As black Americans began to give unique names to their children (much more so than white Americans), there was a sharp rise in the prevalence of distinctively black-sounding names - influenced at least in part by the championing of black culture by the Black Power movement.Īfrican-American names became symbols of resistance. The diversification of baby names in America started in the late 1960s during a larger sociocultural shift that emphasized individuality, and that's where names for black and white Americans began to diverge.
The assumption of low socio-economic status is specific to African-American names (or so-called ghetto black names), as opposed to names of African origin like Nia or Jelani.īut the nuance of individualized, African-American names goes deeper. Unusually spelled names that have punctuation are associated with low socio-economic status - a factor that consciously or unconsciously biases teachers, employers and everyone in between. That's because preconceived notions about black-sounding names are not only racist but an indication of class bias. A study published in 2005 found that teachers had lower expectations for children with unusually spelled names like Da’Quan, even when compared to their siblings with "less black-sounding" names like Damarcus.
And usually, the more unusual the name, the more susceptible to bias.
The insidious bias against people with black-sounding names pops up long before they hit the job market. Nontraditional names are testaments to nonconformity, but they do not signal combativeness or unacceptable personality fits.
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