Habesha name

Habesha name

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 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 nauseam".

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", may be differentiated from others in their generation by his and her father's name. For ex. "Senai" and "Feiven" have fathers with first names "Abraham" and "Tewolde" respectively. They are the father and mother of a daughter, and 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 costom 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.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Habesha people — ethnic group group=Habesha poptime=varies depending on definition; high of 80,000,000 (all Ethiopians and Eritreans), low of 31,363,300 (all Amharas and Tigray Tigrinyas) popplace= (Strict definition) Ethiopia: 29,300,000cite… …   Wikipedia

  • Name — For other uses, see Name (disambiguation). Ceremonies, such as baptism, can be used to give names. A name is a word or term used for identification. Names can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a …   Wikipedia

  • Family name — Last name redirects here. For the song, see Last Name. Family name Frankenstein, an example of compound German family names which were typical for Jews (New Jewish Cemetery, Prague) A family name (in Western contexts often referred to as a last… …   Wikipedia

  • List of country name etymologies — This list covers English language country names with their etymologies. Some of these include notes on indigenous names and their etymologies. Countries in italics no longer exist as sovereign political entities.Aflag|Afghanistan::From Afghan and …   Wikipedia

  • Chinese name — Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore John Paul Smith… …   Wikipedia

  • Arabic name — The tughra (stylized signature) of Mahmud II of the Ottoman Empire. Influenced by Arabic culture, Ottoman rulers had stylized their names in the Arabic way, as depicted in this signature. Long ago, Arabic names were based on a long naming system; …   Wikipedia

  • Japanese name — Yamada Tarō (山田太郎), a stereotypical Japanese name (male), equivalent to John Smith in English. Jane Smith would be Yamada Hanako (山田花子). Japanese names ( …   Wikipedia

  • Personal name — A personal name is the proper name identifying an individual person, and today usually comprises a given name bestowed at birth or at a young age plus a surname. It is nearly universal for a human to have a name; except in rare cases, for example …   Wikipedia

  • Given name — A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name… …   Wikipedia

  • French name — This article describes the conventions for using people s names in France, including the norms of custom and practice, as well as the legal aspects. Contents 1 Styles and forms of address 1.1 Madame, Mademoiselle, Monsieur 1.2 Military …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”