Most common last names names: 1-1000 | 1001-2000 | 2001-3000 | 3001-4000 | 4001-5000 Another interesting fact is that Creole surname use also evolved over time and varied from record to record with the same person. . Nameberry is a registered trademark of Nameberry, LLC. 77th U.S. Col Inf and Co. D. U.S. Col H Art under the name Lewis Smith which was the name I wore before the days of slavery were over. 5. In his pension file, my great great grandmother his widow expressed that he chose his former enslaver surname because his father had been enslaved by them, too. In French-speaking Louisiana, Slave names reflected the dominant language and thus were generally different from those in the English colonies. Some of the most common or popular last names in the 1800s included Robinson, Clark, and Smith. Most Popular Names. Throughout the colonial period, as many as one-fifth of the enslaved people in North Carolina retained African names; Quash, Cuffee, Mingo, Sambo, Mustapha, and Sukey were among the most common recorded. -Elbert Hubbard, "Families are like fudge; mostly sweet with a few nuts." If the name is spelled Rodrigues, the name is Portuguese but has the same meaning) 3. . Students examine the factors that led many northerners to turn against federal policies passed during the Reconstruction era that protected freedpeople. Are you thinking this woman Eliza Ellis was married to Wash Ellis? The association with the infamous Nero, the fiddling Roman emperor, would be unavoidable. The surname issue really presents huge challenges for those of us doign this research, but you soulnd as though you are making headway. Each name was a clue to her origins. I love how you have documented the history of your own surname. Political Participation in the Nineteenth Century Atlantic Portugal and Brazile in the Age of Revolutions, Poverty in the Early Modern English Atlantic, Reconstruction, Democracy, and United States Imperialism, Settlement and Region in British America, 1607-1763, Slavery in British and American Literature, Slavery in Dutch America and the West Indies, Slavery in North America, The Growth and Decline of. I am the identical person who served in the said companies under the name of Lewis Smith. There has been much debate among scholars, historians and genealogists whether enslaved African Americans used the surnames of their last owners, previous owners, or a surname that had no connection to slavery. The campaign in Britain to abolish slavery began in the 1760s, supported by both black and white abolitionists. Many enslaved people were allowed to keep their original African names or names assigned them elsewhere (as reflected by the frequency of Spanish and Portuguese names among the first generation of enslaved people in the Carolinas.) I belonged to him until emancipation. 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272, Finding Aids for the National Archives at Atlanta, National Archives Catalog (National Archives Identifier 2767350). American slave owners or slaveholders were owners of slaves in the United States which typically worked either as agriculture laborers or house servants. In fact, the previous enslaver widow sold most of the slaves. . With mythological names rising, the handsome son of Zeus and god of medicine, music, and poetry among many other things might offer an interesting, if high-pressure, option. But if Romeo and Venus are now deemed baby-appropriate, why not Apollo? Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno might inspire some parents. Phone: 314-994-3300, Hours & Locations Comments/Suggestions314-994-3300, Copyright 2023. Nat Turner's Rebellion One of the most famous slave revolts in American history came in 1831 when Nat Turner led a bloody uprising in Southampton County, Virginia. Gradually, to show contempt for Slaves, the captors used Buck and Wench for naming the genders till they became trade terms, like Filly and Shoat.Contempt for the male was removing his honorific attachment to fatherhood and manhood by being addressed as Boy. Once the vigorous years of his prime were passed, he was allowed to assume the title of Uncle. Females were called Gal, girl, or the name of some animal. . In many cases this is ignored and children use their fathers name! How lucky you were to find that Freedmans Bank document! Maria Aparecida Schumaher, Erico teixeira Vital Brazil. I liked the name better than Octavia, and so I took it with me to Danville, and was never called anything else there than that name. My surname of SAM originated from Sem or Sam FUSELIER, a free man of color who freed my ancestor,Jean-Louis, out of slavery in 1811. Enslaved women were raped, creating children with white fathers who in most cases did not claim them and even sold them away. This event is $12. In the early years, especially between the 1860 and 1880s, families even changed a surname several times until they settled on a certain one. Another slave named Bill who attended the sheep became Bill Shepherd. After emancipation, he became William Smith. In small communities when slaves were sold, they were often bought by someone in the area. On another branch, members of the Griffin family from around Campbell County VA all stuck together and are believed to have kept family bonds & name of their father after Emancipation. Table 7. John Lewis was born in 1831; in 1844 he and several family members were given to George A. Washington of Wessyngton. This is due in part to officials imposing surnames on them based on their last owners. Q. One of the less well known aspects of the history of slavery is how many and how often non-whites owned and traded slaves in early America. I was born in Montgomery County, Ala. the child of Phillis Houston, slave of Sol