Eritrean Name Generator
Tigrinya and lowland names in true patronymic order
Eritrean given names and full names in the country's own pattern of a given name plus the father's name: Tigrinya names like Tesfay, Habtom, Selam and Luwam, biblical forms like Yohannes and Ruta, Muslim names like Idris and Halima, and full names such as Awet Goitom Tesfay.
About Eritrean names
An Eritrean name has no family surname. A person carries a given name, then the father's given name, and on official papers often the grandfather's too. In Awet Goitom Tesfay, Awet is the person, Goitom the father and Tesfay the grandfather. Awet's children will carry Awet as their second name, and a woman keeps her own names when she marries. What a form calls a last name is simply the father's first name.
In the Tigrinya-speaking highlands most names are Christian and say something. Tesfay is my hope, Berhane my light, Selam peace, Hiwet life, Awet victory and Natsnet freedom. Many are compounds that join a word to God, Mary or a saint: Ghebre- (servant of), Tekle- (plant of), Wolde- (son of) and, for women, Lete-, as in Ghebremariam, Teklehaimanot and Letemariam. Biblical names keep their Ge'ez shapes, such as Yohannes, Yosief and Ruta. Eritrean forms and spellings also differ from the Amharic ones common in Ethiopia: Ghebre- for Gebre-, Tesfay for Tesfaye, Hiwet for Hiwot.
In the lowlands and on the coast the Tigre, Saho, Afar and Rashaida communities, and many Bilen, use Muslim names such as Idris, Osman, Saleh, Hamid, Halima and Zeineb. The 500 entries cover Tigrinya men's and women's names, biblical forms, Muslim men's and women's names, and two-part and three-part full names.
How to choose Eritrean names
- Build a full name from given names only: the person, the father, then the grandfather. Siblings share the second and third names, so a sister of Awet Goitom Tesfay also ends in Goitom Tesfay.
- Address a character by the first name. Calling Merhawi Teklemariam "Mr Teklemariam" points at his father, which is why Eritreans use the given name even in formal settings.
- Keep one tradition down the chain. A Christian given name normally follows Christian fathers' names, as in Senait Berhane Kidane, and a Muslim one follows Muslim names, as in Halima Saleh Osman.
- Pick by generation. Long compounds such as Ghebremedhin, Woldeselassie and Letebrhan suit grandparents, while Filmon, Merhawi, Winta and Betiel suit people born since the 1990s.
- For a diaspora character, remember that foreign registries usually freeze the father's or grandfather's name as a surname, which the children then inherit unchanged.
Frequently asked questions
Do Eritreans have last names?
Not in the family-name sense. The second name is the father's given name and the third is the grandfather's, so the names shift by one place in every generation and a wife does not take her husband's name. In Rahwa Habtom Berhe, Habtom is her father and Berhe her grandfather. Lists of Eritrean last names are really lists of men's given names used in second place.
What are common Tigrinya names?
For men, Tesfay, Berhane, Kidane, Yemane, Mebrahtu, Habtom and Goitom are heard everywhere, along with compounds like Ghebremariam and Teklehaimanot. For women, Selam, Senait, Luwam, Rahwa, Semhar, Freweini and Letemariam are typical. Biblical names such as Dawit, Petros and Ruta are shared by both Orthodox and Catholic families.
How do Eritrean names differ from Ethiopian names?
The naming system is the same, but the languages and the spellings differ. Eritrean lists are led by Tigrinya rather than Amharic or Oromo names, and they keep spellings that go back to the Italian period, such as Ghebre- with gh. Endings in -zghi, as in Tesfazghi, Teklezghi and Ogbazghi, and Muslim lowland names such as Hummed and Fatna also mark a list as Eritrean.
Are these the names of real people?
The given names are ones Eritreans carry, and the full names, such as Idris Osman Hamid, are chains of given names. No entry is meant to name a particular person, and we tried to avoid the names of public figures. Because the stock of names is shared by many families, a chain can still match a private person by chance.
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All 500 Eritrean names
A: 64 names
- Abdella
- Abdella Omar Beshir
- Abdella Salih
- Abdu
- Abdu Hussein Ahmed
- Abdulkadir
- Abdulkadir Hamid
- Abdurahman
- Abdurehim
- Abel Mesfun Seltene
- Abraha
- Abrehet
- Abrehet Ghebreselassie
- Abrehet Hagos Abraha
- Abubeker
- Adem
- Adem Saleh Abubeker
- Adhanet
- Adiam
- Adiam Ghebrezgabiher
- Adiam Okbay Russom
- Afewerki
- Ahmed
- Ahmed Idris Suleiman
- Ahmed Romodan
- Aisha
- Akberet
- Alamin
- Alamin Idris Jaber
- Alamin Suleiman
- Alemseged
- Alganesh
A, continued
- Aman Tekeste Bahta
- Amanuel
- Amanuel Habte Yebio
- Amanuel Kidanemariam
- Amina
- Amleset
- Amna
- Amna Omar Ismail
- Amna Saleh
- Andebrhan
- Andemariam
- Andom
- Anwar
- Anwar Siraj
- Araya
- Arefaine
- Ariam
- Aron
- Arsema
- Arsema Kiflemariam
- Arsema Petros Beyene
- Asghedom
- Asha
- Askalu
- Asmeret
- Asmerom
- Awet
- Awet Goitom Tesfay
- Awet Tesfazghi
- Awetash
- Aydahis
- Azmera
B: 20 names
- Bahta
- Bairu
- Bana
- Beraki
- Bereket Hagos Tuquabo
- Berekti
- Berhane
- Berhane Tesfaldet
- Berhe
- Beshir
- Beshir Ismail Romodan
- Betiel
- Betiel Menghis
- Betiel Yosief Negash
- Biniam
- Biniam Asmerom Tekie
- Biniam Tesfaldet
- Birikti
- Burhan
- Burhan Yassin
D: 13 names
- Danait
- Danait Meharena
- Danait Solomon Tsegay
- Daniel Russom Kesete
- Dawit
- Dawit Mehari Bairu
- Dawit Sibhatu
- Dawud
- Debesay
- Dehab
- Delina
- Desbele
- Dirar
E: 17 names
- Efrem
- Efrem Kiflom Desbele
- Elias Tekle Habtezion
- Elilta
- Elsa
- Elsa Tekeste Woldu
- Elsa Zemichael
- Elsabet
- Embaye
- Endrias
- Ermias
- Ermias Negash Teame
- Ermias Tekleab
- Estifanos
- Estifanos Hailom Naizghi
- Eyob Fessehatsion
- Eyob Tesfu Keleta
F: 27 names
- Fatma
- Fatna
- Fatna Hamid Ibrahim
- Fatna Osman
- Feruz
- Fessehatsion
- Fessehaye
- Filipos
- Filmawit
- Filmon
- Filmon Ghebrehiwet
- Filmon Yemane Ghebremariam
- Fithawit
- Fitsum
- Fitsum Araya
- Fitsum Ghirmay Habte
- Fitwi
- Fiyori
- Fiyori Naizghi
- Fiyori Zerai Mehari
- Fortuna
- Fozia
- Freweini
- Freweini Kifle Tekle
- Freweini Tesfatsion
- Futsum
- Futsum Beraki
G: 19 names
- Ghebreab
- Ghebrehiwet
- Ghebrekidan
- Ghebremariam
- Ghebremedhin
- Ghebremeskel
- Ghebremichael
- Ghebreselassie
- Ghebretinsae
- Ghebreyesus
- Ghebrezgabiher
- Ghebru
- Ghenet
- Ghide
- Ghirmay
- Ghirmay Tesfamichael
- Goitom
- Goitom Berhe
- Goitom Tesfay Berhe
H: 41 names
- Haben
- Habte
- Habteab
- Habtemariam
- Habtemichael
- Habtezion
- Habtom
- Habtom Mebrahtu Ghide
- Habtom Woldeselassie
- Hadas
- Hadgu
- Hadish
- Hagos
- Hailom
- Halima
- Halima Idris
- Halima Saleh Osman
- Hamed
- Hamid
- Hamid Kelifa
- Hamid Mahmoud Adem
- Hanfare
- Haregu
- Hassen
- Hassen Ali Hummed
- Hawa
- Hawa Abdella
- Hayat
- Henok
- Henok Berhane Dirar
- Henok Zerezghi
- Hermon
- Hidat
- Hiwet
- Hiwet Alemseged
- Hiwet Tesfu Araya
- Hiyab
- Hizkias
- Hummed
- Hussein
- Hussein Beshir
I: 12 names
- Ibrahim
- Ibrahim Ismail Salih
- Ibrahim Nurhussein
- Idris
- Idris Hummed
- Idris Osman Hamid
- Isaak
- Isaak Yemane Asghedom
- Isaias
- Ismail
- Ismail Adem
- Ismail Hamed Kelifa
J: 7 names
- Jaber
- Jelal
- Jemal
- Jemal Abdu
- Jemal Ibrahim Yassin
- Jemila
- Jemila Hussein Adem
K: 22 names
- Kahsay
- Kedija
- Kedija Ibrahim
- Keleta
- Kelifa
- Keltum
- Kesete
- Kesete Ghebru
- Khadija
- Khadija Mahmoud Saleh
- Kibrom
- Kibrom Ghebreab
- Kibrom Haile Tekle
- Kidane
- Kidane Okbamichael
- Kidanemariam
- Kidisti
- Kiflemariam
- Kiflom
- Kiflom Tekeste
- Kisanet
- Kokob
L: 17 names
- Leila
- Lemlem
- Lemlem Arefaine
- Lemlem Tewelde Habte
- Letay
- Letebrhan
- Letekidan
- Letemariam
- Letensea
- Leteyesus
- Letezghi
- Lidya
- Luchia
- Luula
- Luwam
- Luwam Habtemichael
- Luwam Yemane Tesfamariam
M: 45 names
- Mahmoud
- Mahmoud Idris
- Mahmoud Jemal Nur
- Mahta
- Makda
- Markos
- Marta
- Matewos
- Mebrahtom
- Mebrahtu
- Mebrahtu Hadgu
- Mebrat
- Medhanie
- Medhanie Asmerom
- Medhanie Kifle Araya
- Medhin
- Medina
- Meharena
- Mehari
- Mekki
- Menghis
- Mengisteab
- Menkerios
- Mensur
- Mensur Osman
- Merhawi
- Merhawi Berhane Woldu
- Merhawi Teklemariam
- Merhawit
- Meriem
- Meriem Abdella Nur
- Mesfun
- Michael Beyene Fitwi
- Mihret
- Mihreteab
- Mihreteab Negassi
- Milena
- Milena Yonas Tesfay
- Mohammed Nur
- Mohammed Said
- Mohammed Saleh
- Munira
- Mussa
- Mussie
- Mussie Tesfom Hadish
N: 23 names
- Nahom
- Nahom Ghebreyesus
- Nahom Solomon Ghebru
- Naizghi
- Natnael
- Natnael Woldemichael
- Natnael Yosief Welday
- Natsnet
- Natsnet Afewerki
- Natsnet Ghirmay Hagos
- Nazret
- Nebiat
- Nefisa
- Negassi
- Nejat
- Nejat Jemal
- Niat
- Nigisti
- Nur
- Nur Osman Taha
- Nura
- Nurhussein
- Nuria
O: 10 names
- Ogbazghi
- Okbamichael
- Okbay
- Okbay Teklezghi
- Omar
- Omar Abdella Hummed
- Omar Hamed
- Osman
- Osman Hamid Jaber
- Osman Jaber
P: 4 names
- Paulos
- Paulos Kidane Tesfazghi
- Petros
- Petros Haile Woldeab
R: 23 names
- Rahel
- Rahel Abraha Tesfom
- Rahel Yebio
- Rahma
- Rahwa
- Rahwa Habtom Berhe
- Rahwa Teklehaimanot
- Ramadan
- Redwan Mahmoud
- Ribka
- Rigbe
- Rishan
- Robel Mengisteab
- Robel Zerai Andom
- Rodas
- Romodan
- Rufael
- Rukia
- Russom
- Russom Kahsay
- Ruta
- Ruta Mesfun Kiflom
- Ruta Ogbazghi
S: 44 names
- Saadia
- Saadia Omar
- Saba Haile Kifle
- Said
- Said Hassen Dawud
- Saida
- Saleh
- Saleh Abubeker
- Saleh Ibrahim Omar
- Salih
- Samuel Ghebreab Shishay
- Saron
- Segen
- Selam
- Selam Tesfamariam
- Selam Tesfay Ghebremeskel
- Seltene
- Semere
- Semere Habtezion
- Semere Tewelde Sium
- Semhar
- Semhar Goitom Haile
- Semhar Woldeab
- Senait
- Senait Berhane Kidane
- Senait Ghebremichael
- Senay Habteab
- Senay Okbay Sengal
- Sengal
- Sesen
- Shewit
- Shishay
- Sibhatu
- Sidona
- Simon Woldu Embaye
- Simret
- Siraj
- Siraj Ibrahim
- Sium
- Snit
- Soliana
- Suad
- Suleiman
- Suleiman Mussa Hamid
T: 40 names
- Taha
- Tahir
- Teame
- Tedros Ghebru Menkerios
- Tekea
- Tekeste
- Tekie
- Teklay
- Tekleab
- Teklehaimanot
- Teklemariam
- Teklemichael
- Teklezghi
- Temesgen Abraha Negassi
- Tesfagabir
- Tesfagiorgis
- Tesfahiwet
- Tesfaldet
- Tesfalem Kidane Hagos
- Tesfamariam
- Tesfamichael
- Tesfatsion
- Tesfay
- Tesfay Ghebremedhin
- Tesfazghi
- Tesfom
- Tesfu
- Tewelde
- Tewelde Bahta
- Teweldemedhin
- Tiblets
- Tigisti
- Timnit
- Tirhas
- Tsega
- Tsehaye
- Tsehaye Embaye
- Tsehaytu
- Tsigereda
- Tuquabo
W: 12 names
- Wegahta
- Welday
- Weyni
- Winta
- Winta Ghebrekidan
- Winta Mebrahtu Woldemichael
- Wintana
- Woldeab
- Woldemariam
- Woldemichael
- Woldeselassie
- Woldu
Y: 24 names
- Yakob
- Yared Petros Kahsay
- Yassin
- Yassin Dawud
- Yebio
- Yemane
- Yemane Tesfagabir
- Yikealo
- Yikealo Hailom
- Yirgalem
- Yodit
- Yohana
- Yohannes
- Yohannes Berhe Ghebrehiwet
- Yonas
- Yonas Asghedom
- Yonas Tsegay Hadgu
- Yordanos
- Yordanos Asmerom Alem
- Yordanos Tesfom
- Yosief
- Younis
- Younis Adem Mahmoud
- Yusuf