
Shaquille, shortened to "Shaq", is an example of an invented African-American spelling of the name Shakil. Afrocentric and inventive names įurther information: Afrocentrism Basketball player Shaquille O'Neal. These names are often seen with spelling variations such as Antwan, Antwaun or Antwon (Antoine) or Shauntelle (Chantal). Opinions on the origins of the French influence vary, but historically French names such as Monique, Chantal, André, and Antoine became so common within African-American culture that many Americans began to think of them solely as "black names". While creoles of color historically had classical French names, many names of French origin entered the picture during the 1950s and 1960s. Also, punctuation marks like apostrophes and dashes are sometimes used (though infrequently). Some names are created using fashionable syllables, for example the prefixes La- or De- and the suffixes -ique or -isha.

Given names used by African-American people are often invented or creatively-spelled variants of more traditional names. Lieberson and Mikelson of Harvard University analyzed black names, finding that the recent innovative naming practices follow American linguistic conventions even if they are independent of organizations or institutions. They favor an explanatory model which attributes a change in black perceptions of their identity to the Black Power Movement. examined the rapid change in naming practices in the early 1970s, with the rapid adoption of distinctively black names, especially in low-income, racially isolated neighborhoods. San Diego State University professor Jean Twenge believes that the shift toward unique black-American baby names is also the result of the cultural shift in America that values individuality over conformity. With the rise of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement and the wider counterculture of the 1960s, there was a dramatic rise in African-American names of various origins.

Paustian has argued that black names display the same themes and patterns as those in West Africa. However, those early names are no longer used by Black people. Cook, John Parman and Trevon Logan has found that distinctive African-American naming practices happened as early as in the Antebellum period. Recent research by economic historians Lisa D. This applied to both given names and surnames. It was also quite common for immigrants and cultural minorities to choose baby names or change their names to fit in within the wider American culture.

Even within the White-American population, a few very common names were given to babies of that era, with nicknames often used to distinguish among various people with the same name. It is widely held that prior to the 1950s and 1960s, most African-American names closely resembled those used within European-American culture. Black slaves remained nameless from the time of their capture until they were purchased by white American slaveholders.
