Elijah is derived from the Hebrew name Eliyahu, composed of the elements. There are issues, too, about how to interpret the recorded names, which have been classified in different ways depending on researchers interests. The slave schedules of 1860 Arkansas do not give the names of the slaves. The battle was long and hard-fought, with pro-slavery campaigners arguing that the slave trade was important for the British economy and claiming that enslaved Africans were happy and well-treated. 5. Surnames. ", "Families are like fudge; mostly sweet with a few nuts. Names of prominent slaveholderse.g. These cookies do not store any personal information. In the late 1830s, Nathaniel Terry of Todd County, Kentucky died leaving a plantation of fifty slaves. There are many factors to consider in determining what surnames African Americans used. Thank you for commenting, and continued luck to you in your research. Renate, Robyn. A favorite of British novelists including Evelyn Waugh and P. G. Wodehouse, Ambrose has an air of blooming well-being and upper-class erudition. 2. Many took the surname of famous or celebrated people; such as 'Lincoln', 'Grant', and 'Washington' was very popular. I was bornthe child of Phillis Houston, slave of Sol Smith. . I belonged to him until emancipation. Isaiah derives from the Hebrew Yeshayahu, containing the elements. The result was the birth of mulatto, quadroon, or mustee (mestee) children. David Nicolle, Graham Turner: Poitiers AD 732: Charles Martel Turns the Islamic Tide. -George Burns, "Where does the family start? 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. 782 Lists of Slave owners with names of slaves Tamme, 766 Tom, 766 West, 766 Will, 766 Barker, Nathaniel Harry, 591, 700, 746, 767 Barkley, Barbary Grace, 651 Tell me the name you were called before you met Phillip Fry? It helps me to understand the complexity of surname variation I have found in researching the ancestral patterns of an African-American cemetery in my local area. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Both comments and pings are currently closed. African Americans tended to use surnames associated with their own families instead of the last slave owner. Names from the Bible were another common practice, for given and surnames. Slave Names Below are some best cute and catchy slave names: Infirm Mite Lunn Amanda Walter Garner Hannah Delia Bastard Inferior Weevil George O'Hanlon Jordan John Owen Rachel Fetid Spider Betty Nathan York John Wright Wicked Whelp Thornton Dick Field Robert Dick William Hunter William Sam Kiner Augustus Dick a/k/a Richard Ferguson Foul Beast . Thank you so much for your kind words. Private names used in the quarters included Abah, Bilah, Comba, Dibb, Juba, Kauchee, Mima, and Sena. I am the identical person who served in the said companies under the name of Lewis Smith. Slavery is a social-economic system under which people are enslaved: deprived of personal freedom and forced to perform labor or services without compensation. A. I was first called by that name in the family of Col. Morrow in whose service I was in Louisville, Ky., just after the war. Copy this link, or click below to email it to a friend. My great great grandfather in Mississippi took the surname of the previous SC enslaver, whose widow sold him away. 19. Q. I love that your example shows two brothers, who came to different conclusions about their surnames. I am sure your father would also be very proud of your interest in family history. 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. Q. 42. A. Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Louisville, bought me when I was three years of age from Mr. Dearing. Robyn. Even that feels like something. While Smith remains the most common U.S. surname, for the first time, two Hispanic namesGarcia and Rodriguezmade the top 10. 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. Ho Joanne, 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. Florence, Fiorella, Fleur, and Flower are translations, but we like Flora best of all. Whereas names withAfrican, classical, or other unique origins were popular during enslavement, --- often continuingfrom one generation to the next and creating a distinctive nomenclature unlike that of southern whites -- free black peopleoften used more traditionally Anglicized versions of their first names. 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. 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. They identified 21 distinctly Black male names, among them biblical classics such as Abraham and Moses, and word names including Freeman and Prince. My great grandfather Wilson Percival was born in South Carolina and I believe he took his surname from last slave owners family. Students examine the factors that led many northerners to turn against federal policies passed during the Reconstruction era that protected freedpeople. Many Welsh surnames follow this pattern, with Jones (from 'John's son) being the most common. ", "If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you might as well make it dance! I am awar eof the different naming traditions practiced in that area and I thank you for sharing them here for my readers. Such resistance signified continual deep-rooted discontent with the condition of bondage