Ivan Borkovský was born on 8 September 1897 at Chortovec near Horodenka, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria but lies in modern West Ukraine.[1][2] He was born to a poor Ukrainian noble family and was named Ivan Borkovskyj-Dunin.[2][1] Borkovský attended grammar school at Stanislavov between 1909 and 1913 and afterwards studied to become a teacher.[2]