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According to the Wiktionary article listed below, the IPA pronunciation of Gocha is: /ɡɔtʃɑ/
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%83%92%E1%83%9D%E1%83%A9%E1%83%90 (in English) [noted -ed]
1
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%83%92%E1%83%9D%E1%83%A9%E1%83%90 (in English) [noted -ed]
1
In Georgian literature, Gocha is the name of the main character of the 1884 novel ხევისბერი გოჩა (Khevisberi Gocha) written by the Georgian author Aleksandre Qazbegi (1848–1893).
- https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%AE%E1%83%94%E1%83%95%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1%E1%83%91%E1%83%94%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98_%E1%83%92%E1%83%9D%E1%83%A9%E1%83%90 (in Georgian; this is about the novel)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Kazbegi (in English)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khevisberi (in English)
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%83%AE%E1%83%94%E1%83%95%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1%E1%83%91%E1%83%94%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98 (in English)
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- https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%AE%E1%83%94%E1%83%95%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1%E1%83%91%E1%83%94%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98_%E1%83%92%E1%83%9D%E1%83%A9%E1%83%90 (in Georgian; this is about the novel)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Kazbegi (in English)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khevisberi (in English)
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%83%AE%E1%83%94%E1%83%95%E1%83%98%E1%83%A1%E1%83%91%E1%83%94%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98 (in English)
2
The available Georgian sources state that the name is indeed dialectal in origin. However, the meaning is not the same across all Georgian dialects.
In some dialects, it means ბერიკაცი (berikatsi) or ბერიკაცს (berikatss). These words are not translated by Google Translate, but fortunately, there is still Wiktionary. The former is a noun that means "old man", which should ultimately be derived from ბერი (beri), which literally means "monk" but is also used to signify "old man" in at least some cases:
- berikatsi: https://ka.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%83%91%E1%83%94%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98%E1%83%99%E1%83%90%E1%83%AA%E1%83%98 (in Georgian; also check out the Russian version)
- see the entry for 'berikatsi' in this 19th-century Georgian-Russian dictionary: http://meskhi.net/lexicon/ (in Georgian and Russian)
- beri: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%83%91%E1%83%94%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98 (in English)
- see the entry for 'beri' in the same 19th-century Georgian-Russian dictionary: http://meskhi.net/lexicon/ (in Georgian and Russian)
- see the entry for the given name Bera: https://web.archive.org/web/20140725074417/http://name.interes.ge/dreams.php?action=search&by=%E1%83%91&nr_page=2 (in Georgian; the entry's own page unfortunately was not archived)
- see the entry for Bera: http://www.geogen.ge/ge/msearch/4305/ (in Georgian; this website copied the complete entry of the prior link)
With that said, the meaning of "old man" seems correct, as one of the Georgian sources mentions that Gocha is analogous to the Greek name Γερόντιος (Gerontios) and the Persian name پیران (Piran). This also indicates that the Georgian dialectal word at the root of this particular meaning for Gocha, might ultimately be a borrowing from one of the Turkic languages in the Caucasus region. Possibly Azerbaijani, because that language has the word 'qoca', which can mean both "old" (adjective) and "old man" (noun). Also compare Turkish 'koca', which primarily means "husband" but can also be used to signify "old man" in at least some cases:
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/qoca#Azerbaijani (in English)
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/koca#Turkish (in English)
In other Georgian dialects, Gocha means პატარას (pataras), which is the dative of the adjective პატარა (patara) meaning "little, small" as well as "young" (sometimes in reference to a child):
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%83%9E%E1%83%90%E1%83%A2%E1%83%90%E1%83%A0%E1%83%90 (in English)
- https://ka.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%83%9E%E1%83%90%E1%83%A2%E1%83%90%E1%83%A0%E1%83%90 (in Georgian)
In summary: the two possible meanings for the name are basically the opposite of each other, even though "little, small" can technically be used in reference to the elderly as well (think of things like "little old lady"). This is understandable when one of the meanings might possibly be of (distant) Turkic origin.