and, in some places, such as the United States, resulted in ever-more-stringent mechanisms for social control and repression in slaveholding areas. Bradley was the last man owned em. I am an engineer by day, but my true passion lies in genealogy. Edited by Gabriele vom Bruck and Barbara Bodenhorn, 178-199. South Atlantic Creole A Spanish America After Independence, 1825-1900, Tudor and Stuart Britain in the Wider World, 1485-1685, Warfare, Medicine, and Disease in the Atlantic World. The Missouri Compromisealso referred to as the Compromise of 1820was an agreement between the pro- and anti-slavery factions regulating slavery in the western territories. Until recently, scholarly consensus was that early African American names did not differ significantly from those of white Americans. See flier for more details. The poster on each page *provides the link to the handout* for that lecture, so be sure to copy it. Cheryll Cody, "'There Was No Absalom on the Ball Plantation': Slave-Naming Practices in the South Carolina Low Country, 1720-1865," American Historical Review 92 (June 1987). If the former slave had been befriended or assisted in getting established after the Civil War, they might have taken that persons name. common last names for slaves in the 1800s. The private name served as a form of Selfhood Armor (you cant take all of me, White man!); gave them a sense of power over their captors; and provided their children with a sense of heritage and pride. Dear Robyn, My Vimeo ON Demand video page lists six videos you can choose from to watch for 3 months ($15 each): -Finding the Last Slaveowner: Guidance and Case Studies, -Cluster Research: Using Groups of People to Find Your People, -Using Deed Records to Uncover Your Family, -Putting it All Together: Making Sense of All the Research You've Done and, -More Than Just a Name: Incorporating Social and Community History Into Your Research. - Jane Howard, "Friends are God's apologies for relations." Ones occupation also set the naming method, such as Sheperd, Cooper, or Smith. Recently, I was looking for more information on Wesley Thompson, who was born about 1835 and who was living in Morgan County, Alabama with his wife, Nellie, and five children in 1880. Louis (M) (English origin) means "famous warrior". Please submit permission requests for other use directly to the publisher. The 2000 U.S. Census counted 163,036 people with the surname Washington. Slavery. The quote below, from a Southern Claims Commission file, is one of the most powerful and one of my favorites to use in lectures: I enlisted under Ross because that was my fathers name. The three databases below provide details of 36,000 trans-Atlantic slave voyages, 10,000 intra-American ventures, names and personal information. "Albumen print of enslaved women and their children near Alexandria, Virginia." Thats a goal that I am working towards. Alfred Francis Russell (1817-1884), 10th President of Liberia. A. 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! Who called you by that name and where was it done? This article is from the Encyclopedia of North Carolina edited by William S. Powell. There was often a fluidity to the surnames that enslaved people had. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration ", "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. Along with Abraham and Prince, other early African American names currently in the US Top 1000 include Alonzo, Athena, Daphne, Elijah, Isaiah, Israel, King, Phoebe, and Titus. All children of a female slave were automatically slaves, considered as belonging to the owner of the mother. Tags: African American Names, African American Surnames, African Names, Black Surnames, Last Slave Owner, Plantation Owners, plantation slavery, Slave Family, Slave Naming Patterns, slave trade. My fathers name was John Crosby and he lived in the town of Geneva, Alabama, I had two brothers and one sister. One of the largest sources are the Civil War pension records of the almost 200,000 black men who served in the US Army and Navy. I hope this post also helps us to think about how the surnames former slaves had were connected to their experiences in slavery. Slavery was coexistent with the founding in 1670 of the first permanent colony in South Carolina, and early official records occasionally contain the names of slaves.3 An inventory of the estate of Francis Jones in 1693 lists 'a negro man Jack' and 'a negro Woman name Jugg.'4 An inventory of the Q. Rodriguez (Rodriguez is Spanish for the son of Rodrigo. Search 30 million given names. Both are excellent researchers and historians. Thanks LaBrenda! Finding the Slave Who Bore Philomene Daurat. There is also another historian, Gwendolyn Midlo Hall who did work on African ethnicities in Louisiana, you can read more of that here if you havent seen that yet: http://whitneyplantation.com/the-louisiana-slave-database.html, Again, I applaud you for doing the research on the history of the areas where your ancestors livedmany researchers dont realize how crucial that understanding is. Unfortunately, I am not knowledgeable enough about African and Caribbean research in the areas you name. The most common origin for surnames is that enslaved people initially used the surname of either their mother or their father, if they knew