african american last names

In 2010, Johnson came in 2nd place, and that’s its same rank within the entire population of African-Americans and Caribbean people. Often surnames were used for several generations within a family. Image: Pretoria, South Africa. This is why you hardly see an African man bearing a Western name as his last name. There are over 2.4 million African-American and Caribbean people with that last name. Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! Today we’re going to look at some of the most popular and common black last names around. African last names or surnames have deeper meanings than many think. In total, there are just fewer than 2 million black people with the last name Johnson with a 6.6% increase within the decade. The following are among the most common last names of African Americans: Williams. What is it with the last name Jackson that many of them are famous? This might come as a surprise to you, as it’s not always a surname that’s stereotyped. 131 views. Nigeria, a beautiful, diverse, African country home to the Niger River, and a rich history of culture and tradition. How African American families got their surnames is often misunderstood, affecting your ability to connect into your Irish ancestor. Fort Bend Co. Tonya Smith: ALLEN: Missouri: Macon Co. Anitra Lane You may find your family did not have a “slave name” at all. The last name Jackson definitely isn’t as popular as the other names we’ve previously mentioned. After emancipation, many free men and women adopted the surnames of their former owners as their own. If you’re not African, it’s easy to think that the same last name isn’t common. The data, which may include people who identified themselves as African-American, African, or other ethnic or racial groups, is derived from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Last names come from indigenous, colonialist and diasporic roots. African-American names are an integral part of African-American tradition. Labels: African American surnames, names and nicknames, United States most common surnames, US Census. To start, simply click on the button to generate 10 random names. The names on these lists are slaveholders who were some of the largest slaveholders in the listed County in 1860. You can probably name a ton of people with the last name Williams. There was a 36,579 increase in the last name over a 10 year period pulling the entire population to a total of 1.4 million people. List of African Last Names KENYA f English, African American From the name of the African country. According to US census records, Williams is the 16th most common last name associated with African Americans. Most Popular African American Last Names – Williams; It is popularly agreed that the name Williams is the most common last name in the circle of African Americans. For many years, Williams has remained a common surname for a person of African American descent. African American Last Names Item Preview African American Last Names.jpg . While there is Beverly Johnson and Magic Johnson, we bet you didn’t know that Whoopi Goldberg’s real name is Caryn Elaine Johnson. When it comes to famous names you might recognize, there’s Miles Davis, Viola Davis, and Angela Davis. This is due to the 7.3% increase seen in the 10 year gap. (s) means the data was suppressed for privacy. Even so, in the total general population, Williams ranks as the third most common last name overall. Occurrences / 100,000 people: The number of occurrences of a given surname per 100,000 in the United States. During this time, it was very common for immigrants to change their children's names to better assimilate into American culture. Pronunciation : case sensitive: see the pronunciation key for a guide on how to write the sounds; sounds can only be searched in names that have been assigned pronunciations * is a wildcard that will match zero or more letters in the pronunciation example: *lee matches names which end with the sound lee _ is a wildcard that will match exactly one letter in the pronunciation It is also interesting to notice last names that are or are not shared among the different groups. Adébáyọ̀ Origin: Nigerian (Yoruba) Meaning: ‘He came in a joyful time’ or ‘the king/crown/royalty … While many Black Americans use names that are popular with wider American culture, a number of specific naming trends have emerged within African-American culture. 1 comment: Azizi Powell May 4, 2017 at 5:31 PM. There’s actor James Earl Jones, music producer Quincy Jones, TV personality Star Jones, and more! There’s actress Naomie Harris and rapper T.I. List: Most common black or African-American last names (Non-Hispanic) Most common … As crude as this will come across, slave owners did not give their last names to their slaves, any more than pet owners today bestow their last names on Fido or Puff. If you’re scratching your head for some people whose last name is Williams, there’s Venus and Serena Williams, Vanessa Williams, Michelle Williams, Pharrell Williams, and more. Virginia: Luray, Page Co. Deanna Adams: ALEXANDER. The last name Jones ranked 4th in the 2010 and ranks 5th overall when considering the entire black population. You could probably easily name someone with the last name Brown. One of the biggest increases, the last name saw a 7.3% increase over a 10 year period. Number of occurrences among people self-identifying as 'black', % of people with surname self-identifying as 'black'. 