Some Ways That African American Names Are Created: Beginning A Name With A Prefix And/Or Ending A Name With A Suffix

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a four page 2023 Lipstick Alley.com discussion thread that lists names that the commenters consider to be "African American".

Some of the comments in this discussion thread presents the commenters' opinions about ways that African American names are created by adding a prefix to the beginning of an already existing personal name and/or adding a suffix to an already existing personal name.

This is just one of the subjects that are explored in this four page discussion thread. Another subject that is repeatedly raised in this discussion is "Why do Black Americans have so many "Muslim names?" 

The content of this post is presented for onomastic, historical, and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who participated in that lipstick alley discussion thread and special thanks to all those who are quoted in this pancocojams post..

****
WHAT DID MOST COMMENTERS IN THIS DISCUSSION MEAN BY "BLACK AMERICAN NAMES"?
One broad definition of "African American names" in this lipstickalley.com discussion appears to be "personal names that are commonly found among African Americans (or are popular with African Americans, and/or usually associated with African Americans) regardless to what nation (language) these names came from. 

A more specific definition of "African American names" in this lipstickalley.com discussion appears to be "personal names that were created by African Americans, especially those newly created personal names that have certain structural characteristics such as a particular prefix, and/or suffix."

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS SHOWCASED DISCUSSION THREAD

https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/what-are-your-fav-african-american-names.5158067/ What are your favorite African American Names?

1. Bellz Jan 31, 2023
"I want to name my kids african american names. like, names that are not just popular among us, but names that were created by us. Ones that sound nice and simple, not ones that are a jumbling of too many different words and sounds lol. Some of our popular names are ones where we took a european name and shortened or remixed it, for example. Anyway what are your favs?"

**
2. shyael, Jan 31, 2023
"Dajanae, Devante, Joy, Coi, Jada, Jayla, Layla, Jaliah, Taliah, Meah, Nia, Anyah, Jahia, Mya, Tasia, Daijah, Aja

Most names ending in -isha or -ika (Camisha, Tamika, etc)

 I love Black American names ❤️"

**
3. HiC Orange, Jan 31, 2023
"Great thread, op. I love black names!

for girls I love names that end in -eisha phonetically.

Meisha, Caresha, Felicia

or in -eka

like Tameika, Sheneka.

I used to to know of someone named Mameika (Muh-Mee-Kuh)

which is so pretty to me & one of my favorite names.

I have a boring black name. lol"

**
4. Bellz  Jan 31, 2023 [thread starter]
"i have a boring name too, but i like it. it's a white name, but it's spelled in a unique way.

Thanks"

**
5. Out2Lunch215, Jan 31, 2023
"Please note that most AA names are Scottish, Latin, and British in origin for the obvious reasons. That being said, the easiest way to make a name "Black/AA" is to add La, Le, Ta, etc to it.

For example, Shawna is English in origin but there are variations like LaShawna, LeShawna, DeShawna, Ta'shawna, and Toshawna among AA.

Same for Marcus. We all know a Demarcus, LeMarcus, Jamarcus, etc."

**
6. Redcoral, Jan 31, 2023
"Keisha

Meisha

Leisha

Teisha

Reisha

Add a La or Ta at the beginning and it’s a remix…"

****
https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/what-are-your-fav-african-american-names.5158067/page-2

7. Skyglo, Jan 31, 2023
"Naya, laya, jayla any name name with aya in it cus I got my name sounds like that lol"

**
8. Mrs. Lindo, Feb 1, 2023
"Ive seen the name Asia mixed in with other stuff like

Briasia, Deasia, Leasia, etc"

****
https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/what-are-your-fav-african-american-names.5158067/page-3

9. SCarmichael, Feb 1, 2023
"Any guy with a Tre' or De' in front of his name is sexy.  I don't make the rules."

**
10. Lilliup, Feb 1, 2023
"I know plenty Black guys named Tyrone and Jerome that’s popular in the Black American community, so it counts. As for Black American someone already said name’s ending with -eisha and -eika"

**
11. Michakah, Feb 1, 2023
"I like ones that end with tay/ tae/ té"

****

https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/what-are-your-fav-african-american-names.5158067/page-4

12.  TiggerBear Feb 2, 2023

"Out2Lunch215 said:

Please note that most AA names are Scottish, Latin, and British in origin for the obvious reasons. That being said, the easiest way to make a name "Black/AA" is to add La, Le, Ta, etc to it.

For example, Shawna is English in origin but there are variations like LaShawna, LeShawna, DeShawna, Ta'shawna, and Toshawna among AA."

Same for Marcus. We all know a Demarcus, LeMarcus, Jamarcus, etc.
-end of quoted comment-
"A lot of Muslim names too"

**

13. HiC Orange, Feb 3, 2023
..."My favorite boy names that I've heard of end in

-on or tae

Germon

Keyvion (Key-vee-ahn)

Davontae

Deontae"

**
14. M A R S, Feb 5, 2023
"AA Origins I believe:

Feminine

Niyah

Aviani: this might be Arabic not too sure.

Dasia

Nyala

 

Unisex

Semaj

Kamari

 

Masculine

Jelani

Zaire

Tyrese

Tyriq

Amarion

Kairi/Kyrie: the word is Greek but the origin as a name is AA I think.

 

This just made me realize how many names don't have AA origins yet I heavily associate with AAs. I don't think that's a bad thing though. Biblical names are used due to the influence of religion. Same with Islamic names due to the NOI influence. French names I'm assuming came about from New Orleans. Now that I write it out it's so cool how we can trace name usage like this.

I also find it interesting that black girls will sometimes be named after their fathers in a roundabout, but very obvious way.

I know of a Willimesha (Father's name is William)

& a Jameonna (Jay-Me-Ahn-Nuh) (Father's name is James)

 

I feel like I don't see other communities do this to this extent. I think it happens quite a bit with us."

