African American female names are rooted in U.S. English, with innovations documented since the late 20th century. Female forms frequently use prefixed elements such as La-, Sha-, Ke-, and Ja-, and feminine suffixes including -isha, -esha, -equa, and -ika. The sh sound and letter clusters like sh, qu, and y are common, and spacing or punctuation sometimes appears in given names (for example, La Toia). These affix patterns are shared with male naming but are more concentrated in girls’ names.

Modern usage shows both distinctively African American coinages and mainstream English or biblical choices. Examples include Akeyah, Antaniece, Ashonti, Chaunta, Damika, Jamyka, Kaesha, Keeshia, La Toia, and Shenequwa.