Studies of resumes have found that people with black-sounding names are less likely to get callbacks. ABC’S 20/20 put this to the test, when they posted identical resumes except the names were different.
The resumes with the white-sounding names were actually downloaded 17 percent more often by job recruiters than the resumes with black-sounding names. Nothing new, black people have been knowing this for years!
Anyway, here’s a list from the book “Freakonomics,” by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, showing the top 20 whitest- and blackest-sounding girl and boy names.
20 “Whitest” Girl Names
Molly
Amy
Claire
Emily
Katie
Madeline
Katelyn
Emma
Abigail
Carly
Jenna
Heather
Katherine
Caitlin
Kaitlin
Holly
Allison
Kaitlyn
Hannah
Kathryn20 “Blackest” Girl Names
Imani
Ebony
Shanice
Aaliyah
Precious
Nia
Deja
Diamond
Asia
Aliyah
Jada
Tierra
Tiara
Kiara
Jazmine
Jasmin
Jazmin
Jasmine
Alexus
Raven20 “Whitest” Boy Names
Jake
Connor
Tanner
Wyatt
Cody
Dustin
Luke
Jack
Scott
Logan
Cole
Lucas
Bradley
Jacob
Garrett
Dylan
Maxwell
Hunter
Brett
Colin20 “Blackest” Boy Names
DeShawn
DeAndre
Marquis
Darnell
Terrell
Malik
Trevon
Tyrone
Willie
Dominique
Demetrius
Reginald
Jamal
Maurice
Jalen
Darius
Xavier
Terrance
Andre
Darryl[SOURCE]
that is soooo funny.
it amazes me that despite this blk people still decided to name their children names that give them an automatic occupational and academic disadvantage. particularly afro-caribeans and afro-americans.
I was excited to see this post, because I am pregnant right now and arguing with my folks and my husband’s folks over the baby’s name. They think the name we choose is too white and suggested the name Terrance. I thought it was ok, but I don’t want to limit my child. Since we are black, we will always have barriers, I don’t want to let his name cause another one!
#1
Why should you choose a name to conform to a racist society? I think names like Imani and Raven are beautiful and I wouldn’t sacrifice giving my child a beautiful name just so they can “fit in” when they get older. That’s like saying why would you let a girl where her hair natural as supposed to where it relaxed to fit in w/ white people? I have an “ethnic” name and I’m sure it hasn’t always worked in my favor, but I’m proud of my name and who I am as a black person and I’m very succesful despite the obstacles that I have the deal w/. At the end of the day, even if my name was Molly Sue, I might get called in for an interview, but once I get there they’ll still figure out I’m black…a name can only hide that fact for too long. It’s not about us changing our names, it’s about racist people putting their behavors in check. I’m sure the Maria’s and Belky’s of the would have this problem too.
Good point # 3.
The FLIP side of this coin, is that if you were to name your child with one of the names of the WHITE listing, then your child would get clowned everyday in school, picked on, ostracized & possibly beat up.
As an employer, Yes, I do look at a person’s NAME first..The person name gives me a visual picture of what they might look like, and what qualities & attributes they will bring to the table.
In the end, I don’t think that one should let society’s values dictate the name you choose for your son or daughter.
Wow….LMAO!!! Thats some real shit though….
Do u know how many Ebony’s there are in the world?
valid argument, dont get me rong i think names like ebony and raven are beautiful, but the reality is people can be limited in terms of job prospectus by certain names. my frend is mixed 1/2 arab so she has a arab-dutch surname, she admits that it has helped her cus people dont know shes blk till they actually meet her.
this means that b4 they meet her they dont automatically stereotype, obviosly wen they see her in person they are shocked, but this gives her the ability to charm them once they meet her. shes just an example.
at the end of the day its up to parents to name their kids wat they want. theres a difference between naming ure child ebony (which has a meaning) and naming ur child k’ryan (which is a made up name my blak frend is gonna giv her son). theres a huge difference! soo many blaks name their kids “blak names” that actually have no meaning. and people (whites especially) can tell. at the end of the day the reality is that most blaks in the best institutions (academically and professionally) tend to have names that are not stereotypical, in contrast the average tyrone/t’shaun works as a cleaner/bus driver. (not that theres anything rong with these jobs) its just an example and its also reality.
many whites appreciate interesting “blak names” that have meanings. i know a white gal called ebony lol. it a gorgeous name. alot of them like african names and are curious to know wat they mean.
just my opinion, didnt mean to offend any1.
