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{{short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{more citations needed|date=October 2013}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2013}}
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The '''naming convention used in Eritrea and Ethiopia''' does not have [[family name]]s and typically consists of an individual personal name and a separate [[patronymic]].<ref name=SBS>{{cite web|last=Evason|first=Nina|url=https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/ethiopian-culture/ethiopian-culture-naming#ethiopian-culture-naming|title=Ethiopian Culture > Naming|publisher=[[Special Broadcasting Service]]|place=[[Artarmon, New South Wales]]|access-date=2023-11-25}}</ref><ref name="Eritrea" /> This is similar to [[Arabic name|Arabic]], [[Icelandic name|Icelandic]], and [[Somali name|Somali]] naming conventions. Traditionally for Ethiopians and Eritreans the lineage is traced paternally; legislation has been passed in Eritrea that allows for this to be done on the maternal side as well.
{{Short description|Naming customs of Ethiopia and Eritrea}}
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The '''naming convention used in Eritrea and Ethiopia''' does not have [[family name]]s and typically consists of an individual personal name and a separate [[patronymic]]. This is similar to [[Arabic name|Arabic]], [[Icelandic name|Icelandic]], and [[Somali name|Somali]] naming conventions. Traditionally for Ethiopians and Eritreans the lineage is traced paternally; 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 name they will be known.<ref name=Eritrea>{{cite book|last=Tesfagiorgis G.|first=Mussie|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f0R7iHoaykoC&q=Eritrean+patronymics&pg=PA236|title=Eritrea|year=2010|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, California|isbn=978-1-59884-231-9|pages=236}}</ref> To differentiate from others in the same generation with the same name, their father's first name and sometimes grandfather's first name is added. This may continue ''ad infinitum''.<ref name=bay>{{cite book|last=Spencer|first=John H|title=Ethiopia at bay : a personal account of the Haile Selassie years|year=2006|publisher=Tsehai|location=Hollywood, CA|isbn=1-59907-000-6|pages=26|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w5q7NV-vSPwC&q=Ethiopian+Patronymics&pg=PA26}}</ref> Outside Ethiopia, this is often mistaken for a [[surname]] or [[middle name]] but unlike [[Europe]]an names, different generations do not have the same second or third names.<ref name=Hadiya>{{cite web|last=Helebo|first=Fikru|title=Ethiopian Naming System|url=http://www.enset.org/2007/03/ethiopian-naming-system.html|access-date=9 January 2013}}</ref>
In this convention, children are given a name at birth, by which name they will be known.<ref name=Eritrea>{{cite book|last=Tesfagiorgis G.|first=Mussie|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f0R7iHoaykoC&q=Eritrean+patronymics&pg=PA236|title=Eritrea|year=2010|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, California|isbn=978-1-59884-231-9|pages=236}}</ref> To differentiate from others in the same generation with the same name, their father's first name and sometimes grandfather's first name is added. This may continue ''ad infinitum''.<ref name=bay>{{cite book|last=Spencer|first=John H|title=Ethiopia at bay : a personal account of the Haile Selassie years|year=2006|publisher=Tsehai|location=Hollywood, CA|isbn=1-59907-000-6|pages=26|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w5q7NV-vSPwC&q=Ethiopian+Patronymics&pg=PA26}}</ref> Outside Ethiopia, this is often mistaken for a [[surname]] or [[middle name]] but unlike [[Europe]]an names, different generations do not have the same second or third names.<ref name=Hadiya>{{cite web|last=Helebo|first=Fikru|title=Ethiopian Naming System|url=http://www.enset.org/2007/03/ethiopian-naming-system.html|access-date=9 January 2013}}</ref>


In marriage, unlike in some Western societies, women do not change their maiden name, as the second name is not a surname.
In marriage, unlike in some Western societies, women do not change their maiden name, as the second name is not a surname.<ref name=SBS/>


[[File:Eritrean family 2.png|left|frame|Example Eritrean family tree explained below. Blue: male; red: female.]]
[[File:Eritrean family 2.png|left|frame|Example Eritrean family tree explained below. Blue: male; red: female.]]
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In the example above, the progenitors, ''Feiven'' and ''Senai'', may be differentiated from others in their generation by their father's name. In this example, Feiven's and Senai's fathers' first names are ''Tewolde'' and ''Abraham'' respectively.
In the example above, the progenitors, ''Feiven'' and ''Senai'', may be differentiated from others in their generation by their father's name. In this example, Feiven's and Senai's fathers' first names are ''Tewolde'' and ''Abraham'' respectively.


Feiven and Senai have a daughter and a son, each of whom is married and has a child. The first to have a child (a son) is their daughter, Yordanos Senai; she and her husband name the boy ''Ammanuel''. The next sibling to have a child is Yordanos' brother, Zerezghi Senai; this child is also a son. As it is against custom to name a child after a living family member, his parents give him a different first name than his cousin: ''Afwerki''.
Feiven and Senai have a daughter and a son, each of whom is married and has a child. The first to have a child (a son) is their daughter, Yordanos Senai; she and her husband name the boy ''Ammanuel''. The next sibling to have a child is Yordanos' brother, Zerezghi Senai; this child is also a son, named ''Afwerki''.
Ammanuel and Afwerki would each get their father's first name for their last.
Ammanuel and Afwerki would each get their father's first name for their last.


