Name «Denko»

The name Denko undoubtedly has Slavic origins. The earliest Ukrainian mention of this name is embedded in the name of the village of V. Lazy, located in Uzhhorod region, specifically in a Latin record from 1362: Dhenk de Laaz (Nagy I 323). Part of this Ukrainian village, which is near Uzhhorod, is still referred to by the locals as Dinkovtsi, and the local Hungarians have called it Denglaz since 1403 (Dazhe Och 249).Therefore, as F. Ulychny believes, the founder or owner of this village in the early 14th century was a nobleman named Denko, from whom the name derived. In the Tiachiv region, specifically in the villages of Vonyhovo and Ternovo, serfs named Denko are also mentioned in 1530 (Belay 212, 216).The name Denko is also mentioned during that time in Poland: "Johannes et Denko fratres dicti de Bruseuich" (SSNO 1/3 408). There is also a record from 1500 that attests to the patronymic Denkovich in Krakow: "people... Feodor Denkovich" (SSUM I 293). The name Denko is still preserved today by Croats and Serbs, who associate it with ancient Slavic full names such as Dejana, Desimir, Mladen, Naiden, Radan, Radanek, etc. (Śim 407; Hrk 75).In Serbia, during the 14th century, the patronymic Djenkovic is mentioned, which derives from the name Denko (Hrk Rech 75). In Bulgaria, the shortened name Denyo, which comes from Denko, is common, and they associate this name with the full name Mladen (Ilchev 161).