lastnamegenerators

African American Last Names

These African American last names carry the history of Black families in the United States, from names recorded after emancipation to names chosen in the civil rights era. The list above gives each surname with its origin and meaning.

232 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

  • Abdul-Jabbar

    Arabic, servant of the Mighty; adopted by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

  • Abdullah

    Arabic, servant of God; adopted by Black Muslims

  • Alexander

    Greek, defender of men

  • Ali

    Arabic, exalted; adopted by Muhammad Ali in 1964

  • Allen

    From the Breton-Celtic personal name Alan, of uncertain meaning

  • Anderson

    Scottish-English, son of Andrew; manly

  • Andrews

    English, son of Andrew

  • Armstrong

    Scottish-English, strong in the arm

  • Artis

    English, possibly from Arthur; old free Black Virginia family

  • Asante

    Name of the Akan Asante (Ashanti) people; adopted by Molefi Kete Asante

B

  • Bailey

    English, bailiff; steward

  • Baldwin

    Germanic, bold friend

  • Banks

    English, dweller by a hillside or bank

  • Baraka

    Arabic and Swahili, blessing; adopted by Amiri Baraka

  • Battle

    English, from Battle in Sussex; or a fighter

  • Bell

    English, dweller by a bell or bell ringer

  • Bellamy

    Norman-French, fine friend

  • Belton

    English place name, possibly beacon farm

  • Bey

    Turkish title of respect; adopted by Moorish Science members

  • Blackmon

    English, dark-haired man; servant of Blacca

  • Booker

    English, maker or copier of books

  • Boyd

    Scottish, from the Isle of Bute; or fair

  • Brewer

    English, brewer of ale

  • Brewington

    English place name; Carolina surname

  • Brooks

    English, dweller by a brook

  • Brown

    English, brown-haired or brown-complexioned

  • Bryant

    Irish-English, from Brian, possibly high or noble

  • Burrell

    English, coarse woollen cloth

  • Butler

    English, wine steward

  • Bynum

    Welsh, son of Einion; anvil

  • Byrd

    English, bird; bird catcher

C

  • Carter

    English, cart driver or maker

  • Cephas

    Aramaic, rock; biblical name of Peter

  • Chambers

    English, chamberlain; household officer

  • Charles

    Germanic, free man; common among Haitian Americans

  • Cobb

    English, lump; big man

  • Coleman

    Irish or English, dove or charcoal burner

  • Collins

    Irish-English, son of Colin

  • Cooper

    English, barrel maker

  • Council

    English, counsel; wise adviser

  • Crawford

    Scottish place name, crow ford

  • Cunningham

    Scottish place name in Ayrshire, of uncertain meaning

D

  • Daniels

    English, son of Daniel; God is my judge

  • Davis

    Welsh-English, son of David; beloved

  • Dixon

    English, son of Dick

  • Dorsey

    Norman-Irish, from Orsay; or dark

  • Douglas

    Scottish, dark water (Gaelic dubh glas)

  • Douglass

    Scottish, dark water; name chosen by Frederick Douglass

E

  • Easley

    English place name, possibly eastern clearing

  • Edwards

    English, son of Edward; wealthy guardian

  • Ellison

    English, son of Ellis (Elias)

  • Etienne

    French, Stephen; crown; Haitian American

  • Evans

    Welsh, son of Evan (John)

F

  • Faison

    French Huguenot, possibly pheasant; common in North Carolina

  • Ferguson

    Scottish, son of Fergus; man of vigor

  • Fields

    English, dweller by open fields

  • Fleming

    English, from Flanders

  • Ford

    English, dweller by a river crossing

  • Foster

    English, forester; or foster parent

  • Francois

    French, Frenchman; free; Haitian American

  • Franklin

    English, free landholder

  • Frazier

    Scottish, possibly strawberry (French fraise)

  • Freeman

    English, free man; also chosen by freedpeople after emancipation

G

  • Gadsden

    English place name; South Carolina surname

  • Gadson

    English, son of Gadd; South Carolina surname

  • Gaines

    Anglo-Norman, crafty or ingenious

  • Gibbs

    English, son of Gib (Gilbert)