In contemporary post-independence Eritrea, a person's legal name consists of their given name, followed by the given name of one of the parents (equivalent to a "middle name" in Western naming conventions) then the given name of grandparent (equivalent to a "last name" in Western naming conventions). In modern Ethiopia, a person's legal name includes both the father and the individual's given names, so that the father's given name becomes the child's "last name", there is no middle name. In Ethiopian and traditionally in Eritrea, the naming conventions follow the father's line of descent while certain exemptions can be made in Eritrea in which the family may choose to use the mother's line of descent. Usually in both countries the grandparent's name of the person is omitted in a similar way to how the middle name is omitted in [[Personal name#Naming conventions|Western naming conventions]] excluding important legal documents. Some peoples in the diaspora, use the above-mentioned conventions but omit the father's given name/the person's traditional "last name" and proceed to use the grandfather's name as the person's "last name" in accordance with Western conventions while retaining the portions of the patronymic conventions. On the other hand, other peoples in the diaspora, will not give their children traditional last names but would adopt the grandfather's given name (the father's "middle name" or "last name" depending on the previous naming convention used) as the last name of the child.<ref>{{cite book|title=Eritrea|last=Tesfagiorgis|first=Mussie G.|date=October 29, 2010|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1598842319|page=236}}</ref><ref name=Hadiya/>
In contemporary post-independence Eritrea, a person's legal name consists of his or her given name, followed by the given name of one of the parents (written name position equivalent to a "middle name" in Western naming conventions) then the given name of a grandparent (position equivalent to a "last name" in Western naming conventions). In modern Ethiopia, a person's legal name includes both the father and the individual's given names, so that the father's given name becomes the child's "last name", there is no actual middle name. In Ethiopia, and traditionally in Eritrea, the naming conventions follow the father's line of descent while certain exemptions can be made in Eritrea in which the family may choose to use the mother's line of descent. Usually in both countries the grandparent's name of the person is omitted in a similar way to how the middle name is omitted in [[Personal name#Naming conventions|Western naming conventions]] excluding important legal documents.
Ethiopians and Eritreans in the diaspora who have to legally adopt Western naming conventions usually convert their father's or grandfather's given name into an official last name or surname, with the ones who choose their grandfather's name additionally repurposing their father's name as an official middle name.<ref>{{cite book|title=Eritrea|last=Tesfagiorgis|first=Mussie G.|date=October 29, 2010|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1598842319|page=236}}</ref><ref name="Hadiya" />


== See also ==
== See also ==
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{{Names in world cultures}}
{{Names in world cultures}}


[[Category:Names by culture|Ethiopia and Eritrea]]
[[Category:Names by country|Ethiopia and Eritrea]]
[[Category:Eritrean culture|Naming]]
[[Category:Culture of Eritrea|Naming]]
[[Category:Ethiopian culture|Naming]]
[[Category:Culture of Ethiopia|Naming]]

Latest revision as of 02:18, 16 July 2024

The naming convention used in Eritrea and Ethiopia does not have family names and typically consists of an individual personal name and a separate patronymic.[1][2] This is similar to Arabic, Icelandic, and Somali naming conventions. Traditionally for Ethiopians and Eritreans the lineage is traced paternally; 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 name they will be known.[2] To differentiate from others in the same generation with the same name, their father's first name and sometimes grandfather's first name is added. This may continue ad infinitum.[3] Outside Ethiopia, this is often mistaken for a surname or middle name but unlike European names, different generations do not have the same second or third names.[4]

In marriage, unlike in some Western societies, women do not change their maiden name, as the second name is not a surname.[1]

Example Eritrean family tree explained below. Blue: male; red: female.

In the example above, the progenitors, Feiven and Senai, may be differentiated from others in their generation by their father's name. In this example, Feiven's and Senai's fathers' first names are Tewolde and Abraham respectively.

Feiven and Senai have a daughter and a son, each of whom is married and has a child. The first to have a child (a son) is their daughter, Yordanos Senai; she and her husband name the boy Ammanuel. The next sibling to have a child is Yordanos' brother, Zerezghi Senai; this child is also a son, named Afwerki. Ammanuel and Afwerki would each get their father's first name for their last.

In contemporary post-independence Eritrea, a person's legal name consists of his or her given name, followed by the given name of one of the parents (written name position equivalent to a "middle name" in Western naming conventions) then the given name of a grandparent (position equivalent to a "last name" in Western naming conventions). In modern Ethiopia, a person's legal name includes both the father and the individual's given names, so that the father's given name becomes the child's "last name", there is no actual middle name. In Ethiopia, and traditionally in Eritrea, the naming conventions follow the father's line of descent while certain exemptions can be made in Eritrea in which the family may choose to use the mother's line of descent. Usually in both countries the grandparent's name of the person is omitted in a similar way to how the middle name is omitted in Western naming conventions excluding important legal documents.

Ethiopians and Eritreans in the diaspora who have to legally adopt Western naming conventions usually convert their father's or grandfather's given name into an official last name or surname, with the ones who choose their grandfather's name additionally repurposing their father's name as an official middle name.[5][4]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Evason, Nina. "Ethiopian Culture > Naming". Artarmon, New South Wales: Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  2. ^ a b Tesfagiorgis G., Mussie (2010). Eritrea. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 236. ISBN 978-1-59884-231-9.
  3. ^ Spencer, John H (2006). Ethiopia at bay : a personal account of the Haile Selassie years. Hollywood, CA: Tsehai. p. 26. ISBN 1-59907-000-6.
  4. ^ a b Helebo, Fikru. "Ethiopian Naming System". Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  5. ^ Tesfagiorgis, Mussie G. (October 29, 2010). Eritrea. ABC-CLIO. p. 236. ISBN 978-1598842319.
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