Popular black names by gender
Filed Under Uncategorized |For today’s entry in Black Ghetto Baby Names, I would like to start a compendium of classically African American names, girl and boy. Each name’s link connects to an in-depth discussion on the name.
| WOMEN | MEN |
|---|---|
| ImaniA name that traveled the Arabian peninsula to reach us. | DeShawA name born of Scotland and black ingenuity. |
| EbonyDiscussion of a beautiful, thorny name. | DeAndreA black name rooted in Ancient Greece. |
| ShaniceAn original of African America. | MarquisA name’s travel from France to the diaspora. |
| AaliyahTragic black name from under the Arab sun. | DarnellA truly black name, from the gray British Isles. |
| PreciousA name for the beloved. | TerrellInherited from the slave masters, and made ours. |
| NiaDiaspirated from the Indian subcontinent. | MalikArab royalty, black loyalty, and a strong military leader. |
| DejaOubliette of a name for the unforgotten. | TrevonMashup from the british isles. |
| DiamondA most precious gem. | TyroneFrom a long line of lords. |
| AsiaFrom the ancient continent. | WillieA classic name of Black America. |
| AliyahAnother spelling of Aaliyah. | DominiqueAn Italian name, tracing back to the Caesars. |
| JadaNamed of the precious green stone. | DemetriusA religious scholar. |
| TierraCreature of the Earth. | ReginaldA black name, a king of the British. |
| TiaraNamed for a beautiful, bejeweled crown. | JamalArabic for “handsome.” |
| KiaraA mysterious name from the east. | MauriceFrom the warm south of France to the black diaspora. |
| JazmineNamed after Jasmine: a fragrant persian plant. | JalenA strong male name of unknown origins. |
| JasminAnother spelling of Jasmine. | DariusPowerful ancient Persian emperor. |
| JazminAnother spelling of Jasmine. | XavierAn old basque name, an intellectual. |
| JasmineThe original spelling of Jasmine. | TerranceA distinguished name from Europe |
| AlexusDescended from the Ancient Greek ruler. | AndreA french name descended from the ancient Greeks. |
| RavenFor the mysterious and intelligent bird. | DarrylAn old house from France and the British Isles. |
And thus concludes the list. How many of these would you consider “Black ghetto baby names”? For me, I don’t associate any of them with such a heinous title. In fact, immediately upon reading the list I was struck by the creativity and ingenuity of the minds that created these names. While usually our people are struck down in public for a lack of intellectualism, our ability to crunch the English language into meanings and syllables not previously imagined is I think unparalleled.
At the same time, and I will get into this in a future post, we must observe the fact that, from a vocational perspective, it’s dangerous for our children to go out into the job market with names like “Jamal”, “Tyrone”, and “Malik”. Studies have shown that of two men with identical resumes, one with a distinctive African American name and one without, the “Tyrone” of the pair will be eliminated. So when you’re naming your kids during this wonderful season of your life, I applaud your desire to seek a name that celebrates our culture. However, also please keep in mind that the child has to live with this name forever, for good or for ill.
This is the word from Black Ghetto Baby Names for this evening. Stay safe and curious as each wave of life passes you, coasts towards the horizon.
EDIT:
Some of my readers have questioned whether these names are actually “African American names.” The names in the list were the most frequently used mens and womens names among African Americans in the, I believe, 2000 US Census. From the standpoint of usage, this surely makes them “African American” names. However, my readers raised the reasonable point that these names have much longer histories than African America. This exact observation is the point of the site =). I hope you enjoy it.
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10 Responses to “Popular black names by gender”
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Hy, my name is Luken from Zimbabwe would like to share my name with the rest of the world at the time i am looking for a unique african american names for my unborn babies boy and girl.
if u have any suggetsions for my unborn babies pliz do pass them to me.
so I guess my children do not have black names. my sons are nicholas and cory?
so I guess my children do not have black names. my sons are nicholas and cory? pardon me
OK FOR ONE WHY ARE THE NAMES LABLED black ghetto nameS????? BECAUSE THE NAMES ARE COMMON REULAR NAMES.
OK FOR ONE WHY ARE THE NAMES LABLED black ghetto nameS????? BECAUSE THE NAMES ARE COMMON REGULAR NAMES.
Hi, my name is Oshiba but i don’t exactly known what it means i’m confused because i would like to known the meaning of my name and it’s orgin if you could help me out that would be very helpful
Thank you
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Ok…DeShaw you are an idiot. Those are not Black Ghetto Names…those are names that have been linked to African-Americans…just another method of profiling. The names you have chosen above with the exception of Jamal, Malik, Darius and Aliyah are Euro-centric names. And for the record, I know a few white Maurices. Having said that we have been dooped into not loving anything about ourselves especially our African-ness (i know that is not a word). Everyone in the world wants to be black, look, walk, speak slang, dance and dress like black folk except us…this website serves no purpose other than to continue “the whiter the righter” theory we base our existance on.
Luken my suggestion to you would be to find a beautiful African name with a sound meaning for your babies, best wishes.
Peace to all.