  • Gilliam

    Norman-English, form of William

  • Glenn

    Scottish, valley

  • Glover

    English, glove maker

  • Gordon

    Scottish place name, great hill fort

  • Grant

    Norman-Scottish, tall; great

  • Green

    English, dweller by the village green

  • Greene

    English, dweller by the village green

  • Griffin

    Welsh, from Gruffudd, possibly strong lord

H

  • Hairston

    Scottish place name; many descend from the Hairston plantations

  • Hakim

    Arabic, wise; physician; adopted by Black Muslims

  • Hall

    English, worker at a manor hall

  • Hamilton

    Scottish place name, flat-topped hill

  • Hampton

    English place name, home farm

  • Harper

    English, harp player

  • Harris

    English, son of Harry; home ruler

  • Hawkins

    English, son of Hawkin; little hawk

  • Hayes

    English or Irish, hedged enclosure

  • Henderson

    Scottish, son of Henry

  • Henry

    Germanic, home ruler

  • Hicks

    English, son of Hick (Richard)

  • Hightower

    English, dweller by a high tower

  • Hill

    English, dweller on a hill

  • Holley

    English, dweller by holly trees

  • Hollins

    English, dweller by holly trees

  • Holloway

    English, dweller by a sunken road

  • Holmes

    English, dweller by holly or a river island

  • Hooks

    English, dweller by a bend or hook of land

  • Horton

    English place name, muddy farm

  • Howard

    English, possibly high guardian or ewe herder

  • Hudson

    English, son of Hudde (Richard)

  • Hunter

    English, huntsman

I

  • Ingram

    Norman-English, from Germanic Engelram, Angle + raven

  • Ivory

    Norman-English, from Ivry in Normandy

J

  • Jackson

    English, son of Jack; very common after emancipation

  • James

    English from Hebrew, supplanter

  • Jean

    French, John; common among Haitian Americans

  • Jean-Baptiste

    French, John the Baptist; Haitian American

  • Jefferson

    English, son of Jeffrey; widely adopted after emancipation

  • Jenkins

    Welsh-English, son of little John

  • Jeter

    English, possibly jetter or boaster

  • Johnson

    English, son of John; among the most common Black American surnames

  • Jones

    Welsh-English, son of John

  • Jordan

    Hebrew, descend; after the River Jordan

  • Joseph

    Hebrew, God will increase; common among Haitian Americans

  • Joyner

    English, joiner; carpenter

K

  • Karenga

    Name chosen by Maulana Karenga, creator of Kwanzaa

  • Kenyatta

    Adopted in honor of Jomo Kenyatta; Kikuyu beaded belt

  • King

    English, royal or one who played a king in pageants

L

  • Lawrence

    Latin, from Laurentum; laurel

  • Lawson

    English-Scottish, son of Lawrence

  • Lewis

    Norman-English, famous warrior

  • Lincoln

    English place name; adopted after emancipation

  • Lockhart

    Scottish-English, probably keeper of a fold (Old English loc + hierde)