# 7
I agree with you. The above names are okay, but when blacks starting adding apostrophes, hypens, and extra syllables that is a problem to me. I decided long ago that I would not set my children up for failure when naming them.
Yeah, this has been around for a minute but I’ve always believed that we (blacks) are setting our kids up for failure in a sense of we start out with a “black” name.
Chillin’ I see your point but you can’t change someone one else. You can only change yourself. So if the racist people don’t put themselves in check, what’s next?
If I was in HR and saw the name Boomquisha Monifa Tequilla Jackson, I swear I’d roll my eyes and pray she didn’t look like ShaNaNay from Martin. On the other hand, if I saw a name like Jennifer Jones, I might not be as quick to judge. If anything, blacks sterotypes each other as much as white sterotype us. That’s a fact. Just ask anyone on this board what they think Boomquisha would look like. It’s not just white folks doing the judging. Let’s keep that real.
I don’t want the color of my child’s skin to be immediately know from their name alone.
I don’t want my child to have trouble spelling their own name.
I don’t want my child’s name constantly mispronounced.
good point # 9
I don’t think your name limits you chances of getting employed. We just live in a racist world who put those kinds of stereotypes on blacks. I know white girls with the name jazmine and alexus. I do agree when we start naming our kids so far out stuff, but look at Condoleezza and Oprah. They are still powerful without the safe names.
OK. My name is Nakia. Had a little trouble with that as a youth in the 80′s and 90′s when “err” body (if you see what i’m saying) had some sort of ___kia. name. Especially going to an all white Catholic school where most of the other girls could order pencils with their names on them from a catalog. A name as phonetically simple as mine was mispronounced. Most people wanted to say it more like Nadia. So i started calling mysefl Nikki. Then i went to a predominately white college in North Carolina. My freshman year my roommates name was Saretha. Imagine my surprise when i got there and she was a white girl! Dead serious.
Anyhoo in college i learned a lot more about how people discriminate against you based on sterotypes starting with your name. First semester i got a lot of C’s and B’s. Second sememster a mentor suggested that I sign my papers N. Jones instead of my full name. Most of my classes were large lecture classes and the professors never really got to know the students anyway. I got A’s and B’s. Now i’m not saying that it isn’t possible that I just performed better second semester than first. But there were a hell of a lot less red marks on N. Jones’ papers than there were on Nakia’s.
Here’s an example: At my last job, I was, unfortunely, one of only two blacks in our part of the company. Aside from the racist jokes I had to shake on a regular basis, my boss received a resume’ from a very intelligent young black man named Ja’von. I met him when he dropped it off, but my boss wasn’t in at the time. As soon as he saw the name he chucked some crap about the spelling and pronunciation and threw the resume in his “to be filed” pile immediately. The young man had experience in the field that the company specialized in, but he didn’t even get a chance. I almost fell off my chair. At the time, I was only 21 and naive about everything. Now a days, I would have at least questioned him. That event definately changed my outlook on naming my child.
that is the funniest shit ever….*hangs head in shame cuz name is on White girl list* HELL I GOT ME THAT JOB THO!!!
CL should do a lot more posts where readers can argue/debate topics affecting the world, society in particular blak people.
whatever, i know a couple of people saw they names up there or somebody they know with the names listed. i seen my brothers and my cousins name
@ 12 you have to look at the industry they are in…entertainment well not condalezza but oprah. and what about the beyonce’s and letoya’s of the world. entertainers have “ghetto” names as well that is why they are entertainers, not the rocafella’s or the duponts. I can say one thing I am african american but my mommy gave me and my siblings arabic names and I am happy for that. Our names are unique and they actually mean something. Unlike nya or naigale which are both made up names of black people I actually know*shudders*. I have to agree with no. 1 blobbybaby, black people limit themselves when they name their children names such as the ones stated above. I am black but when I see a name like antwon or keisha, I automatically stereotype them as being either gay (antwon) or a slut and ghetto (keisha). The truth of the matter in my opinion is, some black people hinder their children from a good childhood and an even better adult life with the ghetto names.
