The name "Balytsia" is an ancient Slavic male name, which contains the diminutive suffix "-ytsia." The semantics of the root of this name is disputed. There are several versions of its origin:1. It may have originated from Serbian names "Bala" or "Bala," which are hypocorisms of full binomial names such as "Bratoslav." These names have been known in Serbia since the 14th century.2. It is also likely that the root could be the Bulgarian name "Bala," which, according to S. Ilchev, is related to the Slavic adjective "white." This is also associated with such Wallachian names as "Balyo," "Balan," "Balin," "Balos."3. D. Bohdan, relying on F. Miklošič, believes that the Slavic names "Balytsia" and "Balymir" can be found with the meaning of "sorcerer, wizard."The earliest mentions of the name "Balytsia" from Ukrainian lands are documented in written records from the 14th-15th centuries. For example:- In 1320, "Balcza vajda" is mentioned in Máramaros.- In 1403, "Pan Balytsia Mudryka" is recorded in the city of Suceava.- In 1404, "Balytsia voevoda… built a church" is noted in the city of Sighet.- In 1434, there is a record "below the dam of Balytsia."The oldest surnames derived from the root "Bal-" are also recorded in Transcarpathia, Prykarpattia, and Bukovina. These include "Bale-ha," "Baleta," "Baletsky," "Baliy," "Balota," "Balukh," "Balush," "Balyo," "Baliuk," and others.There are also ancient Ukrainian toponyms starting with "Bal-," such as "Balashivtsi," "Balihorod," "Balintsi," "Balychi," "Balkivtsi," "Balkove," "Balutyanka," "Balkove," and "Baluchin."Since the diminutive suffix "-ytsia" was most productive in creating Slavic male names in the southern Slavs, it can be considered that the name "Balytsia" came to the Ukrainians from this territory.