  • Louis

    French, famous warrior; Haitian American

  • Lucas

    Latin, from Lucania; light

  • Lyons

    Irish or French, gray; or from Lyon

M

  • Mack

    Scottish, from the personal name Magnus; also shortened Mac- names

  • Madhubuti

    Swahili, precise; dependable; adopted by Haki Madhubuti

  • Madison

    English, son of Maud or Matthew

  • Majors

    Norman-English, son of Mauger

  • Manigault

    French Huguenot; Gullah Geechee families of South Carolina

  • Marshall

    English, horse keeper; high officer

  • Mason

    English, stoneworker

  • Matthews

    English, son of Matthew; gift of God

  • Mayfield

    English place name, open land where mayweed grows

  • McCall

    Scottish, son of Cathal; battle ruler

  • McCoy

    Irish-Scottish, son of Aodh; fire

  • McDaniel

    Irish-Scottish, son of Domhnall (world ruler), anglicized via Daniel

  • McKinney

    Scottish, son of Cionaodh; born of fire

  • McMillan

    Scottish, son of the tonsured one

  • McNeil

    Scottish, son of Neil; possibly champion

  • Merriweather

    English, merry weather; cheerful person

  • Mfume

    Conquering son of kings; adopted by Kweisi Mfume

  • Middleton

    English place name, middle farm

  • Mitchell

    English, big; also form of Michael

  • Monroe

    Scottish Munro; traditionally from Gaelic bun Rotha, mouth of the Roe

  • Moore

    English, dweller by a moor

  • Morris

    Norman-English, dark-skinned; Moorish

  • Moses

    Hebrew, drawn out; biblical name

  • Mosley

    English place name, mouse clearing

  • Muhammad

    Arabic, praised one; widely adopted through the Nation of Islam

N

  • Nash

    English, dweller by an ash tree

  • Norris

    Norman-English, northerner

O

  • Obadele

    Yoruba, the king arrives home; adopted by Imari Obadele

  • Oliver

    Latin, olive tree

  • Outlaw

    English nickname, outlaw; old North Carolina family

  • Owens

    Welsh, son of Owen; well-born

P

  • Parker

    English, park keeper

  • Payne

    English, countryman; pagan

  • Peoples

    English-Scottish, possibly a variant of Peebles, a Scottish place name

  • Perry

    English, dweller by a pear tree

  • Person

    English, son of Piers; or parson

  • Pettiford

    English, possibly from Pettifer, iron foot

  • Pettway

    English; associated with Gee's Bend, Alabama quilters

  • Pierre

    French, Peter; stone; common among Haitian Americans

  • Pinckney

    Norman-English, from Picquigny; South Carolina surname

  • Pollard

    English, cropped head

  • Porter

    English, gatekeeper

  • Powell

    Welsh, son of Hywel; eminent

  • Pugh

    Welsh, son of Hugh

R

  • Randolph

    Germanic, shield wolf

  • Rasheed

    Arabic, rightly guided; adopted by Black Muslims

  • Reed

    English, red-haired or ruddy

  • Rhodes

    English, dweller by a clearing or road

  • Richardson

    English, son of Richard

  • Rivers

    English, dweller by a river; high Black American share

  • Robinson

    English, son of Robin; bright fame

  • Rogers

    English, son of Roger; famous spear

  • Rucker

    German, possibly from the personal name Rüdiger

  • Ruffin

    Norman-English, red-haired

  • Russell

    Norman-English, little red one

S

  • Salaam

    Arabic, peace; adopted by Black Muslims

  • Sampson

    Hebrew, like the sun

  • Sanders

    English, son of Alexander

  • Scales

    English, dweller by a hut or shelter

  • Scott

    English-Scottish, from Scotland; a Gael

  • Seabrook

    English place name, slow stream; common in the Sea Islands

  • Shabazz

    Nation of Islam name, the lost tribe of Shabazz; Betty Shabazz

  • Shakur

    Arabic, thankful; adopted by the Shakur family

  • Simmons

    English, son of Simon

  • Simpson

    English, son of Sim (Simon)

  • Sims

    English, son of Sim (Simon)

  • Singleton

    English place name, shingled farm

  • Smith

    English, metalworker; blacksmith

  • Spencer

    English, dispenser of provisions

  • Staten

    Possibly English or Dutch place name

  • Stewart

    Scottish, household steward

  • Sutton

    English place name, south farm

T

  • Tate

    English, cheerful

  • Taylor

    English, tailor

  • Terrell

    Norman-English, puller; stubborn

  • Thomas

    Aramaic, twin

  • Thornton

    English place name, thorn-bush farm

  • Tolbert

    English, possibly a variant of Talbot

  • Tolliver

    Italian-English Taliaferro, iron cutter

  • Toussaint

    French, All Saints' Day; Haitian American

  • Townsend

    English, dweller at the end of town

  • Tubman

    English, maker of tubs; honors Harriet Tubman

  • Tucker

    English, cloth fuller

  • Ture

    Adopted by Kwame Ture in honor of Sékou Touré

  • Turner

    English, lathe worker

W

  • Wade

    English, dweller by a ford

  • Walker

    English, cloth fuller who walked on wet cloth

  • Wallace

    Scottish, Welshman; foreigner

  • Ward

    English, watchman; guard

  • Ware

    English, dweller by a weir or dam

  • Warren

    Norman, game park keeper

  • Washington

    English place name; about 90% of bearers are Black Americans

  • Watkins

    English, son of little Walter

  • Weathers

    English, castrated ram; shepherd

  • Webb

    English, weaver

  • Whitaker

    English place name, white field

  • White

    English, fair-haired

  • Whitfield

    English place name, white field

  • Wigfall

    English place name; South Carolina surname

  • Williams

    Welsh-English, son of William; the most common Black American surname

  • Willis

    English, son of Will

  • Wilson

    English, son of Will

  • Wimberly

    English place name, possibly Wynbeald's clearing

  • Winston

    English place name, friend's town

  • Woodard

    English, forest warden

  • Woods

    English, dweller in the woods

  • Wooten

    English place name, farm by the wood

  • Wright

    English, craftsman; builder

Y

  • Young

    English, the younger

Generate random african american surnames

Filter by first letter, length and rarity, add a first name to preview the full name, then copy or save your favorites.

