African American Boy Names
African American male names in the United States draw primarily from American English, with strong influences from Biblical naming, Arabic/Islamic sources, and creative coinage within African American English. A common structural feature in boys’ names is the use of prefixes such as De-, La-, and Ja-, often with apostrophes, and endings like -on/-won and -quan. Patronymic patterns such as Jr. and II are widely used for sons.
Modern usage mixes mainstream U.S. male names with distinct innovations that became especially visible from the late 20th century onward. Examples: Antawn, Ashon, Countee, D’Onta, Damario, Davon, De’onta, Ja’Kwon, LaQuan, Markiese.
Showing 42
of 42 names
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davon | Probably 'from Devon' (a place name) or related to David, meaning 'beloved' | African American, English | Boy | 1,166 #1 | |
| Tyrell | Stubborn; one who pulls | African American, English, French | Boy | 1,151 #2 | |
| Tevin | No established literal meaning | African American, English | Boy | 877 #3 | |
| Tyrese | No literal meaning | African American, English | Boy | 713 #4 | |
| Keshawn | God is gracious | African American, English, Hebrew, Irish | Boy | 564 #5 | |
| Tavon | UNKNOWN | African American, English | Boy | 304 #6 | |
| Xayvion | New house | African American, Basque, Spanish | Boy | 206 #7 | |
| Damario | Variant of Mario - 'of Mario' or ultimately from Latin Marius, associated with Mars (broadly 'male' or 'warlike') | African American, English | Boy | 173 #8 | |
| Ashon | Probably derived from 'Ash' (ash tree) or from combining Ash + -on/Shawn; a modern invented name - exact traditional meaning is uncertain | African American, English | Boy | 88 #9 | |
| Lavaughn | Small Vaughn | African American, Welsh | Boy | 59 #10 | |
| Tavarius | No fixed literal meaning | African American, English | Boy | 50 #11 | |
| Tabari | From Tabaristan | African American, Arabic, Persian | Boy | 40 #12 | |
| Vashon | Cowherd | African American, English, French, Latin | Boy | 23 #13 | |
| Tyga | Thank You God Always | African American, English | Boy | 15 #14 | |
| Tamarius | UNKNOWN | African American, English, Hebrew, Latin | Boy | 14 #15 | |
| Antawn | From the Roman family name Antonius; of uncertain origin, commonly interpreted as 'priceless' or 'invaluable'. | African American, English | Boy | 5 #16 | |
| 2 Chainz | Stylized stage name meaning "two chains", referencing wearing two chains as a symbol of wealth, status, and style. | African American | Boy | — | |
| Busta | Breaker | African American, English | Boy | — | |
| Cleotha | Glory, fame | African American, English, Greek | Boy | — | |
| Countee | Probably related to 'count' (noble) or an invented/creative given name; exact origin uncertain | African American, English | Boy | — | |
| D'Onta | Enduring; lasting, steadfast | African American | Boy | — | |
| De'onta | Likely 'follower of Dionysus' (via Deon/Dion); a modern elaboration | African American, English | Boy | — | |
| Dikembe | Banana | African American, Bantu | Boy | — | |
| Ja'Kwon | Modern coinage: 'Ja-' prefix + 'Kwon' (Korean 권 meaning 'power/authority'), often interpreted as 'young power' or 'son of Kwon'. | African American | Boy | — | |
| Jahmien | Probable modern blend: 'Jah' (God) + a Jamin/Damien-type ending; often interpreted in usage as 'God is with me' or 'God's gift' (approximate/folk meaning). | African American, English | Boy | — | |
| Ka-Nai | Uncertain and modern; often a constructed name. Common interpretations: a Ka- prefix combined with 'Nai' (meaning varies by language), sometimes associated in American usage with ideas like 'beloved' or 'precious', or linked to Japanese Kanai (家内) meaning 'inside the house/household'. | African American, Japanese | Boy | — | |
| Kentay | UNKNOWN | African American, English | Boy | — | |
| Kwamin | Saturday-born male | African American, Akan | Boy | — | |
| La Vonn | Small, little | African American, English, Welsh | Boy | — | |
| LaQuan | Constructed name; loosely interpreted from "Quan" as "complete/whole" or "power/authority" - commonly understood as "strong/powerful" in usage | African American | Boy | — | |
| LeBron | Brown-haired one | African American, French, Spanish | Boy | — | |
| Ludacris | Absurd; playful | African American, English, Latin | Boy | — | |
| Markiese | A modern coinage combining senses of 'Mark' (from Marcus - 'warlike/of Mars') and 'Marquis' ('noble') - roughly 'noble warrior' or 'of Mark/Marquis.' | African American, English | Boy | — | |
| Mashawn | Yahweh is gracious | African American, Hebrew, Irish | Boy | — | |
| Mekell | Who is like God? | African American, Hebrew | Boy | — | |
| Montraie | UNKNOWN | African American | Boy | — | |
| Quantey | A modern invented name. Often associated with 'Quan' (ideas of completeness/authority) or influenced by 'Quentin' (Latin, 'fifth'); generally used as a distinctive given name. | African American, English | Boy | — | |
| Quavo | UNKNOWN | African American, English | Boy | — | |
| Tevaughn | Little; small | African American, English, Welsh | Boy | — | |
| Voshon | God is gracious | African American, English, Hebrew, Irish | Boy | — | |
| Xyshaun | UNKNOWN | African American, English, Hebrew, Irish | Boy | — | |
| Zashawn | God is gracious | African American, English, Hebrew, Irish | Boy | — |
African American Boys name popularity over time
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every African American-origin name in our dataset.
42
Names in this origin
14
With data in 2024
495
Births 2024
2,712
Peak year 2000