Smith. Letter to James Edward Calhoun, August 27, 1831. Also, the government seemed to be in a almighty hurry to have us get names. Aruba Congo Bob D'Sean Latoya Dilsy Lopez Lunah African Emmaline Ebo Mema Milla Kyser Ibo Medwin Oilsay Cupad Viney Centere Minta Zoruba Tyzer Nefar Phiba LaVaughn Congo Bob Ladia Ikbo Abah Medger Bossy Shand Cufee Uri Zulu jenee Sorce Tomm Dedib Slave Names Of The 1800's Cena Billah Quarker Lamoney Minba Geto Tonesia Zulu Jana Brutis Rounding out the Top 40, here are the next 30 most common names among African-Americans and Caribbean people: Taylor (Jayceon Terrel Taylor "The Game") Wilson (Charlie Wilson) Moore (Shemar Moore) White (Barry White) Lewis (Carl Lewis) Walker (Jimmie J. J. Walker) Green (Al Green) Thompson (Kenan Thompson) Washington (Denzel Washington) Slaveholders often renamed newly acquired slaves; but self-naming by slaves, which also occurred, is likely to be underreported in the records, which were mainly created by and for slaveholders. Please share, in the comments below, examplesyou have come across of the surnames of enslaved people, especially if it was different from their last slaveholder. Cook Cook has an Old English origin, and it means 'one who cooks' or 'one who sold cooked meat'. This was done more because it was the logical thing to do and the easiest way to be identified than it was through affection for the master. After the war ended and slavery was abolished, they exercised their freedom by changing their names. Ho Joanne, Augustin Meaning: a descendant of Augustine Origin: English 2. Were there any famous slaves? Samuel had only two slaves: the man that could be Wilson and a 42-year-old woman. This is such a well-written and informative post one that I know will open many eyes to the complexity of slave surnames, as well as many other aspects of the lives of the enslaved. But I tell you, trying to document that all those names refer to the same person is hard, hard work! Alfred "Teen" Blackburn (1842-1951), one of the last living survivors of slavery in the United States who had a clear recollection of it. With your explanations in mind, I will go back over a couple of family groups and re-assess the surname ambiguousness I have in my notes. Thank you for posing your question. ", "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city;)", "Where does the family start? Students learn about the violent responses to the transformation of US democracy that occurred as a result of Radical Reconstruction. The most common of 603 names of female Slaves were Bet, Mary, Jane, Hanna, Betty, Sarah, Phillis, Nan, Peg, and Sary. They cut it off from OCTAVIA. It gives the age and sex of the slave and the number of slaves of each age and sex. > | Index main page>| Index by slave owner's name, Index to "Descriptive Recruitment Lists of Volunteers for the United States Colored Troops for the State of Missouri, 1863-1865"(NARA Microfilm Publication M1894 - 6 rolls). On the 30 rolls of NARA Microfilm Publication M1895, Slave Manifests of Coastwise Vessels Filed at New Orleans, Louisiana, 1807-1860 (30 rolls), are reproduced manifests filed with the collector of customs at New Orleans, Louisiana, of slaves transported in coastwise trade to or from New Orleans during the period 1807-1860. Through Reclaiming Kin, I share tips on genealogy skillbuilding for all genealogists, and on researching slavery and the enslaved. Q. The difficulties include using records that provide no surnames, the constant sale and breakup of families, and the lack of identification of fathers. It is certainly possible that Wilsons siblings could have been sold away or owned by others. Thats high on my to do list. 1. It was after emancipation on that I went back to work for Col. Morrow and where I got the name Lottie, as already explained. I'll illustrate transcribing deeds, show you how to find your county deed records on FamilySearch, and you will receive my PDF Beginner's Guide to Using Deed Records, a $12 value! And now that it's been chosen by Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, it could take off as their first son's nameKingstonhas. Newly emancipated slaves also frequently chose new first names, discarding those associated with slavery. ", "If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you might as well make it dance! At your request I have finally made available for viewing past popular webinars! Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. 2023 The Voice of the Black Community in California. And you get to tell the story of Jean-Louiss life in slavery and also in freedom. Some last names recognize certain histories or describe important events or narratives that mean a lot to the family. Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. Surnames. My fathers name was Gilbert Jackson, and after I was set free I took the name of my father, and have been known by the name Smith Jackson. He decided that he didnt want to be known as Cap Sherrod and that he would vote and marry under his choice of names. Five of the slaves were sold to the Washingtons and brought to Wessyngton. The resources Im getting from my colleagues through Facing History have been just invaluable. Thanks for writing this post! I especially recommend Mother, Thy Name is Mystery! My maiden surname is Williams. LOTTIE had been the name of the nurse before me and so they just continued that same name. Wood were recorded as slave. This is another instance of oral history being a key component in tracing African American ancestry. Enslaved peoplethemselves sometimes chose names denoting weather conditions at the time of their child's birth or some distinctive feature of his or her appearance. Robyn. You are the continuation of each of these people." Slaves