what those names were. Enslaved people remained legally nameless from the time of their capture until their purchase by American enslavers. No superior alternative has yet been found. Email:genealogy@slcl.org Through DNA matches, I believe I have recently found a brother of my mothers great grandfather. This unique-sounding French last name means 'bold' or 'daring'. Hi Susan, Newly emancipated slaves also frequently chose new first names, discarding those associated with slavery. Your insight is always welcome and I am glad you shared these posts for other readers to see. I love how you have documented the history of your own surname. Place names that were disproportionately popular among Black Americans in history include Boston, Jamaica, York, and Africa. In the. 41. In 1836, William Turbeville died leaving an estate with several slaves who were brothers: Turner, Nelson, Simon, Jordan, and Jacob. I have done quite a bit of genealogy for my own family, and it was difficult enough, but what you are doing, is incredible work. Got.the name.Auber.. Hi Roxana, 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. After I had returned to Louisville from Danville, My sister, Lizzie White, got to calling me Mollie, and it was with her that the name started. Hello Chery Meaning: derived from the Latin Cariacus, which means "land belonging to Cariu"; darling Origin: French 5. Copeland This last name comes from Old Norse origin. An 's' at the end of a personal name also meant 'son of', for example Richards, Stevens, Williams and so on. Minerva is the long-neglected name of the Roman goddess of wisdom and invention, the arts and martial strength, one of the. The names that were brought together to form "Geffery" were "Gaufrid" (territory-peace), "Godafrid" (god-peace), and "Galfridus" (song-peace). Although it is not widely known, some African Americans used surnames before they were emancipated. You could not be signed in, please check and try again. Genealogy becomes so much more than just names and dates, it really feels like a true passion indeed. CAs Push to Restore Voting Rights to System-Impacted Individuals Still in Custody, Eli Lilly to Cap Out-of-Pocket Insulin Costs, Asm. 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. Besides the Morrows, whom else did you live with in Louisville? Abebe: The genesis of this Ethiopian name is Amharic, and it means 'flower' or 'blossom'. The second hour is hands-on, and I want you to bring the deeds you've found along with your questions. Instead a wide variety of surnames came about that would be the family name for future generations. Wood were recorded as slave. 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 Smithsonian Institution. In order to receive their pensions decades later, these former soldiers and their family members had to demonstrate to the government that they were who they claimed to be. Unique Surnames to Grenada. James) will have . The practice was common until its abolition in 1865 with the end of the Civil War and the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution.. For the time being, we are using this as the Slavery Plantation umbrella or portal. Are you thinking this woman Eliza Ellis was married to Wash Ellis? I hope youll sign up to receive my postsif you do, youll get a free PDF with some of my favorite tips! This lifelong quest has helped me to better know my familys past. This entry was posted on Friday, August 28th, 2009 at 11:46 am and is filed under Civil War, Genealogy & DNA, Interviews. The naming of slaves has not been treated in dedicated monographs, but it often figures in general accounts of plantation culture and the practices of enslavement. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? Brutus) and a private name (e.g. I hope you dont mind my sharing those posts. A small number of creoles in Louisiana also acquired surnames derived from ethnic identities in Senegal. Eugene D. Genovese, Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made (1974). See more details in the flier here and they are available for purchase for $10 . this page. This is true in some cases but not all. I love to hear from my readers. John Lewis was born in 1831; in 1844 he and several family members were given to George A. Washington of Wessyngton. Also, the government seemed to be in a almighty hurry to have us get names. The most common origin for surnames is that enslaved people initially used the surname of either their mother or their father, if they knew what those names were. Distinctively Black names were thought to have risen from the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, which promoted the use of names with connections to Africa. . For personal use and not for further distribution. Toussaint Louverture (1743-1803), a former slave, he enslaved a dozen people himself before becoming a general and a leader of the Haitian Revolution. I focused on surnames but many of these books also discuss first names. Spanish areas had male Slave names as Francisco, Pedro, and Antonio; and for females: Maria, Isabella, and Juana. Evidence indicates that many enslaved parents named their children after the first generation or so of family members brought to America. 44. 