Historic and Vintage Names
Black History Names
Across 7 pages
of 7
About this list
Black history names include the names of African-Americans throughout US history who've achieved extraordinary things.
Among the Black history names here are the names of politicians, activists, writers, artists, businesspeople and others who might make worthy namesakes for contemporary babies.
Black history names include names of historical heroes such as Harriet, Ida, Malcolm, and Booker. They may also take inspiration from influential Black artists throughout history, from Etta and Billie to Otis and Hendrix.
Black history names come from centuries of history, from the Renaissance to the late twentieth century. Note: While there are many notable figures from Black and African-American history with ordinary names, we've focused on the names that are more clearly associated with historic heroes and heroines. Also here are many last names that can be used as firsts.
The names from black history are listed here in order of their current popularity on Nameberry.
RELATED:
The names
Levi
Hebrew
"joined, attached"
Levi, lighter and more energetic than most biblical names, with its up vowel ending, combines Old Testament gravitas with the casual flair associated with Levi Strauss jeans. Now it's being…
Hazel
English
"the hazelnut tree"
Hazel has a pleasantly hazy, brownish-green-eyed, old-fashioned image that more and more parents are choosing to share. Former Old Lady name Hazel reentered the popularity lists in 1998 and now is…
Ella
German; English
"all, completely; fairy maiden"
Ella is a sweet, simple name that owes much of its current popularity to the popularity of other names, from Emma to Bella to Emily to Ellie. Ella is one of those names that has ranked in the US Top…
Jackson
English
"son of Jack"
Jackson is one of those names that's much more popular than you think, coming in near the top of our annual Playground Analysis, which ranks names by grouping all their spellings together. Last year,…
Jacob
Hebrew
"supplanter"
Biblical Jacob ceded his Number 1 spot to biblical Noah, in 2013, after holding first place on the list of baby boy names from 1999 to 2012, given a huge boost by the Twilight phenomenon. Jacob has…
Miles
English form of Milo, Latin and Old German,"soldier or merciful"
"soldier or merciful"
Miles, which has a permanent veneer of cool thanks to jazz great Miles Davis, is a confident and polished boys' name that's an American classic. Always ranking in the US Top 1000, it's been drifting…
Josephine
French feminine variation of Joseph, Hebrew
"Jehovah increases"
Josephine, with its large measure of class and character and a gently offbeat quality, has been on a gentle uphill climb in the US for over 30 years, now ranking in the Top 100. With an intriguing…
Maya
Sanskrit, English, Hebrew, Estonian
"illusion, magic; mother; water; beloved, bitter, drop of the sea"
Maya, which has an almost mystical image, has been steadily climbing in popularity in the US and the English-speaking world, along with a range of other countries, including France, Germany, Israel,…
Lincoln
English
"town by the pool"
Lincoln cracked the Top 50 for boys' names for the first time in 2016, more than 150 years after the death of its most famous bearer. This is especially remarkable because, as crazy as it seems now,…
August
German form of Latin Augustus
"great, magnificent"
The name August is at its highest point since the 1890s, when it ranked among the Top 100 boy names in the US – and deservedly so. With its great meaning, historic roots, and cool nicknames, 2024 saw…
Cora
Greek
"maiden"
Cora is a lovely, old-fashioned girls' that has been recently rejuvenated by its contemporary-feeling simplicity. In fact, Cora seemed headed straight for the top of the popularity list when the…
Jesse
Hebrew
"God exists"
King David's father turned 1980s cowboy, Jesse is now down in popularity but still a Biblical classic, ranking in the US Top 1000 for its entire history. The name is associated with a wide variety of…
Tatum
English
"Tate's homestead"
Tatum is one of the rare examples of a name that was exclusively female, as in Tatum O'Neal, but now is used for boys too, entering the male Top 1000 in 2010. Khloe Kardashian made headlines when she…
Baker
English occupational surname
One of the most appealing of the newly hip occupational names, evoking sweet smells emanating from the oven. Much fresher sounding than than others that have been around for a while, like Cooper, and…
Malcolm
Scottish
"devotee of St. Colomba"
Malcolm is a warm and welcoming Scottish appellation (originally Mael-Colium) that fits into that golden circle of names that are distinctive but not at all odd. A royal name in Scotland, Malcolm is…
Lena
English, Scottish, Dutch, German, and Scandinavian, diminutive of various names ending in -lena
This pet form of Helena and other ena-ending names, long used as an independent name, is attracting notice again as an option both multicultural and simple. Lena was a Top 100 name from 1880 to 1920.…
Sonny
English
"son"
Sonny is one of the generic boy nickname names making a surprise reappearance, and it was recently used by actor Jason Lee. Another surprise: It's been on the US Top 1000 list every year since 1927,…
Martin
Latin
"warlike"
Martin is one of those names like Arthur and Vincent and George that is in the process of throwing off its balding middle-aged image to start sounding possible again, used in full without the dated…
Wells
Surname from place name
"spring"
Wells is a newly-famous baby name thanks to pregnancy guru Rosie Pope, who uses it as the short form of the buttoned-up Wellington, name of her youngest child.
Gwendolyn
Variation of Gwendolen, Welsh
"white ring"
One spelling variation that's more popular than the original, this somewhat old-fashioned name might be in honor of poet Gwendolyn Brooks, the first African-American to win a Pulitzer prize for…
