Torino played by Clint Eastwood
- Meryl Lee Kowalski, character in the Gary D. Schmidt book ''The Wednesday Wars''
Other uses
- Kowalski's Markets, supermarket chain