Discover Beautiful African American Names

Dweller near the wide riverside meadow or from the wide island in the river (Old English); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Son of Leod, the ugly wolf (Gaelic); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Meaning and origin unknown.

One from the field of hawthorns (English); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Form of Clayborne: Boundary marked by clovers; brook near a clay bed (French; German; Old English).

No meaning available

Blend of “Bri” and “Son”

Little dear or beloved one (French).

Blend of “Jamar” and “Marcus”

“Stream” (Swahili origin)

African origin, meaning “one who brings joy”

Modern African American name

German origin, meaning “wise ruler”

No meaning available

No meaning available

Form of Lindsey: Dweller from the island of Lelli, Lealla—Lindsey, Lincolnshire, England (Anglo-Saxon); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

“God is my strength” (Hebrew origin)

No meaning available

“Famous throughout the land” (Italian origin, adapted)

“Hero” (English origin)

“Eager for battle” (Spanish origin, popularized)

Form of Darren: Little great one (Irish Gaelic).

Learned (se-KOO—Guinea).

Created name from African-American culture.

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

Polished chief (Irish Gaelic).

Created name from African-American culture.

No meaning available

Arabic origin, meaning “knight, horseman”

Latin origin, meaning “fifth,” adapted in African American communities

Modern African American name, often with “De” prefix

Swineherder (English, Irish, and Welsh, from the Old French); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Created name from African-American culture, a form of Vaughn: Small one (Old Welsh).

“Oarsman” (French origin)

Latin origin, meaning “heaven”

“Old town” (English origin)

Blend of two names such as Craig (dweller at the crag or rock—Scottish Gaelic—surname or family name given for a first or middle name) and Gregory (vigilant; watchful one—Greek; Latin).

Spanish form of Charles: Strong, manly (Latin; Old German); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

No meaning available

Form of Vernon: Youthful, springlike, born in the spring (Latin).

Form of Rosso: Red-haired or red-bearded one (Italian); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Variation of “Ulric,” meaning “wolf power”

Modern African American name

Modern African American name

Dim-sighted one (Latin).

Akan origin, meaning “born on Saturday”

Elder; intermediary (Middle English).

Form of Ford: River crossing (Old English).

No meaning available

The crown honored us (Yoruba, Nigeria).

Blend of “Ke” and “Monte”

From the stony estate (Old English).

Dweller in a town with a tannery, from pellis: skin of a fur-bearing animal (Latin).

Supreme deity in Roman mythology; fifth planet from the sun (Latin).

No meaning available

Meaning and origin unknown. Named found among enslaved men in the South during the nineteenth century.

Firm, constant one; steadfast (Latin).

Form of Chauncey: Chancellor, church official; chief recordkeeper; a diligent man who earned his good fortune (English).

Form of Judah: Praise (Hebrew; Old Testament).

Form of Gerald: Rules by the spear (German).

“Noble” (variation of Marquis)

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

Born on Saturday (Akan, Ghana).

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

No meaning available

“Ever ruler” (Norse origin)

“Brave as a wild boar” (English origin)

Form of Maxwell: Greatest in excellence; great pool or spring (Irish; Latin; Scottish); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

To wander (Latin).

The Lord will hear (Old Testament; Hebrew).

No meaning available

Created name from African-American culture.

No meaning available

Created name from African-American culture.

Created name from African-American culture.

“Praised” (Hebrew origin)

No meaning available

Form of Maxwell: Greatest in excellence; great pool or spring (Irish; Latin; Scottish); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

“Darling, beloved” (English origin, adapted)

Form of name beginning with “Mal,” such as Malachi (messenger of God—Hebrew; Old Testament), Malcolm (disciple of St. Columba—Scottish Gaelic), and Malcus or Malvin (polished chief—Irish Gaelic; council friend—Old English).

Form of Humphrey: Peaceful Hun; peace-support (Old German).

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

Unique African American name

Meaning unknown (NEE-ye—Nigeria).

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

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

Variation of “Mario,” meaning “warlike”

Form of Burrows: From the fortified house on the hill (Anglo-Saxon); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

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

Place name—county in England and sixteen places in the United States.

Form of Chinwe: It belongs to God (Igbo or Ibo, Nigeria).

Form of Darrell: Little dear or beloved one (French).

Form of Roland: From the famous land (French; Old High German).

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

Bailiff (Middle English).

From the earth; from the settlement near the clay pit; mortal (Old English); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Created name from African-American culture.

Word name: Free from sin or wrong (Latin).

Created name from African-American culture, a form of Andre: Strong, manly (Greek).

Bold for the people (Old German).