Ethiopians use patronyms (those fancy words I learned in anthropology class are finally getting some use).  Here, if a man’s name is Berhanu Getachew, his given name is Berhanu and his father’s given name is Getachew.  There is no family name that stays the same through the generations.

If a woman’s name is Genet Danye, that tells you that her name is Genet and her father’s name is Danye.  If Berhanu Getachew and Genet Danye get married and have children, their children’s second name will be Berhanu.  Women don’t change their second name when they marry.

When you add an honorific like Ato (Mr.) or Waziro (Mrs.), you use it with the person’s given name: Ato Berhanu and Waziro Genet.  In our school, many Western teachers try to keep things consistent by going with the Ethiopian honorific system – hence I am Ms. Lorna, not Ms. MacIver.

The patronym thing can be a little confusing for new arrivals filling out their first round of paperwork.  Instead of “first name” and “last name” or “surname”, official forms ask for “name” and “father’s name.”  It seems like an odd question until you learn that they are just asking for your second name.  I’m getting very good at paperwork now.  There has certainly been plenty of opportunity to practice.