Darnell m English, African AmericanFrom an English surname that was derived from Old French
darnel, a type of grass. In some cases the surname may be from a place name, itself derived from Old English
derne "hidden" and
halh "nook".
Darrell m English, African AmericanFrom an English surname that was derived from Norman French
d'Airelle, originally denoting one who came from Airelle in France. As a given name it was moderately popular from the 1930s to the 1970s, but it dropped off the American top 1000 rankings in 2018.
Darryl m English, African AmericanVariant of
Darrell. In the United States, this spelling was more popular than
Darrell from 1960 to 1966, being especially well-used in the African-American community.
Devante m African American (Modern)Combination of the phonetic elements
da,
von and
tay. DeVanté Swing (1969-), stage name of Donald DeGrate Jr., was a singer with the group Jodeci. His name dramatically rose in popularity in the early 1990s when the group released their first successful songs, though it soon began to recede again.
... [more] Ivory m & f African AmericanFrom the English word for the hard, creamy-white substance that comes from elephant tusks and was formerly used to produce piano keys.
Jabari m African American (Modern)Means
"almighty, powerful" in Swahili, ultimately from Arabic
جبّار (jabbar). It started to be used by African-American parents after it was featured in a 1973 nation-wide newspaper article about African baby names.
Jalen m African American (Modern)An invented name. In America it was popularized in the 1990s by basketball player Jalen Rose (1973-), whose name was a combination of those of his father
James and maternal uncle
Leonard.
Jelani m African American (Modern)This name began to be used rarely in the United States in 1973 after it was featured in a nation-wide newspaper article about African baby names. It probably represents the Arabic name
Jilani, given in honour of the Sufi scholar Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (the meaning quoted by the newspaper article ("mighty") coincides with the meaning of
Qadir).
... [more] Jermaine m African AmericanVariant of
Germain. This name rapidly increased in popularity in the early 1970s as a result of the newfound fame of Jermaine Jackson (1954-), a member of the singing group The Jackson 5.
Kanye m African American (Modern)Meaning uncertain. It could be from the name of a town in Botswana (of Tswana origin). Yoruba, Igbo, Xhosa and Fula meanings have also been suggested. It is borne by the American rapper Kanye West (1977-), and the name briefly appeared on the United States top 1000 list in 2004 when he released his debut album.
Kenyatta m & f African AmericanFrom a surname used by the first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta (1897-1978). He adopted the surname in his youth, supposedly from a type of ornamental belt worn by the Maasai people.
Lamar m English, African AmericanFrom a French and English surname, originally from a place name in Normandy, which was derived from Old French
la mare meaning
"the pool". In the second half of the 20th century this name has been well-used in the African-American community, probably because of its popular phonetic components
la and
mar.
Lamont m English, African AmericanFrom a Scottish surname that was derived from the medieval Gaelic given name
Lagmann, itself from Old Norse
lǫgmaðr meaning
"law man". This name reached a peak in its American popularity in 1972, the same year that the sitcom
Sanford and Son debuted, featuring the character Lamont Sanford (the titular son).
LeBron m African American (Modern)Probably an invented name, though it does coincide with the Spanish surname
Lebrón, derived from
liebre meaning "hare". This is the name of basketball player LeBron James (1984-).
Levar m African AmericanPopularized by the American actor LeVar Burton (1957-) after he starred in the popular American miniseries
Roots (1977). His birth name was Levardis, after his father, of unknown meaning. It can be spelled
Levar or with a capitalized third letter as
LeVar.
Marquis m African AmericanFrom a noble title that derives from the Old French word
marche meaning "march, borderland". The title originally referred to someone who ruled on the borderlands of a realm.
Mekhi m African AmericanMeaning unknown, possibly an invented name. This name was popularized by the American actor Mekhi Phifer (1974-).
Terrell m English, African AmericanFrom an English surname that was probably derived from the Norman French nickname
tirel "to pull", referring to a stubborn person. It may sometimes be given in honour of civil rights activist Mary Church Terrell (1863-1954). It was common in the African-American community from the 1970s to the 1990s, typically stressed on the second syllable. A famous bearer is American football player Terrell Owens (1973-).
Tyree m African AmericanFrom a Scottish surname, a variant of
McIntyre. It has been well-used as an African-American name, especially since the 1970s, probably inspired by other similar-sounding names such as
Tyrone.
Tyrese m African American (Modern)Invented name, an elaboration of the initial sound in names such as
Tyrone,
Tyrell and
Tyree. It jumped in popularity after the American singer and actor Tyrese Gibson (1978-) released his debut album in 1998.
Tyrone m English, African AmericanFrom the name of a county in Northern Ireland, which is derived from Irish Gaelic
Tir Eoghain meaning "land of
Eoghan". This name was popularized by American actor Tyrone Power (1914-1958), who was named after his great-grandfather, an Irish actor.
Zaire m African American (Modern)From the name of a country in Africa from 1971 to 1997, now called the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is said to be derived from Kikongo
nzadi o nzere meaning
"river swallowing rivers", referring to the Congo River.