Name «Nekhai»

The name "Nekhai" may be derived from the dialectical verb "khayaty," which means "to slander or criticize without justification," combined with the negation prefix "ne-." The earliest records of this name can be found in written documents from the 16th century. For example, in 1568, "Nekhai Andreev son Foteiev" is mentioned, and in 1626, "Ivan Nekhai" is recorded. There are also instances of naming Cossacks in 1649 as "Khayi," as well as the Cossack of the Poltava regiment "Ihnat Nekhaiko" and the Cossack of the Cherkasy regiment "Ivan Nekhais’ky."