#3
Cosign. If a company or employer is ignorant enough to discrimanate because of your name, then how do you think they are going to treat you once they discover you are black? Whether you name your child Molly or Malika they are still going to be black and they are still going to have to be 10x smarter and work 10x harder.
in the balck section that is..
Asians, hispanics, and other ethnic groups are done the same way, but it is always black and white. How many resumes does HR see that have asian and hispanic names, call this peoople, and pronounce their names wrong. It is not about the name; it another form of racism. Why are we the only race being called out for our names.
on Monday, September 25, 2006 @ 9:12 am
Sun said:
——————————————————————————–
Asians, hispanics, and other ethnic groups are done the same way, but it is always black and white. How many resumes does HR see that have asian and hispanic names, call this peoople, and pronounce their names wrong. It is not about the name; it another form of racism. Why are we the only race being called out for our names.
——————————————————————————–
Bill Said:
Excellant EXCELLANT CounterPoint !!!
CoSign, Selah & AMEN !!!
True. True!
on Monday, September 25, 2006 @ 8:30 am
Nakia said:
——————————————————————————–
OK. My name is Nakia. Had a little trouble with that as a youth in the 80’s and 90’s when “err” body (if you see what i’m saying) had some sort of ___kia. name. Especially going to an all white Catholic school where most of the other girls could order pencils with their names on them from a catalog. A name as phonetically simple as mine was mispronounced. Most people wanted to say it more like Nadia. So i started calling mysefl Nikki. Then i went to a predominately white college in North Carolina. My freshman year my roommates name was Saretha. Imagine my surprise when i got there and she was a white girl! Dead serious.
Anyhoo in college i learned a lot more about how people discriminate against you based on sterotypes starting with your name. First semester i got a lot of C’s and B’s. Second sememster a mentor suggested that I sign my papers N. Jones instead of my full name. Most of my classes were large lecture classes and the professors never really got to know the students anyway. I got A’s and B’s. Now i’m not saying that it isn’t possible that I just performed better second semester than first. But there were a hell of a lot less red marks on N. Jones’ papers than there were on Nakia’s.
——————————————————on Monday, September 25, 2006 @ 8:58 am
Tall Andy 28 said:
——————————————————————————–
Here’s an example: At my last job, I was, unfortunely, one of only two blacks in our part of the company. Aside from the racist jokes I had to shake on a regular basis, my boss received a resume’ from a very intelligent young black man named Ja’von. I met him when he dropped it off, but my boss wasn’t in at the time. As soon as he saw the name he chucked some crap about the spelling and pronunciation and threw the resume in his “to be filed” pile immediately. The young man had experience in the field that the company specialized in, but he didn’t even get a chance. I almost fell off my chair. At the time, I was only 21 and naive about everything. Now a days, I would have at least questioned him. That event definately changed my outlook on naming my child.
——————————————————
Bill Said:
Wow…That two comments above pretty much sum up how Corporate America (whether their is a Black Person or Caucasian Person in Human Resources) feels about peole with “Unique” names
Well I have a “white name” as you can see, so I guess I’m straight….lol. I just can’t wait to see whitey’s face when they see that Imma sista.
But people with “black names” getting discriminated against ain’t cool at all. And just because someone has a “ghetto” or “black name” doesn’t make them less than. People making fun of “black names” is just another method in making us feel inadequate. Don’t fall for it.
Damn…this is funny. OK black people, stop naming your kids “Tyriq” and “Furonda”, and maybe they can get better jobs than you did.
LMAO @ this list….
Cosign with #7
I don’t see what’s wrong with giving your child a name that is symbolic and has a meaning.
My problem is all these little young (and sometimes not so young) mommas out there giving these poor kids names like Norega Dyshaneekquia Quavasier Jenkins because they are trying to name them after rappers or drug lords or other people that they know nothing about.
I’m sorry but I hate those ghetto ass names that are just a bunch of consonants and punctuation marks stuck together. I will argue that til I die, but that’s MY opinion.
