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African American Names for Girls

  1. Fantasia

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "imagination"

    • Description:

      One of the more prominent by-products of reality TV, via Disney.
  2. Tyler

    • Origin:

      Occupational name

    • Meaning:

      "maker of tiles"

    • Description:

      This once-trendy name has been fading for both boys and girls. A Top 10 name from 1992 to 2000, it is now at Number 38 and falling. It was the surname of the tenth U.S. president.
  3. Felicia

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "lucky"

    • Description:

      A lacy, lucky name very popular in the Hispanic community a decade ago, less so now.
  4. Jillian

    • Origin:

      Phonetic spelling of Gillian

    • Meaning:

      "youthful"

    • Description:

      This spelling of Jillian is now much more popular than the original, maybe because the G version invites pronunciation problems.
  5. Keisha

    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Keziah

    • Meaning:

      "cinnamon, cassia tree"

    • Description:

      A long-popular name, particularly among the African-American community, Keisha was first publicized by the child actress, Keshia Knight Pulliam, who starred on the old Cosby Show. It entered the US Top 1000 in 1967 and remained there for 30 years, but it hasn't featured again since 1997.
  6. Tyra

    • Origin:

      Scandinavian, feminine variation of Tyr, an ancient Indo-European god

    • Description:

      High profile supermodel/entrepreneur Tyra Banks has put this name in the spotlight, endowing it with her confident, superattractive image.
  7. Rochelle

    • Origin:

      French

    • Meaning:

      "little rock"

    • Description:

      While Rochelle may sound like a twist on Rachel, it has a different origin entirely. Rather than having Biblical and Hebrew ties, it comes from the name of a city on the west coast of France, La Rochelle. Meaning "little rock", it rose to prominence in the 1930s, likely popularized by the actress Rochelle Hudson (though she was born Rachael).
  8. Meghan

    • Origin:

      Variation of Megan, Welsh

    • Meaning:

      "pearl"

    • Description:

      Megan was one of the first trendy names to spawn lots of spelling variations and this form of the name is less popular than its streamlined counterpart, but nevertheless familiar to those in the English speaking world. A variant of Margaret, the name was rarely heard outside of Wales before the mid-20th century.
  9. Diamond

    • Origin:

      Word name, English from Greek

    • Meaning:

      "diamond"

    • Description:

      Diamond sparkled all through the nineties--reaching as high as Number 150 in 1999. Although its shine has diminished quite a bit, it remains in use.
  10. China

    • Origin:

      Place-name

    • Description:

      Long before the current place-name craze, a pair of the more daring pop singers of the Age of Aquarius picked this name for their daughters. Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick used the conventional spelling, the Mamas and the Papas's Michelle Phillips went further afield with Chynna (of the group Wilson Phillips).
  11. Latoya

    • Origin:

      American English

    • Meaning:

      "victory"

    • Description:

      Built from the popular La- prefix and Toya, possibly from Victoria, this is one of the best known and historically most popular La-starting names. A famous bearer is La Toya Jackson, a singer, actress and businesswoman and sister of Michael Jackson. It was a Top 100 name from 1981 to 1985, then fell off the list in 1995.
  12. Kiarra

    • Description:

      Kiarra is a melodious feminine name that gained popularity in the United States beginning in the 1990s. It likely developed as a variant of Kiara or Ciara, which have Irish and Italian origins meaning 'dark' or 'little dark one.' The double 'r' adds a flowing quality to the pronunciation and gives the name a distinctive appearance. Kiarra blends the trend of names with 'Ki-' beginnings with the popular '-arra' ending sound found in names like Tarra and Zarra. The name has a musical quality with its balanced syllables and liquid consonants. While not among the most common names, Kiarra has maintained steady usage, particularly in diverse communities. It offers the appeal of being recognizable without being overly popular.

  13. Raheema

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