Habesha names (Eritreans and Ethiopians) 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, children are given a name at birth, by which the name they will be known. To differentiate from others in the same generation with the same name, people will give their father's first name. In the West, this is often confused for a surname (family name), but unlike a surname, it is not passed on to the next generation as a "second name". This may continue ad infinitum.
In marriage, unlike in some Western countries, women does not change their name. This would seem obvious, as the second name is not a surname, but it is frequently misunderstood in the West.
In the example above, the progenitors, Senai and Feiven, may be differentiated from others in their generation by their father's name. For example, Senai and Feiven have fathers with first names Abraham and Tewolde respectively. They are the father and mother of a daughter and a son who are each married.
The son and daughter each had a child. The first who had a child would name their child Ammanuel. The next sibling to have a child would give their child a different first name. It is against the customs to name a child after a living family member. Ammanuel and his cousin would each get their fathers first name for their last.
In the diaspora, this method is sometimes dropped in favor of adopting the grandfather's name (father's "last name") as a surname, while, in many cases, the father's first name becomes the child's middle name.
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