****
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Visitor comments are welcome.

What Is Your Favorite African American First Name? (comments from a 2020 Reddit.com Discussion Thread)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents some comments from a Reddit.com discussion thread entitled "...Your Favorite Traditional African American Names". That discussion thread began in 2020 and is no longer open for comments.

The content of this post is presented for onomastic, historical, and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/11/some-ways-that-african-american-names.html for a closely related pancocojams post entitles "Some Ways That African American Names Are Created: Beginning A Name With A Prefix And/Or Ending A Name With A Suffix."

The comments in that post are from Lipstick Alley.com. Lipstick Alley.com promotes itself as "The Internet's Largest African American Forum"

****
DISCLAIMER
The comments in this discussion thread represents the commenters' preferences and/or the information that the commenters know unlike a list of top names that were compiled by a Social Security office or some other reputable governmental, health, social service, or educational offices.

Furthermore, it's important to note that the commenters whose preferences and information is presented in this compilation may not be part of the population group being discussed.
   
Reddit is an online discussion thread whose participants are from a variety of races/ethnicities, genders, and nations. Based on the topic, it may be assumed that most of the commenters are Black Americans, but unless those commenters self-identify as such, their race/ethnicity is unknown.

This is different from an online discussion thread such as Lipstick Alley.com 
https://www.lipstickalley.com/ which promotes itself as "The Internet's Largest African American Forum"

****
WHAT SOME COMMENTERS IN THIS REDDIT DISCUSSION MEAN BY"TRADITIONAL NAMES"
Which names that are often given to African American children are traditional depends on how a person defines "traditional" and which names are a person's favorites depends on that person. 

Some commenters in this showcased 2020 Reddit.com discussion on "favorite traditional African American names" focused on the word "traditional" and defined that word  as "personal names from  European languages or from the Bible that Americans, including African Americans, historically gave and still usually give to their children."

Names from Western European languages and a number of Biblical names are still the sources of most of the names that Americans give to their children. However, researchers who document the use of personal names in the United States indicate that the "pool" of personal names that Black Americans used in the past was larger than the pool of names that White Americans used. That pool of names that Black people used included a larger number of Biblical names that White Americans rarely used or had discontinued using, as well as some personal names that African American had "invented" by such creative techniques as combining already existing names or parts of names.

However, in the 1970s, the Black American's pool of personal names grew exponentially by the addition of some traditional Arabic names and some traditional African names, particularly from the KiSwahili language. African Americans also added spelling and/or pronunciation variants of these Arabic or African names, and continued inventing new personal names from from already existing names throughout the world, from already existing words that were/are re-purposed to serve as personal names, and from the own mind and spirit. 

To some commenters in this Reddit.com discussion, those 1970s on names qualify as "traditional favorite African American names", but to other commenters in this discussion thread, those names definitely don't qualify as such, because they weren't used in "the past" or "because they originated in the United States", or for some other reason or reasons.

I'm publishing this post and other posts like it because part of the historical and cultural record for Black Americans is to document the traditional Arabic names, traditional African names, and variants of both of those categories of names that Black Americans (and/or non-Black Americans) considered their favorites and when that was. Documenting the changes in which names Black Americans considered their favorites over time (reflected in which of those names Black Americans gave to their children) is also part of the historical and cultural record.

Unfortunately, few states gather racial/ethnic data annually or otherwise about which first name (personal name) is given to newborns :o(  so we have to make due with internet discussions such as this one.   

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE REDDIT.COM DISCUSSION THREAD- ..."YOUR FAVORITE TRADITIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN NAMES"

https://www.reddit.com/r/namenerds/comments/lel7fs/in_honor_of_black_history_month_drop_your/

These selected comments are numbered for referencing purposes only. These numbers may not  correspond to the order that these comments appear in that online discussion. 

 All of these comments are from 2020.

1. Whalesrmyfavanimal
"In honor of black history month, drop your favorite traditional African American names.

Is there even such a thing as a traditional African American name? My favorite part is the creativity and uniqueness. I love Jatavia, Amiyah, Malika, Imani and for boys I love the -keems (Hakeem, Akeem) Malcolm, Kareem etc. There is a stigma around African American names but many have special meanings and great people behind the name!"

**
2. tofurainbowgarden
"I can't speak for all african americans but I can speak to my anecdotal experience. I don't really think african americans have traditional names. If you want to say traditional, for generations back, I have the names Mary, Frances, William (went back 4 generations), and Annie in my family. These are the names of my great grandparents and further back. The names people are listing here are relatively recent creations. The names listed here are stereotypically african american rather than traditionally.

African American history and culture is American History and culture. They can't be separated as two entities. So, if you go back in history, you will find african americans were traditionally named what was popular at that time. The names listed here are representative of a specific movement that happened in the 80s."

**
3. Livibumblebee
"Yeah, this. My parents, grandparents, all the older generations of my family and their peers all have traditional English names for obvious reasons. The younger generations (which my name is an obvious byproduct of) have a lot more recently created names - born from a relatively modern movement to get back to our roots and really to craft an identity. Many of the names here are names that have only recently began to be used in African American culture. For traditional names, I‘d suggest names more like Virgil, Roberta, Monique, Marcel, Frederick, Rose, Malcom, Yolanda, and Andre. Many of the names I’ve seen are fantastic and definitely part of modern AA culture, but they are not traditional."

