common last names for slaves in the 1800s

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 . Place names that were disproportionately popular among Black Americans in history include Boston, Jamaica, York, and Africa. common last names in the 1800s - stmatthewsbc.org Q. A Wessyngton slave named Bill who was the plantations blacksmith was known as Billy the Smith during slavery. Names of prominent slaveholderse.g. 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. Place names that were disproportionately popular among Black Americans in history include Boston, Jamaica, York, and Africa. Garcia (The Spanish form of Gerald, Garcia would be the son of Gerald. Tracing Your Roots: Were Slaves' Surnames Like Brands? 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. Wonderful to have first hand account that help shine light on the attitudes of our ancestors. Caps statement implies that choosing his own surname was a part of exercising his newfound freedom. Questions about slave naming intersect with some of the major debates in slavery studies (especially regarding Creolization and the formation of Atlantic Creoles) and can illuminate issues about the ethnicity of African slaves, the personhood and agency of those enslaved, the nature of kinship structures among the enslaved, and the survival of African cultural practices in the diaspora. Love you, Q. CLARKE - The name comes from 'clerk, a clergyman, a scholar, one who can read and write' and is most prevalent in England, where some 89,337 people are recorded with this surname. They are part of Records of the U.S. Customs Service . I worked for him as nurse for his children, and my full and correct name was OCTAVIA, but the family could not "catch on" to that long name and called me "LOTTIE" for short. 2. Tell me the name you were called before you met Phillip Fry? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. This is due in part to officials imposing surnames on them based on their last owners. Well, I got to thinking about all us slaves that was going to take the name Fitzpatrick. Mary Deborah Petite, "1836 Facts about the Alamo and the Texas War for Independence". And you get to tell the story of Jean-Louiss life in slavery and also in freedom. Brown: A common last name derived from an ancestor's complexion or the color of their hair. 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. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW! My maiden surname is Williams. . Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. 3. How lucky you were to find that Freedmans Bank document! James: (M) (Latin origin) means "heel" or "supplanter". See flier for more details. 30 January 2022, [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Join special guest genealogist Taneya Y. Koonce and I as we present our joint Zoom webinar, Organize Your Genealogy! 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. Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno might inspire some parents. Q. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? 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. I especially recommend Mother, Thy Name is Mystery! Surnames - Historic UK It had always been passed down in the family that Thomas has been owned by the Blacks. Both comments and pings are currently closed. After emancipation, he moved back with his mother, brothers and sisters and used the Cobbs surname. He identified father, mother and siblings in a Freedmans bank deposit in 1873, when he was already in New York City. Slavery. Burton, Richard D.E. Names and Naming in Afro-Caribbean Culture. New West Indian Guide/Nieuwe West-Indische Gids 73 (1999): 3558. Phone: 314-994-3300, Hours & Locations Comments/Suggestions314-994-3300, Copyright 2023. Early African-American Names | Nameberry I was bornthe child of Phillis Houston, slave of Sol Smith. This reading contains quoted text not authored by Facing History & Ourselves. When Wessyngtons owner George A. Washington married Margaret Lewis in 1849 her father gave the couple twenty-nine slaves. Popular Last Names in the 1920s Gatsby Flapper Girl Eliza Moore (1843 - January 21, 1948) Source = Pinimg. Gerald, however, is a Germanic name meaning ruler) 2. College, Advanced AA Gen. Class, September 2009, Alice, Robyn and Lajoye, CM AAHGS, September 2017, Robyn and Andrea, NGS Conference, May 2014. Societies. Most Common Black Last Names in the United States - Name Census If the slaveholder or another free white man was their father, many Creoles did use either is first or last name as a surname. I found in the Civil War registry, an enslaved man who enrolled in the infantry under the name of Wash Ellis. . In small communities where census takers and county officials knew African Americans personally and their previous owners, they often recorded the former slaves with the surnames of their last owners. There has been disagreement about whether it was slaveholders or the enslaved who gave the recorded names. Major types on which most would agree are European place and literary names, European personal names in hypocoristic (pet or diminutive) form, biblical and classical names, and names of African origin. . 