Behind the Name: HeartForNations's Personal Name List

Abeni

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Yoruba

Pronounced: A-BEH-NEEN

Means "we prayed and we received" in Yoruba.

Antwan

Gender: Masculine

Usage: African American

Pronounced: an-TWAWN(English)

Variant of Antoine, in use since the 1960s.

Asia 1

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English (Modern), Italian (Modern)

Pronounced: AY-zhə(English) A-zya(Italian)

From the name of the continent, which is perhaps derived from Akkadian asu, meaning "east".

Chasity

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English

Pronounced: CHAS-i-tee

Variant of Chastity.

China

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English (Modern)

Pronounced: CHIE-nə

From the name of the Asian country, ultimately derived from Qin, the name of a dynasty that ruled there in the 3rd century BC.

Deshaun

Gender: Masculine

Usage: African American

Pronounced: də-SHAWN(English)

Variant of Deshawn.

Kenya

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English, African American

Pronounced: KEHN-yə(English)

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.

LaShawn

Gender: Feminine & Masculine

Usage: African American

Pronounced: lə-SHAWN(English)

Combination of the popular prefix la with the name Shawn.

Lashonda

Gender: Feminine

Usage: African American

Pronounced: lə-SHAWN-də(English)

Combination of the popular prefix la with the name Shonda. It can be spelled LaShonda or Lashonda.

Latanya

Gender: Feminine

Usage: African American

Combination of the popular prefix la with the name Tanya. It can be spelled LaTanya or Latanya.

Nevaeh

Gender: Feminine

Usage: English (Modern)

Pronounced: nə-VAY-ə

The word heaven spelled backwards. It became popular after the musician Sonny Sandoval from the rock group P.O.D. gave it to his daughter in 2000. Over the next few years it rapidly climbed the rankings in America, peaking at the 25th rank for girls in 2010.

Rashaun

Gender: Masculine

Usage: African American (Modern)

Pronounced: rə-SHAWN(English)

Combination of the prefix ra with the name Shaun.

Shaniqua

Gender: Feminine

Usage: African American (Modern)

Pronounced: shə-NEE-kwə(English)

An invented name using the popular phonetic elements sha, nee and qua.

Tajuana

Gender: Feminine

Usage: African American

Pronounced: tə-WAHN-ə

Combination of the prefix ta and the name Juana.