150 Unique and Most Common African Last Names (Surnames) Prev Article Next Article . Texas. The lowest ranking name on this list, it comes in #30 for the entire population of African-Americans and Caribbean people. Adébáyọ̀ Origin: Nigerian (Yoruba) Meaning: ‘He came in a joyful time’ or ‘the king/crown/royalty … Coming in 8th among the total population of black people, Davis ranked 7th in 2010. Pronunciation : case sensitive: see the pronunciation key for a guide on how to write the sounds; sounds can only be searched in names that have been assigned pronunciations * is a wildcard that will match zero or more letters in the pronunciation example: *lee matches names which end with the sound lee _ is a wildcard that will match exactly one letter in the pronunciation Rounding out the Top 40, here are the next 30 most common names among African-Americans and Caribbean people: That Sister is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com., Popular African American And Caribbean Last Names, 6 Best Free & Cheap Things To Do In Nassau Bahamas On Vacation, 9 Authentic African Decor Ideas To Jazz Up Your Home & Living Room In 2021, Taylor (Jayceon Terrel Taylor “The Game”). Prior to the emancipation of the American slaves in 1863, those African-Americans held in bondage had usually just one or two given names. For instance, America has more black or African American people with the last name Williams than any other last name. When it comes to surnames, there are some that are very clearly unique, but then there are others that you could probably attribute to 2 or 3 people that you know. The daughters took the last names of their mothers and the sons took the last names of their fathers. Over time, African Americans … However, less than half of the people with the last name Williams are black or African American. Surname: State: County: Researcher: A : ADAMS. Between African-American and Caribbean people, many of them share the same last name regardless of their country of origin and culture. The data, which may include people who identified themselves as African-American, African, or other ethnic or racial groups, is derived from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. African-American Surnames +3 votes . When it comes to last names, Smith is the most popular of last names among black people. Working on African American families in Gallia County, Ohio, I've found a recurring theme with free African Americans born in Virginia before the Civil War. Surnames, on the other hand, are shared with most other American groups, which is largely because of their history. Africans attach lots of importance to … There are slightly more Browns and Jones with 1.43 million people. Most common last names for Blacks in the U.S. From a census data conducted recently in the United States of America, it was made known that there are over 700,000 African Americans with the surname Williams. From the census data, a whopping 716,704 individuals self-identified as “blacks.” This would see the name rank first among blacks, but third, however, in the US considering its total occurrence in the country was a record of 1,534,042. Africans used to live in colonies and clans and hence they give a lot of importance to their tribe while adopting a surname. Every ten years, there’s a U.S. Census and we can use this information to figure out just how many people have the same last name. One given name the child’s family selected and kept secret and one the child was known by given by the slave owner. African last names are the perfect example of colonial influence. With a 22,811 increase from 2000 to 2010, there are over 1.1 million black people who currently share that last name. Names are of huge significance in the continent and that is why some cultures go as far as having naming ceremonies where families officially name their children in the presence of other people. The popular notion is that the slaves took the surname of the last master. In African culture, it is very important to have the clan’s name with their name even though you don’t have a surname. Not only have Black American naming traditions changed, even the names used to describe African Americans have changed as Jocelyn observed in her name essay. If a surname was needed, the slave owner’s family name might be used. Coming 9th on this list, Harris normally ranks at #25 when considering the entire population of black people. That’s why this last name was ranked 5th during the 2010 census and ranks 4th overall. EMBED (for wordpress.com hosted blogs and archive.org item tags) Want more? Of course, we have the Jackson family with Michael and Janet leading the way. There are over 2.4 million African-American and Caribbean people with that last name. Thomas is another last name that wouldn’t rank in the top 10 when considering the entire population. When they were enslaved, African Americans were given last names that belonged to their “owners”. EMBED. Nigerian Last Names – Popular Surnames and Their Meanings . Abiodun: Hailing from the ethnic group Yoruba, Abiodun is often used both as a surname and a first … Some names you might recognize with the same last name are: Isiah Thomas, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas. There’s Melanie B(rown) from Spice Girls and Bobby Brown. Even so, Smith ranked third in the last census and between 2000 and 2010, there was a 6.9% increase in the last name. Cumulative proportion / 100,000: the proportion of people in a random selection of 100,000 who would have a given surname. You’d be wrong; there are thousands and thousands of Africans who share the same name. This is an 8.1% increase from 2000 where they came across approximately 58,000 less Williams. The majority of African American names have a great history and are also shared in the family. According to the 2010 census, they came across hundreds of thousands of Jacksons that it brought the name up to #6 for the decade. I have compiled name lists that can be linked to through this page. Over several hundred years, borders have been made, changed and broken, making family history difficult to trace. With a 6.3% increase in the last name, there 375,576 Jacksons identified in 2010. 150 Unique and Most Common African Last Names (Surnames) Culture. Number of occurrences: Estimate of the number of people with the surname in the United States. The following is a list of the most common surnames for people who self-identified as "Black" in America during the 2000 Census. I decided to publish this adapted "chart" about surname rankings in the United States after publishing a pancocojams post about Elmore James' Blues song "The Sky Is Crying"*. Before then, most names were heavily influenced by European-American culture. 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