were generally listed with just one name and thus with little to none of the genealogical information recorded for free whites. Abel, the name of Adam and Eve's unfortunate younger son, compensates with positive connotations: capable, competent, ready and willing. I liked the name better than Octavia, and so I took it with me to Danville, and was never called anything else there than that name. Just from the detail in your first comment, I knew there was a good chance you were already familiar with those authors. Thomas: Thomas is a common surname of biblical origin meaning twin. The box for father states unknown in law. Her marriage record states her name is Sarah Charlotte Gale, her father being John Sinclair Gale! Some of these individuals probably lived through the Civil War to become named citizens in Ashley County, Arkansas and may have taken the last name of Hollaway/Holaway or Terry/Tery. Location the owner of ones ancestor is crucial for an African American genealogist to trace his family before 1870. In the 1930s, ex-slave Martin Jackson explained why he chose his last name after Emancipation: The master's name was usually adopted by a slave after he was set free. Unique Surnames to Grenada. -Hugh Kingsmill, "No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?" Former slaves often used surnames names of historical figures such as Washington, Jefferson or Jackson. There are a wide array of sources that provide us with slave surnames, from the slave narratives and interviews, to freedmans bank cards, runaway ads and Southern Claims Commission records. Kaplan, Justin, and Anne Bernays. I am sure your father would also be very proud of your interest in family history. Another myth is once African Americans were sold they never saw their families again. I was only three years old when she died. In my own family history, on my Yarborough side, I believe I have uncovered a pattern that my formerly-enslaved great-grandparents, Calvin and Precilla YARBOROUGH may have used in naming their children. Your insight is always welcome and I am glad you shared these posts for other readers to see. I was only three years old when she died. Louisiana, U.S., Slave Manumission Records, 1719-1820. They ran away, fought back, feigned illness, destroyed tools, and clung to their families. . Thomas mother, younger brothers and sisters remained with the Black family. In fact, it's not even past. I would appreciate any constructive comments on this question, which can be posted to me via my website address above. In addition to time and place, a likely variable is whether the birth rate, in a severely overworked and maltreated population, was sufficient to ensure a relatively stable population over several generations, or whether the high mortality associated with slavery led to declining numbers and hence to the frequent acquisition of new slaves. Garcia (The Spanish form of Gerald, Garcia would be the son of Gerald. And even though slave marriages were not legal, many enslaved people followed the practice of the wife taking her husbands surname: My mother was named Mary Bradley and my father was named Hilliard Bradley. Theres always more to learn! Dick Lewis Barnett and Phillip Fry were African American veterans of the Union Army during the Civil War. Free black slave holders could be found at one time or . This may reveal your family used the surname of the slave owners wifes family. My mother's name was Octavia Smith and it was from her that I got it but where the name came from to her I never knew. You can read about this in the following two posts on my blog. Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Familys Journey to Freedom is proudly powered by WordPress Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS). 13 March 2022, 1-2:30pm [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Cant find some of your ancestors in the census? But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Enslaved people remained legally nameless from the time of their capture until their purchase by American enslavers. This mini-lesson helps students define the term, learn what forms reparations can take, and consider what reparations should be offered for slavery and other racist policies. They identified 21 distinctly Black male names, among them biblical classics such as Abraham and Moses, and word names including Freeman and Prince. Hi Rodney, Also included here are common names among slaves, many of which were classical and had ties to the Bible or mythology, such as Keziah and Venus. Hi Susan, Im jealous;) The common names there (Marie, Louise, etc) would test anyones genealogical skills, so I take my hat off to you. 3. I also see that in 1900 she is listed as widow with 1 child living, so you may have luck trying to find out who her child was. Smithsonian Institution. I belonged to him until emancipation. Edmon S. Conner Recalls About His Career", "Law and the Cultural Production of Race and Racialized Systems of Oppression", "Runaway Slaves and Servants in Colonial Virginia", Slavery in the Courtroom: An Annotated Bibliography of American Cases, "Soldier of Furtune: John Smith before Jamestown", "YSTUMLLYN, JOHN ('Jack Black') (d. 1786), gardener and land steward | Dictionary of Welsh Biography", "Strong, Jonathan (c. 17471773), de facto freed slave", "Juan Francisco Manzano | Slave Narratives | The MoAD Salon | MoAD - Museum of the African Diaspora", "Relatos sobre la India Juliana. To date there are no book-length studies covering the naming of slaves across the Anglophone Atlantic, but Burton 1999 and Kaplan and Bernays 1997 provide useful entry-level discussions for the Caribbean and mainland United States, respectively. The last U.S.census slave schedules were enumerated by County in 1860 and included 393,975 named persons holding 3,950,546 unnamed slaves, or an average of about ten slaves per holder. Spencer is a name that has everything: it's both distinguished sounding and accessible, dignified but Spencer Tracy-like friendly. Gerald, however, is a Germanic name meaning ruler) 2. One thing for sure, historians are always expanding our knowledge on this topic.BTW, I am a big fan of your website and your work in the field! I hope this post also helps us to think about how the surnames former slaves had were connected to their experiences in slavery. 