**
4. acertaingestault
"I'd add Reginald and Jerome as lovely traditional names too!"

**
5. Few-Application-2954
"I’m not sure if they are traditional, but some names from American history - Ruby, Emmett, Martin, Malcolm, Maya, Langston, Medgar, Zora, Harriet, Cecil, Ella, James, Thurgood, Ida

**
6. name deleted
"And Rosa!"

**
7. name deleted
"Aaliyah, Aiyana, Malachi and Marquis are beautiful"

**
8. Poke-A-Shmopper
"Is Malachi considered African American? I always associated it with Hebrew"

**
9. name deleted
"I believe it has Hebrew origins but it’s also a popular boy’s name in the black community! Kind of like how Aaliyah is an Arabic name but also a popular name for black girls even those who aren’t Muslim/Arab"

**
10. cozyessi
"I find Naima (Nye-ee-ma) to be so beautiful. I’ve also known people who spell it differently but its pronounced the same way."

**
11. wer4cats
"I love Hakeem, Deon, Andre, Keisha, Aisha, and Tamara."

**
12. cozyessi
"I love Andre!"

**
13. -itwaswritten-
"Tamara is Hebrew :)"

**
14. greatertrocanter
"Keisha is so great."

**
15. chief_keish
"that’s my name !!"

**
16. Marzipanny
"For girls: Keisha, Ebony, and Zaire. For boys - I think the name Tyrone is typically used by Black men in the US, and I love it."

**
17. CallidoraBlack
"I think the problem with Zaire, while lovely, is the really ugly history of the regime that renamed a country that. It really sucks when bad people taint a really cool name."

**
18. DNA_ligase
"Devonté, but I wish people would spell it with the accent. Tyrone and Tyrique are also really nice boys names. Omari is lovely for a boy, but I think it's Swahili or Arabic, so I don't think it counts.

Keisha for a girl. And I'll get sh-t* for this, but I do love Shaniqua as a name. Yes, there's that stupid song about it, but Shaniqua and Shanice are so pretty sounding."

A lot of the names I think of are Swahili, Arabic, or Biblical in origin, though, so I didn't include them in this list, as this is for names that originated in the US."
--snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this comment.

**
19. Necessary-Nobody-765
"I’m not American so is anyone able to explain how Tyrone came to be a name popular in the African American community?

To me, Tyrone is an Irish county.

I’m interested to learn the association."

**
20. name deleted
"It was popularized by Tyrone Power. He was pretty much the Leonardo DiCaprio of his time. This could be the reason, idk though."

**
21. name deleted
"Lakeisha! All the pretty names that are more basic names with “la” or “ja” added in front. Anything ending with “Marcus”- like Ja’Marcus.

Other favorites are Octavius and Zenobia, but those were originally from other cultures and aren’t common."

**
22. rinkolee
"I am not American so for me most of the names in this thread are not African American but Arabic, Persian, Irish or other . Its very interesting.

Names like Hakeem, Jamal, Imani, Khadija, Aliyah are Muslim for me."

**
23. stirfriedquinoa
"Aaliyah, Amari, Ayanna, Darius, Dayla, Dominic, Janasia, Kenya, Nyelle, Queen, Sanaya, Taron, Zion"

**
24. name deleted
"Darius is one of my favs!"

**
25. AtlanticToastConf
"Jamal and Marquita are two of my favorites."

**
26. bigsexymauve
"Khadijah, Mariah, Jabria, Abria, Jacquez, Serenity, Faith, Aaliyah, Monica, Ashanti (!!!!)"

**
27. greatertrocanter
"Love Khadijah!"

**
28. name deleted
"I love the name Keisha! I also really like Tyrese, Demetrius, and Darius. My favorite historical African-American names are Mahalia and Zora."

**
29. berlinbunny
"Happy Black history month everyone!

I like:

Aaliyah (LOVE), Aisha, Ashanti, Imani (♥️), Talisa, Tamira, Sabah, Nia, Jasmina, Kenya, Jelani, Maia.

André, Xavier, Jeremiah, Josiah, Deangelo, Deion."

(I know some of these have different origins, but they can still be considered as African American names. Similarly to how Gabriella and Maria can be Italian, Latin American or Spanish name, for example. Also, to those saying that “these are mostly Arabic or Muslim names”, please note that Black Americans can also be Muslim... thank you)."

**
30. name deleted
"I looooove Imani but it’s my sister’s name. My next favorite is Aaliyah. I like a lot of Black names but I tend to like ones that I first heard when I was a kid for some reason. It’s weird but it’s a trend I’ve noticed for most names."

**
31. berlinbunny
"Imani is lovely. There must be some science behind that, I think I heard that we’re more likely to like songs we have heard many times before, so it might be the same thing with names too?"

**
32. RainbowRozes123
"Aisha, Janae, Aaliyah, Nicole, Nazir"

**
33. Baird-Everdeen
"Hakeem is interesting and beautiful! ( in Turkish you call a referee "Hakem") For names, I always loved Makayla!"

**
34. christiancocaine
"Aisha. (eye-EESH-uhh) although I believe it’s traditionally Arabic, I always think of Aisha Tyler when I hear the name"

**
35. GetWellSune
"I dont know if this is traditional or not, but I love the name Tamika. I dont know what it is about it, but it is super pretty. My mom always liked the name Ebony."

**
36. matilda-belle
"My mom always said she wanted to name me Tamika! Not sure why or where she got it from...my family is very Irish/German Catholic on both sides. My dad shot it down - it would not have suited me"

**
37. GetWellSune
"My mom grew up in a predominantly black city, and she had knew people named Ebony, so I think that is where she got it from. I listened to something when I younger with a charecter named Tamika, which is where ai heard it first."

**
38. unicorntrees
"My husband always tells me of a little girl named Shakara from when he volunteered with homeless youth. Such a pretty name.

Some favorite student names of mine over the years: Kenya, Dementrice (Demetrius), Makai, and Javelle."

**
39. MxViolin
"LaShawn is my favorite name of all time."

**
40. 26kanninchen
"Kamaria (which I believe is traditionally Swahili, correct me if I’m wrong) is definitely a favorite of mine. If it weren’t for the cultural appropriation issue it’d definitely be on my list for future offspring names. I also like the names Tavonna (girl name) and Tavion/Tavian (boy names)."