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. For more information about the records covered in this index,please contact the History and Genealogy Department. 16 Most Famous Female Slaves of African American Origin 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. A valuable and incisive discussion, both theoretically and historically informed, of slave naming in two African societies, the Caribbean, and the American South. 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) E. Togo Salmon Conference, E. Togo Salmon Conference 1993 Mcmaster University: Goodyear III, Frank H. "Photography changes the way we record and respond to social issues". Others were more promiscuous. I was called by that name all the time I was with the Morrows. All children of a female slave were automatically slaves, considered as belonging to the owner of the mother. All of them are alive in this moment. Thanks for commenting and continued luck in your research, Louisiana, U.S., Records of Enslaved People, 1719-1820 - Ancestry.com Trinidad and Tobago. Even many given names of ancestors eventually became a surname, such as Todd or William. Like most of the architecture and towns in Italy, they can also tell a story. Davis: This name is a patronymic of David. Enslaved women were raped, creating children with white fathers who in most cases did not claim them and even sold them away. The Voice of the Black Community in California, Last Updated on October 14, 2010 by Paulette Brown-Hinds. New surnames were created from a local regions name such as Smithfield the name taken might be Smith or Field. Enslaved people resisted in ways large and small. Can you steer me in the right direction? 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). Practices undoubtedly varied, and different archival sources may yield different conclusions. Expand or collapse the "in this article" section, Slave Names and Naming in the Anglophone Atlantic, Slave Names on Emancipation and after Slavery, Expand or collapse the "related articles" section, Expand or collapse the "forthcoming articles" section, African Retailers and Small Artisans in the Atlantic World, Alexander von Humboldt and Transatlantic Studies, Atlantic New Orleans: 18th and 19th Centuries, Black Atlantic in the Age of Revolutions, The, Chinese Indentured Servitude in the Atlantic World, Cities and Urbanization in Portuguese America, Colonial Governance in the Atlantic World, Comparative Indigenous History of the Americas, Criminal Transportation in the Atlantic World, Domestic Production and Consumption in the Atlantic World, Economy and Consumption in the Atlantic World. Some of these examples come from the wonderful book, Voices of Emancipation: I served [in the War] as Henry Lock, the Lock being my old Massas name but since the War I have taken name of Rollie., [Edward] was owned by Drury Stovall and went by the name of Edward Stovall. The Complexity of Slave Surnames > Reclaiming Kin The names that were brought together to form "Geffery" were "Gaufrid" (territory-peace), "Godafrid" (god-peace), and "Galfridus" (song-peace). We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Nameberry is a registered trademark of Nameberry, LLC. 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. My father would be 105 if he were alive. Another myth is once African Americans were sold they never saw their families again. These Are Some of the Rarest Last Names in the US: Do You Have One in Ones occupation also set the naming method, such as Sheperd, Cooper, or Smith. . They called me "OCK". There are 15 tables, blank and editable for you to populate, as well as samples of using each. Many Welsh surnames follow this pattern, with Jones (from 'John's son) being the most common. Hi Pat, He was a slave owner and, in 1800 as Chief Justice of New Brunswick, he supported slavery in defiance of British practice at the time. 687+ African-American Last Names [All Categories] - Tag Vault And again, as a white Southerner whose ancesters were NOT slaveowners, your blog is helping me to understand the real and horrible legacy of the peculiar institution. Jonah, the name of the Old Testament prophet who was swallowed by the whale, only to emerge unharmed three days later, is increasingly appreciated by parents looking for a biblical name less common than Jacob or Joshua, yet not too obscure. Students consider how US history books, films, and other works of popular culture have misrepresented the history of the Reconstruction era. Thank you for your kind comment and I am glad my post helped some with the complicated reasons behind the surnames enslaved people had. Even that feels like something. 