Gebre

Gebre is a male given name common in Ethiopia and Eritrea, arising from Amharic and Tigrinya languages. It means “servant” or “slave” and is often used as the first element of compound names, literally indicating “servant of” the following word. In Ge’ez script, it is written ገብሬ.

In Ethiopian and Eritrean naming traditions, Gebre typically appears as the first element in a compound name meaning “servant of” followed by a religious or virtuous word; it can also be a standalone given name. It is not a formal family surname in traditional usage, though in diaspora communities or Western records it may be listed as a surname, which can lead to misinterpretation of genealogical relationships.

Spelling and transliteration vary, with Gebre sometimes spelled Gebri or Gebro in Latin script, depending on language and transliteration conventions. The name is widely recognized in literature and everyday usage within Ethiopian and Eritrean communities and appears in various historical and contemporary contexts as part of longer compound names.