**
41. frothy_butterbeer
"Ramyka. Unsure if traditional-she said it was. Rah-mE-ka or Ram-E-ka."

**
42. _officinialis
"Dante, Aliyah, Tyron"

**
43. elbinga
"Jamal, Kareem, Aisha, Omar, Tarek, Ali, Aziz, Rashed."

**
44. throwaway15953207
"I have a student named La’Dajah (luh-day-juh) and I think it’s so pretty."

**
45. CoffeeKat1
"I went to school with a Camarie and a Dotun (pronounced du-TOON).

 Never heard those names anywhere else so they always stuck with me!"

**
46. ida_klein
"Malcolm is one of my favorite names in general. For a girl, probably Ebony. I love the sound and the meaning."

**
41. name deleted
"Aisha started as an Arabic name, but I've seen it pop up and it's such a beautiful name."

**
42. zzzelot
"LaSean

Jamari"

**
43. name deleted
"Zaria, Zakia, & Armani (its Italian but still)."

**
44. Icy_Crow
"Quandra

Tanisha

 Roshawnna

 -------------------------

Jamiracle

Demarcus

Jerwayne"

**
45. MajesticLilFruitcake
"I once met a woman named Dominica and I think that’s such a pretty name."

**
46. DobabyR
"Nia and Tia"

**
47. gibbakith
"I have a little Imani in my class (she isn’t black) I love this name! I’ve often wondered how it plays into her heritage. It’s so pretty.

Akeem and Kareem (ESP Kareem) are really nice boy names.

On an episode of Worlds worst mom, a black mom named Sharifa had some really interesting names for her kids. Shemiah (boy) is the oldest. And I remember Nehemiah (also a boy ) can’t remember them all but the baby is nabbed Zepeiah ? But they call him Zippy or Zeppy. Adorable! And her husband is named Maurice but he spells it Morise. I like that. https://youtu.be/D_DKvDalGew it’s a good show!"

**
48. name deleted
"Deja is such a favorite of mine. My bestie as a little girl was Deja and I was so jealous she had a “Black” name and I didn’t (I’m black but my name is mostly used on white people, though I’ve met a lot of black women with my name through Twitter!).

My other favorites are Imani and Aaliyah for girls. Boys are Darius, Lakeith, and Hakeem."

**
49. name deleated
"A lot of African American names are Arabic names, usually with a twist. Hakeem حكيم means wise, Kareem كريم means generous, Jamal جمال means beauty, Jameel جميل means beautiful, Akeel/Akeela عقيال/عقيلة means intellectual, and Shareef شريف means honourable. Then there's Maleek, which is supposed to be a variant spelling of Malik. It's actually pronounced "Maah-lick" in Arabic, but they pronounced it as Maleek and it became something all their own. It means "King". Malika means "queen." Imani I believe comes from Iman إيمان, the Arabic word (and girls name) for faith."

**
50. chillyflamingo
"I don't know if they're traditional, but I really like Nakia, Imani, Deon/Dion, and Zion."

**
51. mountainer14
"Girl name: Zuri. Love it so much"

**
52. SailorSatuurn
"Shanice/ Shaniece (niecy) and Malcom"

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Part IV - The Most Popular Baby Names (By Race/Ethnicity) In The State Of Virginia, USA In 2024

Edited by Azizi Powell 

This is Part IV of a four part pancocojams series that provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in a particular year in the state of Virginia (USA).

These posts are also published to compare the racial/ethnic lists of names that are provided within the specific year that is showcased as well as within the other years that are provided.

* "Ethnicity" in this pancocojams series means people of Hispanic (Latino/Latina) descent. 

This post provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in the state of Virginia (USA) in 2024.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-most-popular-baby-names-by-race-in.html for Part I of this pancocojams post. That post provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in the state of Virginia (USA) in 2013.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-most-popular-baby-names-by.html for Part II of this pancocojams series.That post provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in the state of Virginia (USA) in 2022.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/11/part-iii-most-popular-baby-names-by.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in the state of Virginia (USA) in 2023

The content of this post is presented for onomastic, historical, and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the Virginia Department of Health and Office of Vital Records. Thanks also to Nancy’s Baby Names website and all the sources that are cited on that page.
-snip-
This pancocojams post quotes all of the data in that Nancy's Baby Names post except for the list of the Virginia’s top 15+ girl names and top 15+ boy names of 2024

Pancocojams visitors are encouraged to click on the link to that page to read that list and are also encouraged to read other posts in that fascinating, informative website that has been publishing posts about names since 2006.

****
POPULAR BABY NAMES IN VIRGINIA 2024

https://www.nancy.cc/category/names-popular/usa-rankings/ Nancy's Baby Names, May 22, 2025

"Popular baby names in Virginia, 2024

Last year, the Commonwealth of Virginia welcomed roughly 94,443 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Charlotte and Liam, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records.

[...]

The state also revealed the top names within each of its four largest ethnic groups: White, Black, Hispanic and Asian. (According to the most recent CDC data, 53.1% of Virginia’s babies were born to non-Hispanic White mothers, 19.0% to Black mothers, 17.5% to Hispanic mothers, and 7.4% to Asian mothers.)