Creativity and ignorance do NOT go hand in hand. It’s a difference between staying true to our heritage and just being ignorant. Yeah, it’s sad but you know what, it’s something that we have to deal with in ameriKKKa.
While you are trying to find your child’s name off of rap city and from the liquor store, you are hurting their chances of gaining certain areas of employment. Sad but true. It’s just the way it is in this country…..
I remember when Kwame won “The Apprentice” even Jay Leno made a joke about how no one would expect the next Donald to be name “Kwame”. That’s a damn shame because that man had mad amounts of education and obviously he could hold his own in corporate america. I wish we could just name our children to reflect their culture or what ever the hell we felt like, but our world is a cruel and twisted place. Plain and simple!
Maybe the issue should be “people changing their ignorance and judging people because of a name” rather than “people should stop naming their child made-up or ghetto names.”
I amit that some of those “Black” names really do tell a person’s race before you meet them, but I think Raven is a pretty name! I’ve always said if I had a girl, I’d name her Raven Nicole or Morgan Nicole.
i am a semi-white boy…this is completely bullshit. if i was an interviewer which one day i’ll be coz i am studying H.R i would look for qualifications. it doesn’t matter if the applicant is white black half cast red or yellow!!!!!!!!! this is racism…which is ignorance!!! people are all the same…the colour various!!!
This whole situation is just phucked up. Because it doesn’t matter if you have a white or black name, but as long as your black, there will still be problems once they see you in person. I feel as long as you have a good education, speak and present yourself in a professional and respectful manner, it will be ok for most of us. (and for the female who said Keisha is a slutty ghetto name that was harsh
but my name is spelled Keishe’, im not a ghetto slut neither ok 
Alot of us Didn’t have any say on what name we could get either
This list is missing: Jennifer and Sara/Sarah
and why am I mad that Jazmine is on the list three different times. Bwah!!!
i think black people have more kinda “complicated” names. even look at the celeb names – beyonce, solange, rihanna, letoya, ashanti, ciara and so on. it is obvious that when u hear 1 of these names u know this is not a white persons name.
i guess if u want to name ur child Ja’von, use it at his middle name because indeed some employers are not bothered trying to figure out what s the right way of pronouncing one’s name. i know that s cruel but that s the reality. people trying to find easier ways in live and it includes name issue
I once heard somebody say something to the effect of, ‘it’s interesting that white people can’t pronounce “Nakia” yet they can pronounce “Snuffleupagus.”‘ It’s pure prejudice plain and simple. I plan to name my kids racially ambiguous names. Nothing too white or too black to avoid “some” of the b.s. I think I’m going to start using my initials on my resume going forward.
Barack Obama…hmm “sounds black”…Oprah Winfrey….hmmm “sounds black”….Kweisi Mfume a.k.a. Frizzell Gerald Gray…hmmmm “sounds black.” GET OVER IT! Yes, we have known this for years, and the people with some wisdom, or whatever you may want to call it, have continued to name their children respectable names whether it sounded black or not.Give your children the right tools, and how their name is spelled, or pronounced will not determine their future! (i said respectable instead of whatever names because alize, hennessey, and Remy, probably aren’t the best names for your child, white or black)
And don’t give me any crap about how Barack is white too. It does not matter! His white parent did not follow him to every event in life, to help ensure he became successful…..You notice I left a very good example out too, lol. Condoleezza, she is not my favorite person these days, by a far shot.
35. Exactly.
skin is too dark : bleach it or wish to be lighter
hair is too nappy : perm it
eyes too dark : color contacts
name too “black” : be ashamed of it or change it
Yall need to realize what’s going on. I, for one, am not concerned about what white people think anymore and I don’t feel a need to conform to what they deem acceptable or what makes them cofortable. Names like that are apart of our culture, why does a Shaniqua or DeMarcus have a negative connotation to it?
Russian, Indians, and Asians have “difficult” names but no one says their names are too “this of that”.
i agree with nuggams – you either “have it” or you don’t. it has nothing to do with what you are named, but how you see yourself, and how you position yourself to become what you want to be.
I have never encountered anyone treating me differently because of my name, but then again my Mother named me a beautiful and regular name that is actually IN baby name books. (MIA) Most people love my name and always tell me that they either have children by that name or want to have children with that name; although it’s mostly white people. (That Brooke Shields!)
