Discover Beautiful African American Names

“Holy” (Arabic origin)

Latheworker; woodworker (Latin; Middle English); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Form of Dorian: Name created by writer Oscar Wilde for his title character in The Portrait of Dorian Gray—thought to be influenced by inhabitants of Doris (Dorians), a mountainous region of Greece (English).

“Carter” (English origin)

Surname or family name given for a first or middle name: Calf (Irish).

Hebrew origin, meaning “field of God”

Variation of “Zion,” meaning “highest point”

Rocky hill (Old English); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Form of Muhammad: Worthy of praise; the Blessed (after the Prophet); thankful (Arabic, North Africa; Sudan; Swahili, East Africa).

Son of Arthur: Noble one; bear-man; brave as a bear (English; Irish; Scottish; Welsh); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Form of Zachariah: Jehovah has remembered (Hebrew; Old Testament).

Son of Lawrence: From the place of the laurel tree; laurel-crowned one (English; Latin); English or Scottish surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

First; first born (male or female—Swahili, East Africa).

French form of Julius: Youthful; downy-bearded one (Latin).

Variation of “Javonte,” a unique African American name

Great one (Anglo-French).

No meaning available

Modern variation of “Omar”

Son of Lans (Dutch); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

“God will uplift” (Hebrew origin)

No meaning available

Form of Ananiah: Jehovah has given (ah-nah-NI-ahs—New Testament; Hebrew).

Prosperous guardian (Old English).

“Crooked nose” (Scottish origin, widely adapted)

Form of Husain or Husayn, a form of Hasan or Hassan: Good, handsome, beautiful (Arabic, North Africa; Swahili, East Africa).

He who honors God (Greek; New Testament).

Form of Tawia: Next child after twins (Akan, Ghana; Ga [Gao], Ghana). In the Ga language, the name can be either male or female.

Divine messenger; messenger of God (Greek).

Form of Rashid: Rightly guided (Arabic, North Africa).

Blend of “Ka” and “Vion”

Form of Niall: Champion (Irish Gaelic).

Son of Addy (Middle English).

The advancer (Old English).

Form of Eugene: Well born, noble (Greek).

Unique African American name

Blend of “Ky” and “Ron”

Modern African American name

Meaning and origin unknown.

English origin, meaning “son of Harry”

No meaning available

Form of Keto: Depth (Swahili, East Africa).

Created name from African-American culture.

No meaning available

Irish origin, meaning “son of the beige one”

No meaning available

Endowed with great physical strength and skill, a definition based on the title character of Edgar Rice Burroughs' book Tarzan of the Apes.

No meaning available

“Power of God” (Igbo origin)

“Spring” (English origin)

Son of Thurgod, an ancient font name (Anglo-Saxon). Surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Form of Carlisle: One from the castle tower (Old English).

From the willow farm (Dutch).

Created name from African-American culture.

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

Cloth finisher; sheepshearer (English); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Noble and brilliant or illustrious (Old English).

Gift of God (Hebrew; New Testament).

Little Peter (French).

“From the sea” (Greek origin, widely used)

Meaning unknown (African-American); name found among enslaved men in New England at the time of the Revolutionary War.

Form of Philon, a form of Philemon: Loving, friendly (Greek; New Testament).

No meaning available

Created name from African-American culture.

Physically and morally attractive (jah-MEEL—Arabic, North Africa; Swahili, East Africa). Also spelled Jamili and Jamiil.

Unique African American name

Giver (Hebrew; Old Testament—prophet who rebuked King David).

No meaning available

“God leads” (Igbo origin)

Form of Milton: Dweller at the mill town (Old English; Scottish); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Dweller by the mill (French); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

From the field estate or town in the garden (English).

Blend of “Day” and “Von”

Form of Jared: Descendant; the inheritor (JARE-ed—Hebrew).

No meaning available

Judge from the hill (English; Hebrew; Old Testament); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

A stylized form of “Trevon”

Form of Quinton: Fifth child (Latin).

Unique blend of “Tre” and “Bell”

A form of Randolf: Shield wolf (Old English). The wolf suggests courage.

Created name from African-American culture, a form of Wayne: Wagonmaker (Old English).

Created name from African-American culture.

“Church” (Scottish origin)

“Of the night” (French origin)

No meaning available

“Clever warrior” (English origin)

Heir of the valiant warrior (Old English).

Place name—village in Cumbria, England: Fortress homestead (broo-um—Old English); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

No meaning available

“Son of Carr” (Scottish origin)

Variation of “Gavin”

Blend of “Ja” and “Vion”

Shining brightly; glorious one (Old English).

No meaning available

Meaning and origin unknown; surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

“The king” (French origin)

Created name from African-American culture.

No meaning available

Form of Lynn: From the lake, pool, or waterfall (Old Welsh); predominantly a female name.

Meaning unknown (Guyana).

Variation of “Darren,” meaning “great”