Discover Beautiful African American Names

Form of Dedrick: Ruler of the people (Old German).

No meaning available

“Lion” (Southern African origin)

Virtue name, modern African American origin

Firstborn (Bassa, Liberia).

English form of Jacob from the Old Spanish Jayme: Supplanter; one who takes the place of; protector (Hebrew; Old Testament).

Form of Niall: Champion (Irish Gaelic).

Dweller at the thicket or woods (Scottish form of Old French); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Blend of “Von” and “-tez” suffix

“Darling, beloved” (English origin, adapted)

Greater, greatest (Arabic; Muslim).

Form of Primus: First (Latin).

No meaning available

Dweller at the priest's meadow (Old English).

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

No meaning available

A military man (Latin).

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

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

No meaning available

“Raven” (French origin)

Mighty, brave (Old German).

Form of Coujoe: Born on Monday (Ewe, Ghana).

“Army guard” (German origin)

Servant of God (Arabic, North Africa; Swahili, East Africa).

Form of Chaves: From the place near the waters of Flavius (Portuguese); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

“Rocky land” (German origin)

No meaning available

No meaning available

“Flourishing” (Arabic origin)

Modern variation of “Bruno” with “-ell” suffix

Word name—The time of day when the sun appears above the horizon.

Son (Hebrew).

Form of Jerome: Sacred or holy name (Greek; Latin).

No meaning available

Little warrior (Old French).

No meaning available

Form of Patrick: Noble one (Latin).

“Wealth” (Igbo origin)

Form of Stacy: Stable; prosperous (Latin).

No meaning available

Created name from African-American culture, a form of Troy: At the place of the curly-haired people (Old French).

Form of Arvin: Friend of the people (German).

“God has heard” (shortened form of Samuel)

Combination of “Le” and “Quon”

No meaning available

English origin, meaning “son of Harry”

“Council protector” (Irish origin)

Form of Andreas: Strong, manly (Greek).

Combination of “Da” and “Shawn,” meaning “God is gracious”

Chalk ridge (Scottish); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Variation of “Quinton,” meaning “fifth”

Modern African American name

Spanish form of Michael: Who is like God? (Hebrew).

Male form of Winifred: Peaceful friend; blessed peace (Welsh).

Form of Othello: From the title character in Shakespeare’s play.

Elegance (Swahili, East Africa).

“Beautiful” (Arabic origin, widely used in African American communities)

“Warlike” (Spanish origin, modern American adaptation)

“Companion” (modern American origin)

“Olive tree” (English origin)

“Army of the people” (German origin, associated with civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.)

Meaning unknown (South Africa).

Created name from African-American culture.

Form of Thomas: Twin (Aramaic; Greek; New Testament).

Blend of two names such as Thaddeus (one who praises—Latin; gift of God; stouthearted; courageous—Greek; New Testament) and Shelton (from the settlement near the shelf or high plateau—English; surname or family name given for a first or middle name).

No meaning available

Hardworking, industrious (German); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

“Land of lakes” (Scottish origin)

Our God, our Lord (Yoruba, Nigeria).

Created name from African-American culture (TY-way).

Form of names beginning with “Ed”: Edward (Prosperous guardian—Old English); Edmund (Prosperous guardian—Old English); Edwin (Prosperous friend; rich in friendship—Old English; Edensaw (Glacier—ed-en-saw—Tlingit, Native North American).

Meaning unknown (West Africa).

“Battle” (modern American origin)

Son of Donald: Mighty world ruler (Scottish Gaelic); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

No meaning available

Meaning unknown (Sierra Leone).

Unique blend of “Or” and “Ane”

No meaning available

No meaning available

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

“Follower of Christ” (Greek origin)

Second King of Rome (Latin).

Happy; fortunate, lucky one (Latin).

Form of Niall: Champion (Irish Gaelic).

The Lord is my salvation (ee-LY-sha—Hebrew; Old Testament). Name found among free black men in late eighteenth-century New England.

Handsome (Irish).

“Success” (West African origin)

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

Meaning and origin unknown.

Place name, popular in African American culture

Blend of “Qu” and “Arion”

To destroy (English, from the Greek Perseus); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Form of Siegmund: Glorious protector (Old German).

Word name—form of the word dem Schiff: Ships (German); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

“Maintains possessions well” (Persian origin, popular in African American culture)

Form of Quinlan: Son of the comely one (Irish); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

African origin, meaning “one who brings joy”

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 Dion or Dennis, from Dionysos, Greek mythological god of wine and revelry.