These were the top 5 girl names and 5 boy names among Virginia’s White babies:

Girl names, White

1. Charlotte

2. Olivia

3. Eleanor

4. Amelia

5. Emma

Boy names, White

1. James

2. William

3. Oliver

4. Henry

5. Theodore

These were the top 5 girl names and 5 boy names among Virginia’s Black babies:

Girl names, Black

1. Nova

2. Naomi

3. Ava

4. Brielle

5. Zuri 

 

Boy names, Black

1. Noah

2. Amir

3. Josiah

4. Elijah

5. Ezra

These were the top 5 girl names and 5 boy names among Virginia’s Hispanic babies:

Girl names, Hispanic  

1. Mia

2. Isabella

3. Sofia

4. Genesis

5. Camila        

Boy names, Hispanic

1. Liam

2. Dylan

3. Matteo

4. Noah

5. Thiago

And these were the top 5 girl names and 5 boy names among Virginia’s Asian babies:

Girl names, Asian

1. Sophia

2. Emma

3. Olivia

4. Chloe

5. Eliana         

Boy names, Asian

1. Noah

2. Muhammad

3. Henry

4. Lucas

5. Ethan

[...].

Sources:

Virginia Department of Health and Office of Vital Records Release Top Baby Names for 2024, Other Interesting Virginia Birth Data"

Births: Final Data for 2023 [PDF], National Vital Statistics Reports, vol. 74, no. 1, 18 Mar. 2025.

****
This concludes Part IV of this four part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome. 

Part III - The Most Popular Baby Names (By Race/Ethnicity) In The State Of Virginia, USA In 2023

Edited by Azizi Powell 

This is Part III of a four part pancocojams series that provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in a particular year in the state of Virginia (USA).

These posts are also published to compare the racial/ethnic lists of names that are provided within the specific year that is showcased as well as within the other years that are provided.

* "Ethnicity" in this pancocojams series means people of Hispanic (Latino/Latina) descent. 

This post provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in the state of Virginia (USA) in 2023

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-most-popular-baby-names-by-race-in.html for Part I of this pancocojams post. That post provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in the state of Virginia (USA) in 2013.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/11/part-iii-most-popular-baby-names-by.html___ for Part II of this pancocojams series.That post provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in the state of Virginia (USA) in 2022.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/11/part-iv-most-popular-baby-names-by.html __ for Part IV of this pancocojams series. That post provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in the state of Virginia (USA) in 2024

The content of this post is presented for onomastic, historical, and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the Virginia Department of Health and Office of Vital Records. Thanks also to Nancy’s Baby Names website and all the sources that are cited on that page.
-snip-
This pancocojams post quotes all of the data in that Nancy's Baby Names post except for the list of the Virginia’s top 15+ girl names and top 15+ boy names of 2023.

Pancocojams visitors are encouraged to click on the link to that page to read that list and are also encouraged to read other posts in that fascinating, informative website that has been publishing posts about names since 2006.

****
POPULAR BABY NAMES IN VIRGINIA 2023

https://www.nancy.cc/2024/02/29/popular-baby-names-virginia-2023/  Nancy's Baby Names, February 29, 2024

Popular baby names in Virginia, 2023

"Last year, the Commonwealth of Virginia — which is home to more than 8.7 million people — welcomed roughly 95,000 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Charlotte and Liam, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records.

[...]

The state also revealed the top names within each of its four largest ethnic groups: White, Black, Hispanic and Asian. (According to the most recent CDC data, from 2021, 54.3% of Virginia’s babies were born to non-Hispanic White mothers, 20.0% to Black mothers, 15.7% to Hispanic mothers, and 7.3% to Asian mothers.)

These were the top 5 girl names and 5 boy names among Virginia’s White babies:

Girl names, White       

1. Charlotte

2. Olivia

3. Emma

4. Amelia

5. Sophia


Boy names, White

1. James

2. William

3. Oliver

4. Henry

5. Liam

These were the top 5 girl names and 5 boy names among Virginia’s Black babies:
 

Girl names, Black        

1. Ava

2. Naomi

3. Nova

4. Serenity

5. Autumn


Boy names, Black

1. Noah

2. Amir

3. Josiah

4. Elijah

5. Legend

These were the top 5 girl names and 5 boy names among Virginia’s Hispanic babies:

Girl names, Hispanic   

1. Mia

2. Camila*

3. Genesis*

4. Isabella

5. Sofia


Boy names, Hispanic

1. Liam

2. Mateo

3. Dylan

4. Thiago

5. Lucas

*In the news release, Camila and Genesis were spelled “Camilla” and “Genisis.” I’m assuming these were typos as well.

And, finally, these were the top 5 girl names and 5 boy names among Virginia’s Asian babies:

Girl names, Asian        

1. Olivia

2. Ava

3. Sophia

4. Sophie

5. Charlotte  

Boy names, Asian

1. Noah

2. Lucas

3. Muhammad

4. Ethan

5. Alexander

Sources:

Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records Announces Top Baby Names of 2023

Births: Final Data for 2021 [PDF], National Vital Statistics Reports, vol. 72, no. 1, 31 Jan. 2023."

****
This concludes Part III of this four part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Part II - The Most Popular Baby Names (By Race/Ethnicity) In The State Of Virginia, USA In 2022

Edited by Azizi Powell 

This is Part II of a four part pancocojams series that provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in a particular year in the state of Virginia (USA)..

This post provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in the state of Virginia (USA) in 2022.

These posts are also published to compare the racial/ethnic lists of names that are provided within the specific year that is showcased as well as within the other years that are provided.

*"Ethnicity" in this pancocojams series means people of Hispanic (Latino/Latina) descent. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-most-popular-baby-names-by-race-in.html for Part I of this pancocojams post. That post provides information about the most popular firs names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in the state of Virginia (USA) in 2013.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/11/part-iii-most-popular-baby-names-by.html
for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in the state of Virginia (USA) in 2023

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/11/part-iv-most-popular-baby-names-by.html for Part IV of this pancocojams series. That post provides information about the most popular firs names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in the state of Virginia (USA) in 2024

The content of this post is presented for onomastic, historical, and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the Virginia Department of Health and Office of Vital Records. Thanks also to Nancy’s Baby Names website and all the sources that are cited on that page.
-snip-
This pancocojams post quotes all of the data in that Nancy's Baby Names post except for the list of the Virginia’s top 15+ girl names and top 15+ boy names of 2022.

