African American Origin Names

Africa 1 f African American (Rare)
From the name of the continent, which is of Latin origin, possibly from the Afri people who lived near Carthage in North Africa. This rare name is used most often by African-American parents.

Ayana 3 f African American
Variant of Ayanna.

Ayanna f African American
Meaning uncertain. In 1970 it was featured in The Book of African Names by Chief Osuntoki with a listed meaning of "beautiful flower". American comedian and activist Dick Gregory used it for his daughter in 1971.

Beyoncé f African American (Modern)
Popularized by the American singer Beyoncé Knowles (1981-) whose given name came from her mother's maiden name (which was originally Beyincé, of Louisiana Creole origin). This name appeared on the United States top 1000 list in 2001, around the time her group Destiny's Child was at the height of their popularity.

Darnell m English, African American
From an English surname that was derived from Old French darnel, a type of grass. In some cases the surname may be from a place name, itself derived from Old English derne "hidden" and halh "nook".

Darrell m English, African American
From an English surname that was derived from Norman French d'Airelle, originally denoting one who came from Airelle in France. As a given name it was moderately popular from the 1930s to the 1970s, but it dropped off the American top 1000 rankings in 2018.

Darryl m English, African American
Variant of Darrell. In the United States, this spelling was more popular than Darrell from 1960 to 1966, being especially well-used in the African-American community.

Dedrick m African American
From an English surname that was derived from the given name Diederik.

Deja f African American (Modern)
Means "already" from the French phrase déjà vu meaning "already seen". It received a popularity boost in 1995 when a character named Deja appeared in the movie Higher Learning.

Diamond f English (Rare), African American (Modern)
From the English word diamond for the clear colourless precious stone, the traditional birthstone of April. It is derived from Late Latin diamas, from Latin adamas, which is of Greek origin meaning "unconquerable, unbreakable".

Eboni f African American
Variant of Ebony.

Ebony f African American
From the English word ebony for the black wood that comes from the ebony tree. It is ultimately from the Egyptian word hbnj. In America this name is most often used in the black community.

Ivory m & f African American
From the English word for the hard, creamy-white substance that comes from elephant tusks and was formerly used to produce piano keys.

Kanye m African American (Modern)
Meaning uncertain. It could be from the name of a town in Botswana (of Tswana origin). Yoruba, Igbo, Xhosa and Fula meanings have also been suggested. It is borne by the American rapper Kanye West (1977-), and the name briefly appeared on the United States top 1000 list in 2004 when he released his debut album.

Kenya f English, African American
From the name of the African country. The country is named for Mount Kenya, which in the Kikuyu language is called Kĩrĩnyaga meaning "the one having stripes". It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the 1960s.

Kenyatta m & f African American
From a surname used by the first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta (1897-1978). He adopted the surname in his youth, supposedly from a type of ornamental belt worn by the Maasai people.

Kiana 2 f African American
Variant of Qiana.

Lamar m English, African American
From a French and English surname, originally from a place name in Normandy, which was derived from Old French la mare meaning "the pool". In the second half of the 20th century this name has been well-used in the African-American community, probably because of its popular phonetic components la and mar.

Lamont m English, African American
From a Scottish surname that was derived from the medieval Gaelic given name Lagmann, itself from Old Norse lǫgmaðr meaning "law man". This name reached a peak in its American popularity in 1972, the same year that the sitcom Sanford and Son debuted, featuring the character Lamont Sanford (the titular son).

LeBron m African American (Modern)
Probably an invented name, though it does coincide with the Spanish surname Lebrón, derived from liebre meaning "hare". This is the name of basketball player LeBron James (1984-).

Levar m African American
Popularized by the American actor LeVar Burton (1957-) after he starred in the popular American miniseries Roots (1977). His birth name was Levardis, after his father, of unknown meaning. It can be spelled Levar or with a capitalized third letter as LeVar.

Marques m African American (Modern)
Variant of Marquis.

Marquis m African American
From a noble title that derives from the Old French word marche meaning "march, borderland". The title originally referred to someone who ruled on the borderlands of a realm.

Marquise m African American (Modern)
Variant of Marquis. Technically, marquise is the feminine form of the title marquis.

Marquita f African American
Feminine variant of Marquis.

Mekhi m African American
Meaning unknown, possibly an invented name. This name was popularized by the American actor Mekhi Phifer (1974-).

Nairobi f African American (Modern)
From the name of the capital city of Kenya, derived from Maasai enkare nyrobi meaning "cold water".

Precious f English (African), African American (Modern)
From the English word precious, ultimately derived from Latin pretiosus, a derivative of Latin pretium "price, worth".

Qiana f African American (Modern)
From the word for the silk-like material, introduced by DuPont in 1968 and popular in the fashions of the 1970s.

Quanna f African American (Rare)
Elaboration of the phonetic element quan.

Quiana f African American (Modern)
Variant of Qiana.

Quianna f African American (Rare)
Variant of Qiana.

Tanesha f African American
Variant of Tanisha.

Tanisha f African American
Popularized by the African-American actress Ta-Tanisha (1953-), born Shirley Cummings. The name spiked in popularity in the early 1970s, when she was featured on the television series Room 222. She apparently took her stage name from Swahili tatanisha meaning "puzzle, tangle, confuse". The name probably resonated with parents because of its similarity to other names such as Tamika and Natasha.

Terell m English (Modern), African American (Modern)
Variant of Terrell.

Terrell m English, African American
From an English surname that was probably derived from the Norman French nickname tirel "to pull", referring to a stubborn person. It may sometimes be given in honour of civil rights activist Mary Church Terrell (1863-1954). It was common in the African-American community from the 1970s to the 1990s, typically stressed on the second syllable. A famous bearer is American football player Terrell Owens (1973-).

Toccara f African American (Modern)
From the name of a 1981 Avon perfume, derived from the Italian verb toccare "to touch".

Tyree m African American
From a Scottish surname, a variant of McIntyre. It has been well-used as an African-American name, especially since the 1970s, probably inspired by other similar-sounding names such as Tyrone.

Tyrell m English (Modern), African American (Modern)
From a surname that was a variant of Terrell. Influenced by similar-sounding names such as Tyrone and Darrell it has been used by African-American parents, usually stressed on the second syllable.

Zaire m African American (Modern)
From the name of a country in Africa from 1971 to 1997, now called the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is said to be derived from Kikongo nzadi o nzere meaning "river swallowing rivers", referring to the Congo River.

Zyaire m African American (Modern)
Variant of Zaire.