Bova
A surname most likely descended from a medieval personal name or nickname, rather than from a clear occupation or place-name.
The #9,384 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 89,104 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Bova is usually explained as coming from a medieval given name or nickname, probably within an Italian setting, though the older philological literature also links it to a wider family of Germanic pet names such as Bovo, Bova, and related forms. In that older tradition, the name may ultimately connect with a root meaning something like “bull” or “ox,” but the exact path into surname use is not certain. Because the historical evidence is thin and the forms overlap with other names, the safest description is that it is an old personal-name surname of uncertain precise derivation.
History
Bova is found in Italian surname usage and also appears in broader European onomastic discussions because similar forms occur across Germanic and Romance naming traditions. In some cases it may reflect a shortened or altered personal name that later became hereditary. The surname is relatively uncommon in the United States, where it is most likely associated with Italian immigration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same old name-family that includes Bova also produced many pet-name forms in medieval Europe, showing how flexible personal names could be before surnames became fixed.
From the historical record
“by homage . . . and two crofla-bova' : Balnea' Hin. Lancaahire. ii. 541. Alice Priaoc, viidam, al Dalian, itiiK ; Lancaahire Wllla al Richmond, i. ait.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances