Amharic & Ethiopian names
51 names from the Amharic & Ethiopian naming tradition, each with its meaning, origin, pronunciation and how it is seen around the world.
- AbebaGirlThe Amharic word for "flower", used as a given name.
- AbebeBoyFrom an Amharic verb for a plant coming into bloom: "he flourished".
- AberaBoyFrom an Amharic verb for giving off light: "he shone".
- AberashGirlFrom the same Amharic root as Abera, describing something shining or giving off light.
- AlemayehuUnisexAn Amharic sentence-name: "I have seen the world".
- AlemuBoyFrom Amharic "world" with a possessive ending, read as "his world".
- ArayaBoyIn Tigrinya, Araya describes someone exemplary, a person worth taking as a model.
- Ayana (Amharic & Ethiopian)BoyAn Ethiopian boy's name whose exact root has not been firmly settled, tentatively traced to either Amharic or Oromo.
- AyeleBoyFrom an Amharic verb for becoming strong or gaining the upper hand: "he prevailed".
- BekeleBoyFrom an Amharic verb for a plant sprouting or coming into growth: "he flourished".
- BereketBoyAmharic for good fortune or blessing (bereket), built on a Semitic root shared with Arabic's own word for blessing.
- BerhaneUnisexAmharic for "my light," from birhan, "light," with a first-person possessive ending.
- BerhanuBoyAmharic for "his light," from birhan, "light," with a third-person possessive ending.
- DawitBoyThe Amharic spelling of the biblical King David, from Hebrew Dawid, traditionally read as "beloved."
- DejenBoyAmharic for something that props others up, close in sense to "support" or "foundation."
- DestaUnisexAmharic for "joy" or "happiness."
- ErmiasBoyThe Amharic form of the biblical prophet Jeremiah, from Hebrew Yirmeyahu.
- EskenderBoyThe Amharic form of Alexander, from Greek Alexandros: alexein "to defend" + andros "of man."
- EteneshGirlFrom Amharic, literally "you are my sister."
- EyobBoyThe Amharic and Tigrinya form of the biblical Job, from Hebrew Iyyov, whose root meaning is uncertain.
- GirmaBoyFrom Amharic ግርማ (girma), "majesty" or "splendour."
- HaileBoyFrom the Ge'ez root ኀይል (hayl), "power" or "strength."
- HailuBoyFrom the same Ge'ez root as Haile, ኀይል (hayl) "power," with a possessive ending: "his strength."
- HaregewoinGirlFrom Amharic, a compound of ሓረገ (harege), "vine" or "branch," and ወይን (woyn), "grape" or "wine": "vine of grapes."
- HenokBoyThe Tigrinya and Amharic spelling of the biblical Enoch, from Hebrew חֲנוֹךְ (Ḥanokh), "dedicated" or "initiated".
- HiwotGirlFrom Amharic ህይወት (hiwot), "life."
- JemalBoyThe Amharic form of Arabic Jamal (جمال), "beauty."
- KassaUnisexFrom an Amharic word for repaying a debt or making up for a loss.
- KebedeBoyFrom an Amharic verb meaning to grow weighty or important, so "he became dignified".
- KidistGirlFrom the Ge'ez word for "holy" or "saintly", in its feminine form.
- KonjitGirlFrom the everyday Amharic word for "beautiful", turned into a girl's name.
- LishanUnisexGiven by name references as "prize" or "award" in Amharic; the spelling also echoes the Semitic word for "tongue…
- LulitGirlBuilt on the Amharic word for "pearl".
- MakonnenBoyFrom the Amharic word for a high official or commander.
- MeklitGirlFrom the Ge'ez word for a natural gift or ability, "talent".
- SebleGirlFrom Amharic ሰብል (sebl), "crop, harvest."
- SelamawitGirlFrom Amharic ሰላም (selam), "peace," with a feminine ending.
- SisayBoyFrom Amharic ሲሳይ (sisay), the portion or fortune given to a person in life.
- TadesseBoyFrom the Amharic verb ታደሰ (tadesse), "he was renewed, restored."
- TafariBoyPossibly from an Amharic root for being feared or held in awe, so roughly "one who commands respect."
- TamratBoyFrom Ge'ez ተአምር (te'amr), "miracle," in its Amharic plural form, "miracles."
- TarikuBoyFrom Amharic ታሪክ (tarik), "history, story," with a possessive ending, "his."
- TesfayeBoyFrom Amharic ተስፋ (tesfa), "hope," with a possessive ending, giving roughly "my hope."
- TewodrosBoyThe Amharic form of Theodore, from Greek roots meaning "gift of god".
- WorknehBoyAmharic for "you are gold", built on warq, "gold", with a suffix addressing a baby boy.
- WorkneshGirlAmharic for "you are gold", the feminine counterpart of Workneh, addressed to a baby girl.
- YaredBoyFrom Hebrew Yered, understood as "descent", carried in Ethiopia as the name of a revered sixth-century saint.
- YewubdarGirlAmharic for "beautiful without limit", from wub, "beautiful", and dar, "edge, horizon or shore".
- YishakBoyThe Amharic form of the biblical Isaac, from Hebrew Yitzchak, "he laughs" or "he will laugh".
- YohannesBoyThe Amharic form of John, from Hebrew Yochanan, "God has been gracious".
- YonasBoyThe Tigrinya and Amharic spelling of the biblical Jonah, from Hebrew יוֹנָה (Yonah), "dove".