Kawas

The word Kawas comes from the Arabic word phonetically spelled Qowaas. (In Syria, where Kawas is a common name, the Q is often dropped in pronunciation leaving the name, "Ohwess.") Kawas comes from the Arabic verb meaning to shoot an arrow from a bow. An English equivalent, therefore, would be "Archer."

"Kawas" then took on many related meanings: a fighter, a person who smuggled Christians from Turkey into Syria during the 19th century, and a guard to a Catholic/Christian Bishop.

There a number of towns named Kawas. One of these is in Turkey. Another is in Afghanistan. Today, people with the Kawas surname live in all parts of the world.