Lastly, here are the sources for the name Gocha:
- http://kids.ge/baby-name?id=364 (in Georgian)
- see the entry for Gocha: https://web.archive.org/web/20140726004647/http://name.interes.ge/dreams.php?action=search&by=%E1%83%92&nr_page=2 (in Georgian; the entry's own page unfortunately was not archived)
- see the entry for Gocha: http://www.geogen.ge/ge/msearch/4306/ (in Georgian; this website copied the complete entry of the prior link)
- https://web.archive.org/web/20130122113737/http://www.open.ge/art/Georgian_names.htm (in English; see the entry for Gotsha)
- https://imya.com/name/23724 (in Russian)
2
In some dialects, it means ბერიკაცი (berikatsi) or ბერიკაცს (berikatss). These words are not translated by Google Translate, but fortunately, there is still Wiktionary. The former is a noun that means "old man", which should ultimately be derived from ბერი (beri), which literally means "monk" but is also used to signify "old man" in at least some cases:
- berikatsi: https://ka.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%83%91%E1%83%94%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98%E1%83%99%E1%83%90%E1%83%AA%E1%83%98 (in Georgian; also check out the Russian version)
- see the entry for 'berikatsi' in this 19th-century Georgian-Russian dictionary: http://meskhi.net/lexicon/ (in Georgian and Russian)
- beri: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%83%91%E1%83%94%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98 (in English)
- see the entry for 'beri' in the same 19th-century Georgian-Russian dictionary: http://meskhi.net/lexicon/ (in Georgian and Russian)
- see the entry for the given name Bera: https://web.archive.org/web/20140725074417/http://name.interes.ge/dreams.php?action=search&by=%E1%83%91&nr_page=2 (in Georgian; the entry's own page unfortunately was not archived)
- see the entry for Bera: http://www.geogen.ge/ge/msearch/4305/ (in Georgian; this website copied the complete entry of the prior link)
With that said, the meaning of "old man" seems correct, as one of the Georgian sources mentions that Gocha is analogous to the Greek name Γερόντιος (Gerontios) and the Persian name پیران (Piran). This also indicates that the Georgian dialectal word at the root of this particular meaning for Gocha, might ultimately be a borrowing from one of the Turkic languages in the Caucasus region. Possibly Azerbaijani, because that language has the word 'qoca', which can mean both "old" (adjective) and "old man" (noun). Also compare Turkish 'koca', which primarily means "husband" but can also be used to signify "old man" in at least some cases:
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/qoca#Azerbaijani (in English)
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/koca#Turkish (in English)
In other Georgian dialects, Gocha means პატარას (pataras), which is the dative of the adjective პატარა (patara) meaning "little, small" as well as "young" (sometimes in reference to a child):
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%83%9E%E1%83%90%E1%83%A2%E1%83%90%E1%83%A0%E1%83%90 (in English)
- https://ka.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%83%9E%E1%83%90%E1%83%A2%E1%83%90%E1%83%A0%E1%83%90 (in Georgian)
In summary: the two possible meanings for the name are basically the opposite of each other, even though "little, small" can technically be used in reference to the elderly as well (think of things like "little old lady"). This is understandable when one of the meanings might possibly be of (distant) Turkic origin.
Lastly, here are the sources for the name Gocha:
- http://kids.ge/baby-name?id=364 (in Georgian)
- see the entry for Gocha: https://web.archive.org/web/20140726004647/http://name.interes.ge/dreams.php?action=search&by=%E1%83%92&nr_page=2 (in Georgian; the entry's own page unfortunately was not archived)
- see the entry for Gocha: http://www.geogen.ge/ge/msearch/4306/ (in Georgian; this website copied the complete entry of the prior link)
- https://web.archive.org/web/20130122113737/http://www.open.ge/art/Georgian_names.htm (in English; see the entry for Gotsha)
- https://imya.com/name/23724 (in Russian)
2
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Sources: https://www.names.org/n/gocha/about
https://forebears.io/x/forenames/gocha