Habesha name

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Habesha names are constructed in a fashion similar to Arabic name convention. In this convention there are no family names. Instead one is known through their lineage. Traditionally this is done paternally however, legislation has been passed in Eritrea that allows for this to be done on the maternal side as well.

In this convention a child is given a name at birth and this is the name they will be known by. To differentiate from others in the same generation with the same name a person will give his father's first name. In the West this is often confused for a surname (family name), however, unlike a surname, it is not passed on to the next generation as a "second name". This may continue ad naseum.

In marriage, unlike in the West the woman does not change her name. This would seem obvious, as the second name is not a surname, however, it is frequently misunderstood.

In the example above, the progenitors, Senai and Feiven, are the father and mother of a daughter, and son who are each married. Each may be differentiated from others in their generation by his father's name, Abraham and Tewolde respectively. Each child had a child also named Ammanuel, so to differentiate they would use their father's name.

This naming convention is often confused in the Diaspora. Due to the low level of English with most initial Eritrean refugees, few were able to maintain their traditions.