Name «Bozhko»

The name Bozhko is a common Slavic name that is masculine and formed with the suffix -ko. It originates from two-element names such as Bohdan, Bohuslav, Bohutek, or Bozhy dar, as well as from their shortened forms like Bozh, Bozha, or Bozho. In the Middle Ages, the name Bozhko was used by almost all Slavs, and among Serbs, it has even been codified as a modern official variant of the name Boško. The earliest records of the name Bozhko associated with Ukrainians date back to the 12th century. For example, in 1214, the name dominus Bozk is mentioned in the comitat of Silard, and there is also the record Bozk portato ferro. In 1570, the anthroponym Boska appears in the Transcarpathian village of Trochnik, while other records from the neighboring Maramureș region also use the form Boska. In 1689, the name Boska Grigorie is recorded from the village of Valea Porcului, and in 1649, a Cossack named Bozhko Borovyi is mentioned in the Poltava regiment. The same year, three other Cossacks with surnames related to this name are mentioned in the Kaniv, Kyiv, and Myrhorod regiments: Ivan Bozhko and the Cossack of the Kyiv regiment Ilko Bozhchenko. It is also worth noting the patronymic Bozhkowięta from the 16th century and the surname Bozhko, which is used in many regions of Ukraine today.