African Americans today often seek names that reflect their heritage. Africa, however, is a large continent, and home to hundreds of different dialects and languages. Many African Americans choose names from Africa, but others instead create their own unique baby names.
When the slaves were brought from Africa to America, the slaves were all given new names. The old names were not recorded, and just as the slaves were forced to speak a new language, they were also forced to respond to new names. The new names given to slaves include Biblical names like Adam and Eve, as well as short and simple names, like Joe, or John. There was even, at one point, a fad to name slaves for great figures in American history, like Washington or Madison. Other slaves were given nicknames like Curly or Duke.
In the later twentieth century, African Americans sought to rediscover their culture. For them, a rediscovery of culture was a rejection of the Americanized names they were given. Malcolm X is possibly the most famous example of a leader who resented and refused to use his “slave name.” Leroi Jones, a poet, similarly renamed himself Amiri Baraka. These acts of self-naming show how important naming is to African Americans, which shows the need to find and create African-American baby names. Mohammed Ali is also renowned for selecting his own name and rejecting the name Cassius Clay.
African Americans often create names that sound nice. This often involves the use of prefixes De-, Ja-, Tri-, Ni-, Wa-, are often used in making names for both sexes (Dequon, Jamaal, etc.). Other prefixes are primarily reserved for baby girl names, such as La- and Sha- (as in LaShonya and Shandra). African American baby names frequently sound similar to white American names but with tweaks, such as Monisha or Sharelle. It is becoming more and more common for white Americans to adopt African-American names because of the creatively unique and beautiful sounding nature of these baby names.
The majority of African baby names are taken from Swahili, Zulu, Yoruba, and Hausa languages. Many African names are similar to Arabic names. Many African names, such as Hadiya (guide rightly), Kadir (capable), Nkosi (blessing) and Safi (pure) can be used for both boys and girls. Some African baby names refer to the situation of birth for the child, and as such, can be used for both boys and girls: Kasinda (born to a family with twins), Juma (born on a Friday), Aba (born on a Thursday), Essien (sixth-born son), Ulan (first-born twin), Nasha (born in the rainy season), or Kiden (a girl born after three or more boys).
If you’re looking for African baby names for boys, consider Abdu (servant of God), Dakarai (happiness), Jayvyn (light spirit), Sulaiman (peaceful), and Jabari (brave). African baby names for girls include Mhina (delightful), Anika (goodness), Malika (queen), Chipo (gift), and Ebere (Mercy). Remember that there are many possible spellings for African baby names and African American baby names: for instance, both Kesia and Keshia mean “favourite” for a baby girl’s name.
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