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. Many of the graves are unmarked or the markers have been damaged, but many descendents still live around here, so we hope to identify as many of the possible graves as we can. They are held at The National Archives (Kew, England). Just go to my Vimeo page and make your selection. In the context of The Bahamas, the surname appears to originate with Denys Rolle, an American Loyalist who re-settled on Exuma, one of the so-called Out Islands of The Bahamas, sometime in the mid-1780s. . common last names for slaves in the 1800s. Over time, East Tennessee, hilly and dominated by small farms, retained the fewest number of slaves. For personal use and not for further distribution. 1. 1800s-1850s: Expansion of slavery in the U.S. - NBC News By country & year of birth. Plus, Jonah comes with a ready-made nursery-decorating motif. Allard. Also, the government seemed to be in a almighty hurry to have us get names. 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. common last names for slaves in the 1800s Through Reclaiming Kin, I share tips on genealogy skillbuilding for all genealogists, and on researching slavery and the enslaved. 12 Lost American Slangisms From The 1800s : NPR History Dept. : NPR Most did not want to use their former owners surname, even through about 20% did use the slave owners name. Who called you by that name and where was it done? Post Author: Post published: 18 avril 2022; Post Category: . Most Popular African Last Names Or Surnames. Join my mailing list below to learn about upcoming webinars. 42. 1. I presume no death certificate for her survives? For example, I know of one Louisiana family whose surname of Poulard evolved from a ancestor of the Poular nation(aka Fulani). In these cases, unless the name change had been passed down in the family by oral history, it would be impossible to trace the family back any further. African Americans were known by these surnames in the slave community and often recorded by slave owners on plantation documents. Students consider what it means to be free by learning about the choices and aspirations of freedpeople immediately after Emancipation. My hat goes off to you and your passionate efforts. They cut it off from OCTAVIA. . Best of luck to you in your research, Or, the Slaves were given numbers or classical Greek names. Numerous historical sources confirm that enslaved people had surnames that they used among themselves and in many cases were known by their slaveholder. The result was the birth of mulatto, quadroon, or mustee (mestee) children. What were common names for slaves in the 1800s? - Kyoto2.org Jackson: This name is a patronymic of Jack. One thing I envy about the Catholic church is the baptisms available for even the enslaved people there. Surnames (not always those of former owners) would then be adopted as family names by former slaves and their descendants. Dick Lewis Barnett and Phillip Fry were African American veterans of the Union Army during the Civil War. After emancipation, he became William Smith. So I asked my mother and she told me my father John Barnett, a white man, and I took up the name of Barnett . Available from 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 (accessed May 6, 2022). No, I dont know to whom she belonged before she was brought from Virginia to Kentucky. But the Slaves generally had two namesthe one given by the slave owner (e.g. 400 Catchy Slave Names That You Will Like - Worth Start 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. All of them are alive in this moment. There was often a fluidity to the surnames that enslaved people had. 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. Thanks for this very thoughtful article. In French-speaking Louisiana, Slave names reflected the dominant language and thus were generally different from those in the English colonies. For example, Roll, Jordan,Roll has an entire chapter called The Naming of Cats, discussing slave names and The Slave Community has a very good chapter called The Slave Family. Two other books I like are Been In The Storm So Long by Leon Litwick (pgs 247-248)and Joining PLaces: Slave Neighborhoods in the Old South by Anthony Kaye. And please do share posts that interest you. Thank you, my dear friend, for adding this about enslaved people owned in the Caribbean is really important, as some of the customs were certainly different. Its knowledge that I think most Americans (not even just white Americans) dont have and it is endlessly fascinating and sobering both at the same time. When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. However, the enslaved occasionally had surnames, which became normal leading up to and after emancipation as a mark of assimilation into free society. Injurious Names: Naming, Disavowal, and Recuperation in Contexts of Slavery and Emancipation. In The Anthropology of Names and Naming. I worked for him as nurse for his children, and my full and correct name was OCTAVIA, but the family could not catch on to that long name and called me LOTTIE for short. Some last names recognize certain histories or describe important events or narratives that mean a lot to the family.

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