Name «Shoka»

The name 'Shoka' originates from the Ukrainian word 'shchoka', which means 'part of the face' (Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language, vol. XI, p. 604). This name is a result of the phonetic transformation of the name 'Shchoka', as in languages that spontaneously avoid the consonant cluster /shch/, the sounds /sh/ or /ch/ replace the given cluster. For example, 'sho' changes from 'what', and 'chuka' from 'shchuka', and so on. The earliest recorded instance of the name 'Shoka' dates back to 1462: 'Shoka s'cheliedu' - in the city of Suceava (Dictionary of Old Ukrainian Language, vol. II, p. 561).