Name «Krai»

The name "Krai" originates from the Old Slavic language and is a shortened form of more complex composite names such as Krai-mирь, Krai-sлавь, and others. The prepositional component of this name is associated with the word "край," meaning "border" or "end." The earliest Ukrainian records of this antroponym are documented in the so-called Moldavian charters, particularly from the city of Bîrlad, dated 1460. In these records, the lexeme "Krai" serves as an additional designation alongside a personal name, for example, pan Mykh Krai. In subsequent years, the name "Krai" is used only in combination with other personal names, such as in 1614 when a citizen named St. Krai from the city of Khust is mentioned, and in 1689 when a serf named Kraj Aleksza from the village of Hotyn in Romanian Marmaros is referenced.