42. The most common of 603 names of female Slaves were Bet, Mary, Jane, Hanna, Betty, Sarah, Phillis, Nan, Peg, and Sary. However, the enslaved occasionally had surnames, which became normal leading up to and after emancipation as a mark of assimilation into free society. I make extensive use of tables for organization, analysis and citation in my research, and they have proven very popular with genealogists. This is common. Start your year off with tips and strategies that can help you in the new year & beyond. However, the common practice by slaveholders was to only use the given names of enslaved people in documents such as estate papers, court and deed records. This unique-sounding French last name means 'bold' or 'daring'. -Winston Churchill, "The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never ever introduce yourself to had life not done it for you." Students examine how freed people in the United States sought to define freedom after Emancipation. Copy this link, or click below to email it to a friend. . He identified father, mother and siblings in a Freedmans bank deposit in 1873, when he was already in New York City. His slaveholder was named David Humphries. Bernard Meaning: brave warrior Origin: French 4. The Language of Names. . In another case Sukey Ann and he 4 children were manumitted by their Ashby owner with only their first names. Students consider how US history books, films, and other works of popular culture have misrepresented the history of the Reconstruction era. No superior alternative has yet been found. [15] Alice Clifton (c. 1772-unknown), as an enslaved teenager, she was a defendant in an infanticide trial in 1787. This article is from the Encyclopedia of North Carolina edited by William S. Powell. It starts with a young man falling in love with a girl. Thats a goal that I am working towards. The table below shows the most common last names with statistics on the heritage and ancestry of those with the surname. The names that were brought together to form "Geffery" were "Gaufrid" (territory-peace), "Godafrid" (god-peace), and "Galfridus" (song-peace). Rather than being derived from the supernatural world, European given names were a mere handle or tag. Choose the best name for your child. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. If a surname was needed, the slave owners family name might be used. A small number of creoles in Louisiana also acquired surnames derived from ethnic identities in Senegal. Isaac evolved from the name Yitzchaq, derived from the Hebrew word, Lysander is a distinctive Greek name that could be thought of as a more creative cousin of Alexander. This phenomena makes research very complicated when you dont know the mothers surname. But there was also the detective Nero Wolfe, hero of many mystery stories. The majority of these slaves used the surname Lewis instead of Washington. Dorothy, Doris or Dora: Meaning 'gift of God', this Victorian girl's name was popular in the 19th century. Therefore, a few of the most common first names of the time such as Mary (rank 815) and Sarah (1010) will appear in the list and surnames which correspond to personal names (e.g. The existence of those surnames in the area would help to verify, but also, you are fortunate to have the important oral history of that name change in the first place, since so many of us dont. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. Post Author: Post published: 18 avril 2022; Post Category: . My mothers name was Octavia Smith and it was from her that I got it but where the name came from to her I never knew. This old French surname has Germanic origin, and means 'noble'. . -Thich Nhat Hanh, evolve theme by Theme4PressPowered by WordPress, Maryland Genealogical Society Holiday Luncheon, December 2017-2, Washington FHC Annual Conference, May 2011, Baltimore Family History Conference, October 2017-2, International Black Genealogy Summit, September 2016-2, Carroll County Genealogical Society Dinner, June 2018, Baltimore Family History Conference, October 2017, Reginald Lewis Museum, September 2011-2.jpg, Maryland State Archives Family History Festival, October 2014-2, Central Maryland AAHGS Meeting, March 2013, Robyn, Vonda, Andrea and Glenn, NGS Conf., May 2014, Maryland Genealogical Society Holiday Luncheon, December 2017-1, Howard Comm. .When I got home after the war, I was wearing the name of Lewis Smith, but I found that the negroes after freedom, were taking the names of their father like the white folks. One former slave Bill Scott from Wessyngton reported in his pension application for military service that when he enlisted in the Union Army officials put down his surname as Washington. As a newspaper that publishes in the spirit of the Black Press, the Black Voice News has given voice to the voiceless and shined a light on systemic inequities and disparities since 1972. 1. This happened mostly on large plantations where several individuals had the same first names and a surname was used to distinguish them from one another. Fortunately, the French and Latin were excellent record keepers and the Catholics were obsessed with knowing the kinship of everyone.