Discover Beautiful African American Names

A military man (Latin).

Living; generous; form of Zeus, chief of the Olympian gods (Greek). Name found among enslaved black men in eighteenth-century New England.

Little warrior (Old French).

No meaning available

Variation of “Cameron”

“Bright” (Latin origin, commonly used in African American communities)

Form of Calvin: Bald one (Late Latin).

Arabic origin, meaning “helper”

No meaning available

Place name—capital city of England and the United Kingdom.

No meaning available

“Spear ruler” (English origin)

Male form of Kimberley: From the royal fortress meadow (Old English).

Master (Arabic, North Africa).

“Wise protector” (German origin)

Courageous; valiant, warlike one (Irish).

“God’s protection” (German origin)

No meaning available

No meaning available

Form of Earl: Nobleman, chief (Old English).

Son of Gray (Irish; Scottish).

Form of Dion or Dennis, forms of Dionysos: God of wine and revelry (Greek).

Heard by God; hearing; one who hears (Hebrew; New Testament).

Blend of two names such as Vaughn (small one—Old Welsh) and Pedro (Italian and Spanish form of Peter: Rock or stone—Latin, New Testament).

Blend of two names such as Alvin (friend of all; noble friend—Old German) and Ester (star—Hebrew; Persian [Farsi], Iran).

James spelled backward

No meaning available

No meaning available

Form of Salaam: Peace (Swahili, East Africa; Senegal).

Beautiful open country (English); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

English form of Griffith: Fierce chief or fierce lord, red-haired; ruddy one (Old Welsh).

“Warlike” (Spanish origin, modern American adaptation)

Form of Joshua: God is my salvation (Hebrew).

Form of Leroy: King; person given the title of king for his royal bearing or for the part played in a religious pageant (French).

Form of Dawud, the Arabic form of David: Beloved one (dah-WUUD—Arabic, North Africa; Hebrew; Old Testament—king of Israel).

“Leaves” (Malawian origin)

Lion-hearted, brave as a lion (Old Franco-German; Old High German).

The king likes me (ah-bah-FEH-mee—Yoruba, Nigeria).

Created name from African-American culture, a form of Lamont: Law man (Scottish, from the Old Norse); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Unique African American name

Hebrew origin, meaning “God is my strength”

Form of Charles: Strong, manly (Latin; Old German).

“Mountain” (modern American origin)

Possessor of dates; date merchant; date trader (Arabic).

If pronounced "gy-an," form of Gyantwaka: By what one plants, the planter (gy-an-twak-ah—Iroquois, Native North American).

Created name from African-American culture.

Blend of “Da” and “Quan”

“Brave lion” (German origin)

Meaning and origin unknown.

Form of Erik: Ever powerful; ever ruler (Old Norse).

Combination of “La” and “Shawn”

Handsome, cheerful, harmonious one (French; Irish Gaelic).

Form of Sean, the Irish form of John: God is gracious (Hebrew; New Testament).

Blend of “Trey” and “-on”

Meaning unknown (Amharic, Ethiopia); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Form of Lawrence: From the place of the laurel tree; laurel-crowned one (English; Latin).

No meaning available

Leathermaker (English; German); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Kind, affectionate one (Old Norse; Scandinavian).

No meaning available

“Gray” (Welsh origin)

English origin, meaning “settlement of field”

Masculine form of Marie, the French form of Mary, the English form of the Latin Maria (New Testament), from the Hebrew Miryam: Sea of bitterness or sea of sorrow (Old Testament—sister of Moses and Aaron).

Form of Durant: The enduring one (English); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Form of John: God is gracious (Hebrew; New Testament).

From the willow farm (Dutch).

Blend of “Shi” and “Ron”

“Resolute protector” (German origin)

English form of Leroy: King; person given the title of king for his royal bearing or for the part played in a religious pageant (French).

“Fertile upland” (Welsh origin)

“Lover of horses” (Greek origin)

Scholar (Old French).

“By the ash tree” (English origin)

“He has heard” (Hebrew origin)

Form of Archibald: The truly bold; noble; sacred prince; genuine (Anglo-French; German).

The sun; throne (sy-rus—Old Persian).

Modern name variation, combining “De” with “Mario”

Variation of “Theron”

“God is gracious” (modern American origin)

No meaning available

Blend of two names such as Laurence (from the place of the laurel tree; laurel-crowned one—English, Latin; place name—small town in Italy) and Maurice (Moorish; dark-complexioned one—Late Latin).

“Bright army” (German origin)

Created name from African-American culture.

Word name—form of Boyce—English, Irish, and Scottish forms of bois: Wood, dweller by the wood (Old French); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Exalted father (Hebrew; Old Testament—Abraham’s name before God changed it). Name found among enslaved men in the South during the mid-nineteenth century.

Unique African American name

No meaning available

Spanish variation of “Ezekiel”

Of the cliff (African-American; English).

No meaning available

Scottish form of John: God is gracious (EE-an—New Testament; Hebrew).

Life is the first thing (n-doo-BWEE-see—Igbo or Ibo, Nigeria).

No meaning available

“Son of Japheth” (modern American origin)

“White” (English origin)

Form of Romanus: Man from Rome (French; Latin).

“Red-haired” (English origin)

Created name from African-American culture.

Form of Ezekiel: Strength of God; God will strengthen (Hebrew; Old Testament—prophet for whom a book in the Old Testament is named).

Form of Ace: Unity; first in luck or accomplishment (Latin).