Pancocojams visitors are encouraged to click on the link to that page to read that list and are also encouraged to read other posts in that fascinating, informative website that has been publishing posts about names since 2006.

****
POPULAR BABY NAMES IN VIRGINIA 2022

https://www.nancy.cc/2023/02/16/popular-baby-names-virginia-2022/ Nancy's Baby Names, February 16, 2023

"The Commonwealth of Virginia, located on the east coast of the United States, is the 12th most populous state in the country.

Last year, Virginia welcomed 95,583 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Charlotte and Noah, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records.

[...]

The state also revealed the top names within each of its four largest ethnic groups: White, Black, Hispanic and Asian. (According to the most recent CDC data, from 2020, 53.9% of Virginia’s babies were born to non-Hispanic White mothers, 20.7% to Black mothers, 15.6% to Hispanic mothers, and 7.3% to Asian mothers.)

These were the top 5 girl names and 5 boy names among Virginia’s White babies:

Girl names, White    

1. Charlotte

2. Olivia

3. Amelia

4. Harper

5. Emma    

Boy names, White

1. William

2. Henry

3. James

4. Theodore

5. Oliver

These were the top 5 girl names and 5 boy names among Virginia’s Black babies:

Girl names, Black        

1. Ava

2. Naomi

3. Nova

4. Zuri

5. Leilani 
   

Boy names, Black

1. Noah

2. Elijah

3. Josiah

4. Amir

5. Micah

These were the top 5 girl names and 5 boy names among Virginia’s Hispanic babies:

Girl names, Hispanic   

1. Mia

2. Camila

3. Isabella

4. Emma

5. Genesis 


Boy names, Hispanic

1. Liam

2. Mateo

3. Dylan

4. Noah

5. Lucas

And, finally, these were the top 5 girl names and 5 boy names among Virginia’s Asian babies: 

Girl names, Asian        

1. Sophia

2. Chloe

3. Olivia

4. Mia

5. Charlotte  
   

Boy names, Asian

1. Noah

2. Muhammad

3. Liam

4. Kai

5. Henry

Nearly a decade ago we looked at Virginia’s 2013 rankings, which also included a breakdown of usage by ethnic group.

Sources:

Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records Announces Top Fifteen Baby Names of 2022

Births: Final Data for 2020 [PDF], National Vital Statistics Reports, vol. 70, no. 17, 7 Feb. 2022. (via Demographics of Virginia – Wikipedia)

Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records Announces Top Baby Names of 2023"

****

This concludes Part II of this four part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Part I -The Most Popular Baby Names (By Race/Ethnicity) In The State Of Virginia, USA In 2013

Edited by Azizi Powell 

This is Part I of a four part pancocojams series that provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in a particular year in the state of Virginia (USA).

These posts are also published to compare the racial/ethnic lists of names that are provided within the specific year that is showcased as well as within the other years that are provided.

*"Ethnicity" in this pancocojams series means people of Hispanic (Latino/Latina) descent. 

This post provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies born in Virginia in 2013.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/11/part-iii-most-popular-baby-names-by.html for Part II of this pancocojams series.That post provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in the state of Virginia (USA) in 2022.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/11/part-iii-most-popular-baby-names-by.html
for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post provides information about the most popular first names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in the state of Virginia (USA) in 2023

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/11/part-iv-most-popular-baby-names-by.html for Part IV of this pancocojams series. That post provides information about the most popular firs names by race/ethnicity for babies who were born in the state of Virginia (USA) in 2024

The content of this post is presented for onomastic, historical, and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the Virginia Department of Health and Office of Vital Records. Thanks also to Nancy’s Baby Names website and all the sources that are cited on that page.
-snip-
This pancocojams post quotes all of the data in that Nancy's Baby Names post except for the list of the Virginia’s top 15+ girl names and top 15+ boy names of 2013.

Pancocojams visitors are encouraged to click on the link below for this Nancy's Baby Names page to read that list. Pancocojams visitors are also encouraged to read other posts in that fascinating, informative website that has been publishing posts about names since 2006.

****
THE FIFTEEN + MOST POPULAR BABY NAMES IN VIRGINIA BY RACE IN 2013
https://www.nancy.cc/2015/03/31/popular-baby-names-virginia-2013/ Nancy’s Baby Names, March 31, 2015

"The Commonwealth of Virginia, on the east coast of the United States, is the 12th most populous state in the nation.

Every year, Virginia welcomes approximately 100,000 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies in 2013 specifically? Emma and William, according to the Virginia Department of Health’s Division of Health Statistics.

[...]

(...According to my source, “There are some ties among the top 15 names by group, so some lists are longer.”)

Virginia (just like New York City, in the nearby state of New York) also breaks down its baby name rankings by race/ethnic group.

In 2013, the population of Virginia was roughly 69.6% White (58.0% non-Hispanic White), 22.5% Black, 12.8% Hispanic, 7.7% Asian, and 0.2% Native American. While the state did not release baby name data for Asians and Native Americans, it did release data for the three larger groups.

