African-American names

African-American names are an important part of African-American tradition. Many Black Americans use names that are popular in wider American culture, but there are also some special naming traditions that come from African-American culture.

These names often have deep meanings and tell stories about family history, heritage, and personal identity. They show how African-American families honor their roots and express their values through the names they give their children.

Understanding these names helps us appreciate the rich cultural background of African-American communities and the ways in which names can carry history and hope for the future.

History

Further information: Slave name

During the time when enslaved people were held in the United States, they were not given their own names. The people who owned them gave them new names that showed off their knowledge of stories and myths. These names came from old stories and included names like Chloe and Homer.

As time went on, new naming traditions grew among African-American families. By the 1960s, during a time of great change for equal rights, many African-American families started choosing names that were special to their culture. This showed a strong sense of identity and pride.

Influences and conventions

African-American names often follow American naming rules but have unique styles. Many names are invented or have creative spellings of traditional names. Some names use parts like "La-" or "De-" at the start and end with names like "-ique" or "-isha". Punctuation like apostrophes and dashes are sometimes used, but not often.

French names such as Monique, Chantal, André, and Antoine became popular among African Americans during the 1950s and 1960s. These names are often spelled in new ways, like Antwan, Antwaun, or Antwon.

During the 1970s, many African Americans chose names that sounded African or were inspired by African culture. Names like Ashanti have real African origins. The book and TV series Roots helped popularize names such as Kizzy. New names were created by mixing parts of popular names, like adding "La" or "Da" to the front or using endings like "-ique".

Islamic names like Aisha and Aaliyah became common, especially after famous people such as Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar chose them. These names are now used by many African Americans, regardless of religion.

Some African Americans choose names from African languages or concepts. For example, Nas, whose real name is Olu Dara, has a name from the Yoruba language. Singer Ashanti was named after the Ashanti Empire in Ghana.

Even with creative names, many African Americans still use biblical or European names such as Daniel, Christopher, Michael, David, James, Joseph, and Matthew.

Workplace discrimination

Some studies show that people with traditionally black names might have a harder time getting job interviews or jobs. Research from the early 2020s found that applicants with these names were about 2.1% less likely to get a callback after a job interview. Other studies from places like the University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley looked at over 83,000 job applications and found that about 7% of jobs showed bias against traditionally black names. This means people with these names were less likely to be called back for jobs.