Ethiopians are universally addressed by their first name and the father's name takes the place of a surname. A woman does not change her name to that of her husband after marriage; her title simply changes from Woizerit (Miss) to Woizero (Mrs). Men's names are preceeded by Ato (Mr).

The newcomer to Ethiopia may be confused by the many varied spellings of personal names, places or objects. Due to the difficulty in transliterating the languages and dialects of Ethiopia into Roman lettering, the changes are subjective depending on the transliterator; for example, Mekelle, Makele, Makalle. Be indulgent towards all variations and use your imagination.