Dobrynia is an ancient East and South Slavic male personal name formed using the suffix -nya, similar to names like Hordynya, Dragynya, and others. This name has roots from two-base abbreviated names such as Dobrogost, Dobrozhyzn, Dobronih, and others.In historical records, the name Dobrynia appears among the Eastern Slavs from the 10th century and is still in use today. For example, in the years 969–1018, Dobrynіa, son of Malko Lyubchanin, brother of Malusha, and uncle of Prince Volodymyr Sviatoslavych, is mentioned as a boyar in Kyiv. In 1186, Dobrynіa Sudislavich, a bogatyr in Prince Igor's army, is referenced. In 1219, there is mention of Dobrynіa as a boyar of Galician Mstyslav Mstyslavich.In the 13th century, a "young man Dobrynіa" is mentioned in Halych, presumably a hired laborer serving a boyar who captured the Hungarian warlord Filya. The patronymic from this name, in the form of the name of a servant Dobrynіny, was found on the wall of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.Over the following centuries, the name Dobrynіa was mentioned several times in Belarus and Northern Russia. For instance, in 1567, Dobrynіa Petrovič is recorded. In 1464, a reference with a designation “Old Russian” is made by N. Petrovsky, while M. Demchuk mentions the patronymic Dobrynіn in 1666.The name Dobrynіa is also reflected in the Carpathian toponym of the 15th century — Dubrynichi. This patronymic creation could have originated only in the Boyko dialect of the Perechyn district, stemming from the pluralistic toponym Dobrynichi through the phenomenon of "ukanie."
