Names

Naming or renaming your adopted children is always a lively topic. Ethiopian names can be difficult to pronounce, spell, remember, but most hold special meanings. Some families have chosen names before the adoption because they are old family names or they love the particular name. Others wait until referral to see if they can accept their child's given name as a first name. Many will keep the given name but replace it to the middle. Most will not keep the given name as the first name. It is a personal decision and there's no right or wrong about it. But I don't think you need to worry if the name is unique, hard, or unusual since it seems like unusual is what's popular these days and it's getting harder to stay unique as names can catch on throughout the population fast (probably won't happen with most Ethiopian names, so if you really want to be different, keep your child's "unusual" name).

We kept one child's name and shortened the other two's. We did not retain last and middle names for good but personal reasons. We love their names and the important people in their lives will not have trouble remembering or pronouncing them. And if you make fun of them at school, I think Tsega will beat you up ;).

Bereket. His name means 'blessing'. We gave him Abraham as his middle name, named after a special Ethiopian relative.


Sira. His given name was Yeabsira (Yob(rhymes with job)-sear-uh) and means 'God's work'. Please don't call him Sarah, it's Seeeeeer-uh. His middle name is now Teagan just because I love that name (it's Irish meaning 'little poet').



Tsega. His given name was Yeabtsega (Yob-say-guh) and means 'God's grace'. His middle name, after we changed it again, is now Addis. Addis means, as all you Ethiopian adopters know, 'new'.