I am not going to lie. When I see certain names, I have to laugh. And all the apostrophes kill me! Where did these err… creative names come from? My Mother is a teacher at a predominantly Afro-American and Hispanic school and she can’t pronounce at least 2/3′s of the names. And don’t get me started on the names like January, September, Chocolate and Vanilla. Such a damn shame. Not to mention Beyonce. Yes, I said it. That name is ghetto as heck! I wouldn’t know how to say that ish either!
@ #37 Megan:
Yes, Asians do get negative perceptions because of their names. That is why many of them change them once they get to America. No one wants to hire a man named Tong nor Mai Ling. The’d rather hire a Thomas and Mary. Look it up and you’ll see. Many of my Asian friends in high school, College, and after college have changed their name. You won’t find anyone named Lilly nor Jessica from their country.
#12 SUN I AGREE 100%
IT’S A SHAME THAT IN 2006 THIS IS STILL AN ISSUE, THAT’S WHY WE HAD THE WHOLE ENRON FIASCO AND ETC. PEOPLE GETTING HIRED BECAUSE OF NAMES AND RACE AND NOTHING FURTHER, WHAT ABOUT SKILLS AND TRADE?? ATTACKING NAMES IS A BIT REDICULOUS, HOWEVER I MUST ADMIT I HAVE A HUGE ISSUE WITH MY NAME AND IM A BIT EMBARASSED TO SAY IT A LOT OF TIMES IN MY LINE OF WORK INTRODUCING MYSELF AT ALL THESE STUPID MEETINGS AND DINNERS, OR EVEN WHEN I ANSWER THE PHONE, “HI MY NAME IS TANEISHA” WHY DO ALL THE WHITE FOLKS BE LIKE OH HI DENISE?? WTF IS THAT?? THEY HEAR WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR AND WHEN IGNORANT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT RESUME’S THEY READ THE NAME AND SEE WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE INSTEAD OF THE BIGGER PICTURE.
WHAT ABOUT THE CRAZY ASS NAMES THE CELEBRITIES NAME THEIR KIDS, LOOK AT DEMI MOORE’S KIDS RUMER, SCOUT AND TALLULAH?? THATS SOUND LIKE A 2 DOLLA HOOKER!
IN THE REAL WORLD MOST OF THE TIME YOU ARE ADDRESSED BY YOUR LAST NAME ANYWAY AND I WOULD BE PROUD TO BE CALLED MR OR MS JOHNSON OR WILLIAMS OR EVEN BROWN RATHER THAN MS SNOTGRASS(THATS A REAL LAST NAME) OR MR. KRYZENSKI, MS LIBERSCHIZ SOME MESS WE CANT PRONOUNCE, JUST LOOK AT YOUR DOCTOR OR YOUR DENTIST I BET THEY HAVE ONE FUCKED UP LAST NAME. THEY TALK ABOUT OUR NAMES BUT THERE LAST NAMES AINT NO DAMN BETTER…
THERE WERE A WHOLE HEAP OF NAMES MISSING ON BOTH LISTS,
WHITE GIRL NAME:
SALLY
KATIE
BECKY
MARY
SUSAN
SHANNON
LAURA
HILLARY
MILLICENT
EILEEN
BLACK GIRL NAMES:
NAKEISHA
NATASHA
LAKEISHA
LATASHA
TANEISHA(ME)
SHAREEDA
LAKIA
NAKIA
TAWANDA
TAWANNA
SHALONDA
KYWANDA
LATAVIA
LATOYA
AHKEELA
UNIQUE
DASHAWNA
ALIZE
BLACK BOY NAMES:
HENNESSY
TYRELL
DAVON
JA’VON
MARQUELL
KUSHAI
TYQUAN
LAVON
TARIK
DEVONTE
WHITE BOY NAMES:
BLAKE
SAMUEL
ADAM
BRODY
RALPH
MATTHEW
Back in the 70′s & 80′s I knew of a lot of Black couples naming their daughter’s Mercedes…
During the 90′s a Popular name for girls was Lexus.
I have a Friend who named her daughter “Erika” because her favorite soap opera was All My Children
(e.g Errica Kane).
