Zhadan is an ancient Ukrainian personal name in the form of an uninflected participle. Like model names such as Bazhan, Khoten, and Chekan, it derives from the verb "zhadaty," which means "to desire, to want, to demand, to yearn, to wish someone something." In ancient times, this name was given to a child when the parents greatly desired or even asked God to bless them with children.The earliest written mentions of the name originate from the upper Tisza basin. Specifically, in 1420, a serf named Sadan (pronounced: Zhadan) from the Szatmár county is mentioned, and in 1427 there is a record of Zadań relating to the villages of Sanislo and Chenger. Additionally, the toponym Sadan villa (modern Hungarian Zsadany) is noted as a settlement in the neighboring Szatmár county along the Tisza River as early as 1220.In the 16th century, the name is recorded across various regions of Ukraine. For instance, in 1552, a resident from Khmelnytskyi named Zhadan is documented. In the 1649 Register of the Zaporozhian Army, among 40 thousand Cossacks, there were already 159 individuals named Zhadan. Notable figures included Zhadan Kryvohyzha from Pereiaslav, Zhadan Kapkantsyk from Uman, and Zhadan Mordasienko from Bratslav, among others.Similarly, in 1649, Cossacks from other regiments were mentioned: Zhadan Moskalenko from the Chygryn regiment, Zhadan Kozachenko from the Bilocherkiv regiment, Zhadan Plaksienko from the Myrhorod regiment, Zhadan Tatarynchenko from the Poltava regiment, Zhadan Bohodushenko from the Korsun regiment, Zhadan Hutorok from the Bratslav regiment, and Zhadan Khustienko from the Kalnytsky regiment.In the second half of the 17th century, the name Zhadan is confirmed several times in the Kharkiv census. For example, Zhadan Mykhailenko, Zhadan Ivanenko, and Zhadan Kurhan. Written sources from the 17th century also testify to patronymic formations, such as the Cossacks of the Kaniv regiment Tymko and Khoma Zhadanenko, as well as the Cossacks of the Uman regiment Semu Zhadanenko.
