Name «Ochkan»

The name 'Ochkan' is a Ukrainian personal name of nickname type, given to a person due to their large eyes. Today, the word 'Ochkan' and its form 'Ochkani' are used as a surname in the Khust region and in the Halychyna Boykivshchyna (source: Chu Prizv. 421). An ancient phonetic variant of this surname is 'Vuchkan' (source: Chu Prizv. 128). In Poland, the lexeme 'Oczko' has existed in this role since the 15th century. For example, in 1498, 'Iohannes Oczko' is mentioned (source: SSNO VII 169). In Bulgaria, the base name with the same etymology 'Oko' is used as a term of endearment with the instruction: "to protect a child as one's own eye" (source: Ilchiev 367).