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. . Have you visited the Whitney Plantation yet? Bailey, Word Stories Surrounding African American Slavery. Here, our list of notable early African American names. Kindest regards, That is why you will find a lot of families in Louisiana with surnames like Baptiste, Narcisse, Jean-Louis, Nanette-Louise, Rene, Jacques etc Ive come across very few former slaves and fpoc using the surnames of their former owner. A. I was first called by that name in the family of Col. Morrow in whose service I was in Louisville, Ky., just after the war. I am researching the surname Culbert worldwide, and the data can be found at: culbert.one-name.net There are a growing number of African Americans with this surname, which I believe originates in Scotland. 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. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one", "Friends are God's apologies for relations. 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. Manifests - Alphabetical by Slave Names Return to Slave Manifests main page Click on each Slave name to view information on that voyage. In another case Sukey Ann and he 4 children were manumitted by their Ashby owner with only their first names. . Dick Lewis Barnett and Phillip Fry were African American veterans of the Union Army during the Civil War. A valuable and incisive discussion, both theoretically and historically informed, of slave naming in two African societies, the Caribbean, and the American South. Most common last names names: 1-1000 | 1001-2000 | 2001-3000 | 3001-4000 | 4001-5000 Testimony of Mollie Russell (widow of Phillip Fry), September 19, 1911: Q. Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. This old French surname has Germanic origin, and means 'noble'. Pinckney, Randolph, and Rutledgeappear only incidentally among any list of modern Black peoples names. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? . Some of the most common or popular last names in the 1800s included Robinson, Clark, and Smith. I would still recommend all of these books, except the first one listed for obvious reasons. For more details, see the flier here, and you can purchase them here. Register now! Samuel had only two slaves: the man that could be Wilson and a 42-year-old woman. My hat goes off to you and your passionate efforts. 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.) You are the continuation of each of these people.". Going back a decade to the 1850 Slave Schedule, both William Wood and Samuel O. I was only three years old when she died. The table below shows the most common last names with statistics on the heritage and ancestry of those with the surname. One ancestor was known as Baber Masse, Elizabeth SENET and Elisabeth Leveille in different documents. [15] Alice Clifton (c. 1772-unknown), as an enslaved teenager, she was a defendant in an infanticide trial in 1787. -William Faulkner, "Call it a clan, call it a network, all it a tribe, call it a family. The following is a list of historical people who were enslaved at some point during their lives, in alphabetical order by first name. Ninety percent of them were African-American, a far higher black percentage than for any other common name. Slavery. I am a farmer. I make extensive use of tables for organization, analysis and citation in my research, and they have proven very popular with genealogists. 1. Each is present in your body. 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) For more information about the records covered in this index, please contact the History and Genealogy Department. For example, I know of one Louisiana family whose surname of Poulard evolved from a ancestor of the Poular nation(aka Fulani). Now, that parent's surname could very well be the surname of the most recent slaveholder or an earlier slaveholder. Thats high on my to do list. Entre la construccin de la memoria y la ficcin histrica", "From Africa to India: Music of the Sidis and the Indian Ocean Diaspora (review)", "Mark and Phillis Executions, Burned at the Stake and Gibbeted in Puritan Massachusetts", "Letter from Paul Revere to Jeremy Belknap, circa 1798", "Re: Nancy Titsworth-1800-Livin - Genealogy.com", Association of Muslim Social Scientists & International Institute of Islamic Thought 2008, "Creolizing Natural Liberty: Transnational Obligation in the Thought of Ottobah Cugoano", "Madison and the White House, Through the Memoir of a Slave", "Black Slaves, Indian Masters: Slavery, Emancipation, and Citizenship in the Native American South, by Barbara Krauthamer (2013) Not Even Past", "Timeline of Missouri's African American History", "So Tom e Prncipe recorda o Rei Amador", "Black Christian Republicans: Delegates to the 1847 Liberian Constitutional Convention", "A Slave's Service in the Confederate Army", "Slavery and French Cuisine in Jefferson's Working White House", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_slaves&oldid=1140857860, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 03:19. Label vector designed by Ibrandify - Freepik.com, https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2014.174.8?destination=/explore/collection/search%3Fedan_q%3Denslaved%26edan_fq%255B0%255D%3Dobject_type%253A%2522Photographs%2522. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. A. Corbin Corbin has an Old English origin. Alfred "Teen" Blackburn (1842-1951), one of the last living survivors of slavery in the United States who had a clear recollection of it. Turner was deeply religious,. . Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. See flier for details; cost of this event is $25. Just makes me sad for the human spirit that anyone, let alone hundreds of thousands of people could participate in it. Famous name bearers: many King Louis of France, Sandra Bullock's son and actor Louis Partridge. In fact, the previous enslaver widow sold most of the slaves. Wheatley was traded into slavery at the age of 7 or 8 and imported to North America. If you can identify your ancestor's master, this source will prove of tremendous value to your research. I was called mostly Lewis Smith till after the war, although I was named Dick Lewis SmithDick was the brother of John Barnett whom I learned was my father . ", "If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all the generations of your ancestors. Q. Hi Rodney, 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. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one" Even tiny steps are huge in someones life. LOTTIE had been the name of the nurse before me and so they just continued that same name. Robyn. Here, our list of notable early African American names. Just go to my Vimeo page and make your selection. Others who wanted no connection to their former owners used surnames like Freeman or Freedman. Seating is limited. I belonged to him until emancipation. Some of the most common or popular last names in the 1800s included Robinson, Clark, and Smith. i have no way to confirm this. This financial assistance was available to all Civil War veterans and their families. I truly believe they used surnames of each of their former owners for some of their childrens middle names. In 1870, all of them were listed with the surnames of their last owner; however, each one of them named their sons for one of their brothers. If the name is spelled Rodrigues, the name is Portuguese but has the same meaning) 3. Many took the surname of famous or celebrated people; such as Lincoln, Grant, and Washington was very popular. . I have been unable to trace several of his siblings and now wonder if it might be because others did not take that name. Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate. There has been disagreement about whether it was slaveholders or the enslaved who gave the recorded names. Abel, the name of Adam and Eve's unfortunate younger son, compensates with positive connotations: capable, competent, ready and willing. CLICK HERE TO SAVE YOUR SEAT! Cook Cook has an Old English origin, and it means 'one who cooks' or 'one who sold cooked meat'. They did so either to take on a surname for the first time, or to replace a name or surname given to them by a former master. 26 September 2021 [PAST EVENT]: Acclaimed genealogist Melvin Collier and I will be presenting an all-new 2-hour lecture titled More Than Just Names: Incorporating Social and Community History Into Your Research from 1:00-3:30 EST (please note it is Eastern Standard Time). Runaway ads illustrate how many slaveholders knew the surnames of their slaves. For more information about the records covered in this index,please contact the History and Genealogy Department. You should give a TED talk! He was a planter with 20,000 acres of land in East Florida and was at the forefront of slavery in The . that lists the slaves along with their surnames. . But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The same family may appear with different surnames in the 1870 and 1880 federal census records, and may appear in other records with either, both, or a third surname altogether. In many cases this is ignored and children use their fathers name! Hi Donna, Students learn about the violent responses to the transformation of US democracy that occurred as a result of Radical Reconstruction. Fortunately, the French and Latin were excellent record keepers and the Catholics were obsessed with knowing the kinship of everyone. Places; Login. I communicate with them on Facebook. A Wessyngton slave named Bill who was the plantation's blacksmith was known as Billy the Smith during slavery. They called me OCK. Just from the detail in your first comment, I knew there was a good chance you were already familiar with those authors. This causes many researchers to wrongly conclude that enslaved people did not have surnames until after emancipation, which was not the case. Wonderful to have first hand account that help shine light on the attitudes of our ancestors. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. 13 March 2022, 1-2:30pm [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Cant find some of your ancestors in the census? After emancipation, they all used the Terry surname because their families had been with the white Terry family for generations. Thank you for posing your question. Anthropologist Meyer Fortes's observation that the naming practices of any society "epitomize personal experiences, historical happenings, attitudes to life, and cultural ideas and values" holds particularly true for African American enslaved people. Join my mailing list below to receive my posts and get a free PDF with some of my favorite tips!