Here are the top 15+ girl names and 15+ boy names for Virginia’s White babies:

Girl names, White 

1. Emma

2. Olivia

3. Sophia

4. Abigail

5. Charlotte

6. Ava

7. Isabella

8. Emily

9. Madison

10. Harper

11. Elizabeth

12. Lillian

13. Avery

14. Hannah

15. Amelia

16. Addison   

Boy names, White

1. William

2. Liam

3. Jackson

4. James

5. Noah

6. Jacob

7. Mason

8. John

9. Benjamin

10. Ethan

11. Alexander

12. Luke

13. Lucas

14. Henry

15. Michael

16. Logan


Here are the top 15+ girl names and 15+ boy names for Virginia’s Black babies:

Girl names, Black

1. Aaliyah

2. London

3. Madison

4. Serenity

5. Ava

6. Nevaeh

7. Olivia

8. Skylar

9. Kennedy

10. Londyn

11. Trinity

12. Taylor

13. Faith

14. Makayla

15. Layla

16. Gabrielle

17. Mariah

18. Naomi

19. Arianna

20. Jordyn       

 

Boy names, Black

1. Elijah

2. Jeremiah

3. Josiah

4. Jayden

5. Aiden

6. Christian

7. Noah

8. Isaiah

9. Mason

10. Michael

11. Cameron

12. Jordan

13. Ayden

14. Christopher

15. Caleb

16. Ethan

 

And, finally, here are the top 15+ girl names and 15+ boy names for Virginia’s Hispanic babies:

Girl names, Hispanic

1. Genesis

2. Sophia

3. Isabella

4. Ashley

5. Mia

6. Emily

7. Sofia

8. Camila

9. Allison

10. Brianna

11. Kimberly

12. Amy

13. Samantha

14. Melanie

15. Victoria

16. Alexa

17. Ariana

18. Emma

19. Andrea

20. Nicole

Boy names, Hispanic

1. Daniel

2. Christopher

3. Jacob

4. Anthony

5. David

6. Angel

7. Dylan

8. Mathew

9. Joshua

10. Michael

11. Jonathan

12. Liam

13. Gabriel

14. Sebastian

15. Kevin

16. Justin

17. Adrian

18. Christian

19. Lucas

20. Brandon

Sources:

Smith, Tammie. “Your Health: William and Emma top Va. baby names.” Richmond Times-Dispatch 4 Jan. 2015.

Births: Final Data for 2013 [PDF], National Vital Statistics Reports, vol. 64, no. 1, 15 Jan. 2015. (via Demographics of Virginia – Wikipedia)"

****
This concludes Part I of this four part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Key & Peele -"Substitute Teacher" (A 2012 Comedy Central Sketch About Mispronouncing Names) Part I: YouTube video, transcript, & article excerpt

Comedy Central, Oct 17, 2012

While taking attendance, inner-city substitute teacher Mr. Garvey has trouble adjusting to a classroom full of middle-class white students. About Key & Peele: Key & Peele showcases the fearless wit of stars Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele as the duo takes on everything from "Gremlins 2" to systemic racism. With an array of sketches as wide-reaching as they are cringingly accurate, the pair has created a bevy of classic characters, including Wendell, the players of the East/West Bowl and President Obama's Anger Translator. -snip- Statistics as of Nov. 30, 2022 at 9:30 AM: Total # of views: 209,869,283 Total # of comments - 66,391 -snip- WARNING: This video includes profanity and other content that some may consider objectionable. **** Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on Key & Peele's 2012 Comedy Central sketch entitled "Substitute Teacher".

This post showcases the official YouTube video of that sketch and provides a transcript of that sketch. This post also presents an excerpt of a 2021 article about that sketch which quotes Keegan-Michael Key and other members of the sketch's cast.  In addition, this pancocojams post includes my interpretations of two African American Vernacular English phrases/sentences that are part of that sketch.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/11/key-peele-substitute-teacher-2012_30.html for Part II of this two part pancocojams series on  Key & Peele's 2012 Comedy Central sketch entitled "Substitute Teacher". That post showcases the official YouTube video of that sketch and presents a compilation of comments from the discussion thread of that video. I'm particularly interested in archiving and sharing some of the comments from people who gave their opinion about what the sketch means, and/or didn't find the sketch funny, and/or wrote that the sketch had a negative effect on them. Some comments from other sub-categories are also included in this pancocojams compilation.

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural and entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Key & Peele and all of the cast of that now iconic sketch. Thanks also to all those who were associated with that sketch. -snip- Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAxi5a2BsVU&t=188s for a somewhat related 2016 YouTube vlog entitled "White People Baby Names." That vlogger discusses her negative reactions to the growing trend throughout the United States of White Americans coining unusual names for their children, including newly invented names and non-traditional spellings of common American names. Many of the strategies used for creating and/or spelling these new age White American personal names are the same as or are modeled after Mormon (Church of Later Day Saints) spelling and name creation customs. Click https://nameberry.com/blog/mormon-baby-names-traditions-and-trends for the 2015 article entitled "Mormon Baby Names: Traditions and trends". by Linda Rosenkrantz.

**** TRANSCRIPT OF THE 2012 KEY & PEELE "SUBSTITUTE TEACHER" SKETCH

[Mr. Garvey]

All right, listen up y’all. I’m your substitute teacher Mr. Garvey, I taught school for 20 years in the inner city, so don’t even think about messing with me. You all feel me?

Okay, let’s take the roll here. Jakequaline, where’s Jakequaline at? No Jakequaline here? Yeah?

 [Jacqueline]

Uh, do you mean, Jacqueline?

[Mr. Garvey]

Okay, so that’s how it’s going to be, you all want to play, okay then; I got my eye on you Jakequaline. Balakay, where is Balakay at? No, Balakay here today? Yes, sir?

[Blake]

My name is Blake.

[Mr. Garvey]

Are you out of your God damn mind? Blake? What? Do you want to go to war Balakay?

[Blake]

No.

[Mr. Garvey]

Because we couldn’t go to war?

[Blake]

No.

[Mr. Garvey]

I’m for real, I’m for real, so you better check yourself.

De-nice, is there a De-nice? If one of y’all say some silly ass name, this whole class is going to feel my wrath, now De-nice?

[Denise]

Do you mean Denise?

[Mr. Garvey]

Son of a bitch!

You say your name right, right now?

[Denise]

Denise.

[Mr. Garvey]

Say it right?

[Denise]

Denise.

[Mr. Garvey]

Correctly.