Results (6)

  • Wright

    English, craftsman; builder

  • Seabrook

    English place name, slow stream; common in the Sea Islands

  • Williams

    Welsh-English, son of William; the most common Black American surname

  • Pettway

    English; associated with Gee's Bend, Alabama quilters

  • Robinson

    English, son of Robin; bright fame

  • Young

    English, the younger

Saved names

    Names you save will appear here. They stay in this browser only.

    Open the full generator

    The history behind African American last names

    Enslaved people in the United States were usually recorded by first name only in plantation ledgers and bills of sale, and their family ties were often ignored or deliberately broken by sale. Many nevertheless used surnames among themselves, sometimes preserving the name of a parent, a grandparent, an earlier enslaver or a place, and passing it down quietly. These names became visible in official records only after emancipation.

    After the Civil War, freedpeople registered their own surnames with the Freedmen's Bureau, on labour contracts, in marriage records and in the 1870 census, the first to list most formerly enslaved people by full name. Some kept a surname linked to a former enslaver because it tied relatives together and helped separated family members find each other. Many deliberately chose a different name, often a common English surname or the name of an admired figure, as a clear statement of freedom.

    Most common African American last names and origins

    Because most names adopted after emancipation were English, Scottish or Irish in origin, the most frequent surnames among Black Americans closely overlap with those of the country as a whole. Williams, Johnson, Smith, Jones, Brown, Jackson, Davis, Thomas, Harris and Robinson appear near the top of census rankings. Jackson and Thomas rank much higher among Black Americans than in the general population, reflecting choices made in the late 1860s.

    Some surnames are carried mostly by Black Americans. Washington is the best-known example: a large majority of Americans named Washington are Black, as are a majority of people named Jefferson, Booker and Mosley. These names often honoured founding figures or respected local people, and some families chose them as an expression of citizenship. Regional names add more detail, such as Gadson and Ravenell in the South Carolina Lowcountry, or Batiste and Toussaint among Creole families in Louisiana.

    Black last names from the twentieth century onward

    In the twentieth century some Black Americans rejected surnames they saw as inherited from slavery. Members of the Nation of Islam replaced their family name with X, representing the unknown African name that had been lost, as with Malcolm X, and many later took Arabic names such as Muhammad, Shabazz or Ali. Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Clay, is the most famous example. Others chose Swahili, Yoruba or Akan names during the Black Arts and Black Power movements.

    The poet Amiri Baraka, born Everett LeRoi Jones, and the activist Kwame Ture, born Stokely Carmichael, are well-known examples. Today Black American surnames reflect this whole history, along with newer arrivals from the Caribbean and Africa, who bring names such as Pierre, Okafor, Mensah and Haile. For writers, a surname can signal generations of family history in a particular region, so it is worth choosing one that fits where and when your character's family lived.

    Frequently asked questions

    What are common African American last names?

    Williams, Johnson, Smith, Jones, Brown, Jackson, Davis, Thomas, Harris and Robinson are among the most common. Most are English or Scottish in origin and were chosen or recorded in the years after emancipation, when formerly enslaved people registered surnames for the first time.

    Why is Washington one of the common black last names?

    After emancipation many freedpeople chose Washington in honour of the first president and as a claim to full citizenship. Fewer white families carried the name, so today most Americans named Washington are Black. It is one of the clearest examples of a surname shaped by the choices of freedpeople.

    What are some unique black last names?

    Names such as Pettaway, Gadson, Ravenell, Toussaint and Batiste are closely tied to Black communities in particular regions. Other distinctive surnames include Arabic names adopted through the Nation of Islam, like Shabazz, and African names taken during the civil rights era or brought by recent immigrants.

    Did African American last names come from slave owners?

    Some did, but fewer than is often assumed. Many freedpeople chose surnames unrelated to their last enslaver, and some deliberately avoided that name. Others kept it to stay connected to relatives who had been sold away. Historians find that the reasons varied from family to family.

    More last name lists