BIRE Origin of surname

BIRE, BIRU

This name is of Ethiopian origin. Bire is a personal name for both male and female. It is an Amharic expression, which means "silver" or "money". The new child is as precious as silver.

All the names of Ethiopian origin included in this database are personal names rather than family names. In Ethiopia Jewish families do not bear fixed hereditary family names. Most of the personal names in our database are words or expressions in either Amharic or Tigrinya, two Ethiopic languages. They are drawn from everyday life, from nature, from the Bible and local tradition, and from names of grandparents and ancestors. In many of the names, the name-givers (usually parents or grandparents) express their wishes for the new child’s happiness and success in the future. It is assumed that the original language of Beta Israel ("Ethiopian Jewry") was the Ethiopic Geez. The ancient religious texts of Beta Israel are mostly written in Geez. However, only Amharic is in common usage among Beta Israel today. After the aliya to Israel, resulting in changes in the traditional Jewish Ethiopian society, many personal names have become fixed hereditary family names.