[Denise]

Denise.

[Mr. Garvey]

Right.

[Denise]

Denise.

[Mr. Garvey]

Right.

[Denise]

De-nice?

[Mr. Garvey]

That’s better, thank you.

Now a Ay-Ay-ron, where are you, where is a Ay-Ay-ron right now, no Ay-Ay-ron, huh? Oh, you better be sick, dead or mute, Ay-Ay-ron?

[Aaron]

Here. Oh man.

 [Mr. Garvey]

Why didn’t you answer me the first time I said?

[Aaron]

Huh

[Mr. Garvey]

I’m just asking, I said it like four times, so why didn’t you say it the first time I said Ay-Ay-ron?

[Aaron]

Because it’s pronounced Aaron.

[Mr. Garvey]

Son of a bitch, you done messed up Ay-Ay-ron, now take your ass on down to O. Shag Hennessy’s office right now, and tell him exactly what you did.

[Aaron]

Who?

[Mr. Garvey]

O. Shag Hennessy.

[Aaron]

Principal* O’Shaughnessy?

[Mr. Garvey]

Get out of my God damn classroom before I break my foot up in your ass.

Insubordinate and churlish.

Tim-mothy?

 [Timothy]

Pre-sent.

[Mr. Garvey]

Thank you."

online source: https://genius.com/Key-and-peele-substitute-teacher-annotated
-snip-
This transcription gives the release Date of October 17, 2012, but its “Credit” section is bland, and its “About” section is also blank

*I corrected the spelling of the word "principal" which was given in this transcript as "principle".

"You all feel me?" is African American Vernacular English for "Do you understand me?"

In African American Vernacular English "I’m for real, I’m for real, so you better check yourself." can be interpreted to mean something like "I'm not pretending here so you better seriously consider the consequences of your actions before you get yourself in trouble.

A longer version of that saying is "You better check yourself before your wreak yourself." 
-snip- Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLAq3JVJ6Ho for Substitute Teacher Pt. 2 - Key & Peele Comedy Central, Feb 19, 2018

Mr. Garvey's students try to convince him that club yearbook photos are not an elaborate ruse. Also, Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEdNAzv1LD8 Mountain of Entertainment | Mr. Garvey's Mountain Survival Skills | Paramount+, Nov. 23, 2022
****
ARTICLE EXCERPT ABOUT THIS COMEDY CENTRAL SKETCH
From https://ew.com/tv/substitute-teacher-key-and-peele-oral-history/ " 'Ya done messed up, A-A-Ron': An oral history of Key and Peele's 'Substitute Teacher'"

Please take your seats and turn your attention to the making of Key & Peele's "Substitute Teacher" sketch, remembered here by the cast and Mr. Garvey himself. By Kristen Baldwin, January 28, 2021 "What's in a (badly mangled) name? Over 195 million YouTube views and counting. Key & Peele's 2012 sketch "Substitute Teacher" has a simple premise — a tightly wound sub (Keegan-Michael Key) who taught in the "inner city" mispronounces white students' names — but the result is hall-of-fame-level hilarity. EW asked the stars to share their memories of that very tense roll call in Mr. Garvey's classroom.

KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY (MR. GARVEY, KEY & PEELE EXEC PRODUCER: During the pitch meeting, once the premise was announced, the whole writers' room — it was like sharks in a frenzy after some chum had been dumped in the water. Everybody had an example of a name that they thought could work.

JULIAN SERGI (BLAKE/"BUH-LOCK-AYE"): [The sketch] was described to me as, there's a substitute teacher who mispronounces basic Caucasian names.

[…]

SERGI: We were basically told to play it super serious. It was the job of the students to be normal students who were dealing with this psychotic substitute teacher.

[…]

KEY: They didn't know I was going to improvise. I mean, Shelby didn't know I was going to say, "Say it right! Say it right! Say it correctly! Say it right!" She's an improviser. She got on the same page with me immediately, so I was going to let it go as long as she wanted to let it go. I think in the actual [sketch], it's four or five [exchanges]. We might have done it 13 times in a row, and then we cut it down in the editing bay.

[…]

KEY: I improvised that line, "insubordinate and churlish." I cannot tell you where it came from. I don't know how thatcame out of my mouth. I don't know why Mr. Garvey knows the word "churlish," or anybody for that matter who's not a dandy from the 1780s. It just came out of my mouth.

FERO: Jordan [Peele] wasn't actually supposed to be in it.

It was supposed to be one more kid [playing Tim-OH-thee], but at the last second, they took his line out and gave it to Jordan.

KEY: If my memory serves me correctly, the big debate in the room was, do we button the scene with the word "present" or "PRE-sent"? Is "present" enough of a joke? His name is already "Tim-OH-thee." I was like, "Does it hurt us if we do a double button?" And it got real academic. That was like a 10-minute discussion….

[…]

KEY: All four of them were stellar in this sketch. Some of my favorite sketches on Key & Peele are ensemble sketches. Though Mr. Garvey's driving the sketch, it's their priceless performances that really take it to another level. I think that Zack deserves a lot of credit, because if someone recognizes me on the street, very often, they go, "Ha ha ha, there he is, A-A-Ron." They identify the sketch as "A-A-Ron."

PEARLMAN: I am very happy to be known as A-A-Ron, even though my brother's name is Aaron and we've ruined his name.

KEY: The two most popular sketches in Key & Peele history are both about names: "Substitute Teacher" and the "East/West College Bowl." I think it has to do with [the fact] ownership of your being is connected to your name, and if you've ever had your name pronounced incorrectly, it's something that resonates. That's my unscientific, unproven theory as to why it continues to bring joy." -snip- Read my comment about the way that the substitute teacher "Mr. Garvey" pronounced those students' names.

**** This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series. Thanks for visiting pancocojams. Visitor comments are welcome.