Black Ghetto Baby Names | Ebony

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  Black Ghetto Baby Names is a website celebrating the paradoxically concurrent history and novelty found in African American names. We will discuss everything having to do with the names, and look forward to having you with us on all or part of our adventure.

Ebony

Tonight at Black Ghetto Baby Names, we will talk about a beautiful name that resonates with our dark-skinned people: Ebony.

Ebony is a name often given to girls, particularly those of African-American descent. It became most popular in the 1980s and early 1990s, and was one of the 500 most popular names during that time.

There are two possible origins for the name. Some argue that it is English in origin and means “deep, black wood,” like the ebony tree. Some disagree, maintaining that the name is actually Egyptian in origin, and is derived from the word hbnj, which means “black.“Three varieties of spelling are popularly offered for this name. They include: Ebony, Ebonee, Eboni. Another, similar name, Ebonique, is held to be derived from the same source and equivalent in meaning. Other, less common, spellings include Ebbony, Ebone, Eboney, and Ebonni.

Of particular interest to the readership of Black Ghetto Baby Names, the popular news show 20/20 recently did a survey regarding the “whiteness” or “blackness” of a name and how that name related to a person’s employment prospects. In this project, they created 22 pairs of resumes and sent these to job employers. One resume in each pair was attributed to the owner of a “white” name, while the other was attributed to the owner of a “black” name. One of the 22 “black” names used by the surveyors was Ebony.

Each resume was exactly the same except for the jobseeker‘s name. In every instance, recruiters selected the “white” sounding name to download 17 percent more often than “black” sounding names. What significance does this have for black parents preparing to name their child? It might be important to evaluate the reasons for selecting a name. Shakespeare once declared, “What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would sound as sweet. . . .” Apparently, not all prospective employers share this view. Parents need to weigh both the benefits and the potential drawbacks of the names that they give their children.

I am feeling bittersweet now at the face of a beautiful name and the ugly consequences for the wonderful child that carries it. Ebony is a fine name, and I hope and sincerely believe that it will be no detriment for our children in the future days over the next hill. Good night, and don’t forget to look at our list of popular black African American names to continue this journey through culture with us at Black Ghetto Baby Names.
DeShawn.

If you found this post interesting, I hope you’ll check out our list of popular black names for similar posts on other historically black names.

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