Discover Beautiful African American Names

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

“Born at dawn” (Ugandan origin)

“Handsome” (variation of Kenneth)

Blend of “Da” and “Quan”

Created name from African-American culture.

No meaning available

Combination of “La” and “Monte”

Irish origin, meaning “descendant of Shea”

Variation of “Khalil”

No meaning available

“He has heard” (Hebrew origin)

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 Stephanos: Crowned one (Greek).

King (Latin).

Courageous protector (German).

Created name from African-American culture, a form of Donald: Mighty world ruler (Scottish Gaelic).

Meaning unknown (Sierra Leone).

“Noble, courteous” (English origin)

“Of the sea” (Spanish origin, adapted)

No meaning available

No meaning available

No meaning available

Dweller on the plain or fields (Irish; Scottish); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Unique blend of “Cor” and “-tell”

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

“Cliff” (English origin)

Word name—Charms and spirits that make unnatural things happen (Greek; Latin).

“Ascended, uplifted” (Hebrew origin)

Powerful protector (German); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Friend of all; noble friend; friend of the elves (Old English).

“Keeper of the park” (English origin)

Meaning and origin unknown. Name found among free black men who lived and worked in early nineteenth-century New England.

“Fire” (Latin origin)

“Hidden nook” (English origin, modern African American adaptation)

“Sword” (Swahili origin)

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

“Follower of Christ” (Greek origin)

Nobleman (mar-KEE—French; MAR-quis).

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.

Father is exalted (EE-bra-heem—Hausa, Nigeria).

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

“Brown’s son” (English origin)

Form of Oved: Servant, serving (Hebrew).

Created name from African-American culture.

“Decisive” (Arabic origin)

Form of Isaac: He laughs (Old Testament; Hebrew).

Latin origin, meaning “tender, gracious,” used widely

Dweller near the red swamp (Gaelic); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

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

Form of Akello: I have brought, bring forth (ah-KEHL-oh—Alur, Uganda).

“Highest point” (Hebrew origin, often used with a sense of spiritual significance)

Italian origin, meaning “brave”

No meaning available

From the estate of the noble one (English); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

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

Brown-haired one (Irish); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

“Child of the freeborn” (Igbo origin)

Son of life; man of religion (Scottish); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Created name from African-American culture.

From a field near the town (English).

Form of Elwin: Godly friend (Old English).

Created name from African-American culture, a form of Sam: To hear (Hebrew).

English origin, meaning “adventurous”

No meaning available

No meaning available

Capable; one of the ninety-nine attributes of Allah (kay-dir—Arabic, North Africa).

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).

Little branch (English, from the Scandinavian); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Dweller in the valley (Old English).

No meaning available

No meaning available

Created name from African-American culture.

No meaning available

Latin origin, meaning “from Hadria”

Dweller near a hollow (Gaelic); surname or family name given for a first or middle name.

Blend of “Trey” and “Vin”

“From the farm” (English origin)

Great king of the Zulus who, in 1818, united the people of South Africa against colonial control; also called Shaka (Zulu, South Africa).

Form of Louis: Great fighter; famous warrior; warrior prince (French; Old German).

Of the mountain (English; French).

Form of Emmett: Industrious, strong (Old German).

“Gift of God” (Greek origin)

Resolute spirit or mind (Old German).

“Of the night” (French origin)

A creative variation of “Antoine,” meaning “priceless”

First, chief (Old French).

Variation of “Wendell,” meaning “wanderer”

Meaning and origin unknown.

Form of Ellsworth: From the estate of a noble one (English).

No meaning available

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

Meaning and origin unknown; surname or family name given for a first or middle name. Name given to honor the late newspaper publisher John Herman Henry Sengstacke.

God is my salvation (Hebrew).

No meaning available

Jehovah’s gift (Hebrew; Old Testament).

The keeper of tradition (Swahili, East Africa).

“Pierce valley” (French origin)

Created name from African-American culture.

Divine, god-like; temple (dayv-al—Hindi, India; Sanskrit).

Latin origin, meaning “heaven”