My Sister in Law named her daughter Nautica,After the popular clothing line…
I worked with a girl who named her daughter “Champagne”
When we asked why, she said “Well..That’s what I was drinking, when she was conceived”
* My Point, Black people are funny….
Just look at “Flavor of Love” and consider all the name(s) of the “ladies” on that show…….
Caucasians (and other races) think that Black’s are idiots….
They laugh & make jokes about those crazy names all the time…I hear them laugh and put THOSE resumes (with “unique” sounding names) on the bottom of the in box pile
* I wonder how employer’s feel about people with Arabic Sounding Name (e.g Shareef, Basheema, Jamal, etc, etc…) ???
I have no problem with any of the names on the list. But, I do hate those multisyllabic made up names people give their kids. Something like Shaquandrenekia La’tateriaand Deveon’dre Shamarcus. I’ve seen stuff like that when paperwork crosses my desk and honestly it make me think, “your mamma must have been so ghetto.”
I don’t judge the person based on their name, though. They didn’t choose it. Look at Condoleezza Rice. That’s ghetto. I don’t care how her parents tried to spin it. And you don’t have to be uneducated or underpriveleged to be ghetto. I know several people like that. Just a hood mentality I guess…
The fact that the name KEISHA is missing from the blackest black girl names list is astonishing to me…
And how come names like Nicole & Kim aren’t on either list?
@37 “names like that are part of our culture”
im african so to name my child “shaniqua or jamal” is NOT part of my culture.
as a matter of fact, from my recollection “shanishqua” is not a culturally orientated name. wen indians name their children nashmina/shandrina these names actually hav meanings in their language.
in african culture many families name their children with an english first name (that has a meaning) and give their kids african middle names,example my brothers is david rotimi… his middle name has a meaning.
in contrast most african-americans or carribeans giv their kids names like “jantriqua” which does not have a meaning, its sensless and not cultural. so using the “culture” excuse is invalid unless the name has a meaning.
im all for culturally orientated names, its down to parents to choose, but i wouldn’t want my kids to be disadvantaged because i named them a stereotypical, non-sensical name. just my opinion.
This shit is so true. I remember watching a talk show that used to come on like a couple of years ago called “The Larry Elder Show”, and the particular episode I was watching was dealing with this exact subject matter.
There was even this “black” employer who was on there, and he ADMITTED that when he receives applications and resumes’ with “black-sounding” names on them, then he puts them to the side and never call them back.
That is so fucked up that someone from our own race doesn’t even want to give us an opportunity. He also said that black women who give their children these “black-sounding” names are trying to separate and distinguish their children from the rest of society. He even said that people who have these “black-sounding” names are from the ghetto, and he knows that they are going to bring a whole lot of “ghetto attitude” into his place of business. Everyone in the audience was so shocked when he said that shit.
And actually, I’m going through this same situation. I feel that no one is calling me back because of my “black-sounding” name. And my qualifications are a lot higher than many of the people that are being hired. I’m gonna take some kind of action.
#45….Well, yes, African-Americans are of African Descent, but, most of us have no African identity besides our features. I am not agreeing or disagreeing with your point, just bringing my own point up….We don’t really have our own culture, it was taken, so, I think, in many ways, we are still building our own culture. So, if #37 considers certain names to be part of African American culture, I can see why. We as Blacks in America really have no established cultural attributes…including soul food. That’s not really our doing, lol.
I know pig feet didn’t taste good the first time massa gave it to us. We threw some seasoning on that mug, and made it good! (a slightly changed qoute from chris rock)…….
I saw this story on 20/20 the other night and really felt that they dance around the blantant discrimination in this name issue. However it is the news, so I can expect but so much truth.
Anyway, I been knowning that this is what hiring people do for a long time. My aunt actually saw her boss do this before – threw out some resumes b/c the names sounded “Black”. This incident occurred some time ago, but the game hasn’t changed one bit.
My name (and the names of most of my family members) are very commmon basic names usually associated with sounding White. Growing up in a predominantly Black working class neighborhood, I wished I had a more “Black” sounding name b/c I felt my name was boring and unoriginal compared to the names of some of the other girls in the neigborhood. As I have gotten older, I have learned to appreciate my simple name. It is easy to pronouce and easy to spell.
