KACHUBEIV – KACHIBEIV – HAJIBEY … ODESA: THE ETHNIC HISTORY OF THE REGION, REFLECTED IN VARIANT NAMES OF THE CITY
Authors: Verbych Sviatoslav 
Published: December 2024

Introduction. The history of the modern oikonym Odesa dates back to the end of the 18th century. At that time, the coast of the Black Sea from the Southern Bug to the Dnieper became part of the Russian Empire after another Russo-Turkish war of 1787–1791. However, the history of this settlement is much older. One of its sources is the numerous variant names of this city recorded in various texts. A special study of these onyms makes it possible to find out important linguistic and historical information that is closely related to the corresponding ethnic picture in the specified region before 1794.
The aim of the study. The author carried out a structural-semantic and etymological analysis of the creative stems of the historical variants of the modern oikonym Odesa: Kachubeyiv, Kachybeyiv, Kochubiyiv, Hojabey, Adzhibey, Yeni Dunya, Hajibey, Odesa. The connection of the specified names with the corresponding stages of the ethnic history of the studied region is traced.
Object of study is historical variants of the modern oikonym Odesa: Kachubeyiv (Kaczubyeiow), Kachybeyiv (Caczibieow, Caczyebeyow), Kochubiyiv (Kochubiev), Hocabey (Hocabey, Hojabey), Adzhibey, Yeni Dunya (Yeni Dünya), Hajibey, Odessa.
Research methods. A descriptive method was used to analyze the specified historical variants of the oikonym Odesa (their word-forming structure was described); the comparative-historical method, employing which the creative foundations of the specified names are characterized in a diachronic aspect; reception of etymological analysis (the etymons of the corresponding oikonym variants are determined).
Research results. The author established that the earliest settlement on the site of modern Odessa was called Istrion ‹ *Istrian ‹ *Istrians (‹ gr. ’Истрιαноι) – ‘people from the shores of Istria or from Istria’. Later names of Odesa are documented in the Late Middle Ages and Modern Times and are associated with the Tatar-Turkish era in the Northern Black Sea region: Kachubeyiv / Kachybeyiv, Hajibey / Ajibey and Yeni Dunya. The name Kachubeyiv / Kachybeyiv is based on the name of the Tatar military leader Kachubey (Kochubey) / Kachybey (Kochybey), decorated with the possessive suffix -iv (‹ ев) under the influence of the corresponding East Slavic oikonyms. The change of the earlier oikonymous variants of Kachybey (Kochybey, Kodżybej) to Hajibey (in Russian sources – Hajibey) took place under the influence of two-basic anthroponyms common in Turkic nouns with the first component Haji- (Russian phonetic variant of Haji-) ‹ arab. Hāǆi ‘pilgrim’. The name Yeni Dunya (Yeni Dünya) is associated with the fortress that the Turks built on the site of a previous fortification. Translated from Turkish Yeni Dünya – New World. The modern name Odesa arose from the fashion for ancient Greek names in the Northern Black Sea during the reign of Catherine II, as a result of which the city was transferred to the ancient name Оδησσος. The last name is obviously related to the similar name of the former Greek colony Odyssos (Ordessos) near the Tyligul estuary.
Conclusions. On the basis of the historical-linguistic analysis of the variant names Kachubey (Kaczubyeiow), Kachybey (Caczibieow, Caczyebeyow), Kochubiyiv (Kochubiev), Hocabey (Hocabey, Hojabey), Adzhibey, Yeni Dunya (Yeni Dünya), Hajibey, Odesa, the history of this ancient settlement is traced, reflected in the corresponding oikonyms.