I don’t have a problem with people giving their children unique names but I do think some of us I have taken it too far. I know a girl who have all her children a first name and two middle names. All the names were no less than ten characters each and they were almost impossible to pronounce without her help. Furthermore, I felt sorry for the kids when it was time for them to learn how to write their name in school – they were going to be there for days.
I have yet to understand what the point was b/c she ended up calling them all by nicknames anyway.
It the name game another form of discrimination? Yes it. However, some of us really need to stop with all the crazy names anyway.
45.
I’m not African so I meant that it’s apart of African-American culture and even some Carribeans(sp?) have those names. Of course Shaniqua isn’t African.
Names like that don’t speak for all of us but they are apart of Black American culture.
the fact that jessica is missing from the whitest girl name list is also astonishing… there’s 453 jessica’s at my school… i’m prolly the only black one though…
Oh and according to 41, my name should be on the list under White girl names…I thought my name had lost its popularity.
I have no problem with blacks giving their children ghetto, african, or made-up names,just as long as the spelling follows the rules of phonics… I work at a school and there was a student named Jordi, spelled just like that and another named Saphire… Their moms pronounced their names as Jor-Day and Sa-fear-rea WTF… When we would call the kids in their moms would not even allow their kids come into the instruction area because their names were repeatedly mispronounced by different people who just said them how they were spelled… They would get all puffed up about it and I would just look at them like look ladies these names are not spelled correctly so don’t get mad at us! It was so annoying… I had to make a special effort everyday to write their names on the list the way their momma’s pronounced them to keep from hearing their damn attitudes!
I don’t think you should be discriminated on because of your name, but reality is we are, but if you are going to name your child Taquitia at least let the damn name be pronounced the way it’s spelled!!!
*Sigh* It would be different if some of these whacked out “black” names meant something. I feel like many of the names on the black lists are nice, but there are no Furquonda’s, Delcreesha’s, DeMarquez’s and the like up there. Those are the “black” names that I don’t care for. Black people, can we please give our children names that won’t be judged negatively right off? It’s not that we have to be ashamed of who we are, but come on. Chlatrylda? Does that sound cute to you?
As an educated black female with a white name “RENA”- I can attest to the fact that people are always shocked that I’m black with a name like that. People always ask if its short for something. Ummm…No just plain Rena!
lol
I have student named Jameszesella, and another named Moquazilla, Baby Gee Robinson, Vagina, and Abc, pronounced Ah-bee-cee! These are examples of people who have gotten out of hand!
#38, see what pisses me off is that the name KWAME is an ACTUAL name, not a randomly made up one like Shaniqua. Peopla just don’t knwo what the fuck it means. My little brother is called Kwame because we’re Ghanaian and it’s a Ghanaian name that means “Boy born on a Saturday”. Just as my middle name is Akua which means “girl born on a Wednesday”.
Also, in my college here in London, all our papers CANNOT have our names on them. We’re only allowed to write our student ID names on them so it avoids problems like this.
Rena–That sounds like a black name to me!
My name is Kathy, which I hated growing up! Now I like it because it’s simple! You just don’t hear simple names like that anymore!! In fact I met a guy two weeks ago and he was like “Kathy, wow that’s different” Ha Ha Ha!!!
Well, I’m up there, my name is Terrence. So, I guess a have a “blackest” name… LOL
I can see your frustration #38, but whether or not its made up, its all the same to most people who are going to read it. In my opinion, the same employers who throw Shaniqua, Shenehneh, or Bonquita to the side, will throw away Kwame, Akua (beautiful names by the way), or Coffie.
I agree with # 10, I don’t want people judging my child before they ever even meet him. I knew a white girl who had a son the same day I did, and I always say that one day they are going to get mixed up in the system because they have almost the same name and were born on the same day. The thing is, her child will be the one to get judged. Though we chose the same name, my son’s name is spelled MASON and her ghetto ass spelled her son’s name MYSON (she pronounces his name is if it were Mason, but as you can see, it is not). His middle name is also Derrick. My son’s middle name is Daniel. It would be interesting to see the differences as they grow up.