Black Hero Names

It's hard to believe, via a 21st-century sensibility, that Fannie was ever a Top 50 name. But Fannie was even more popular than Fanny in its late 19th-century heyday, and stuck around much longer, staying on the Top 1000 until the 1960s while Fanny fell off in 1940. Today, however, Fannie sounds antiquated at best, and rude at worst.

Dox may sound like a modern invention but it actually has a notable historical bearer. Malagasy poet Jean Verdi Salomon Razakandrainy was known mononymously as Dox, inspired by a nickname he received in art school.

Long considered Mr. Hall's exclusive property, it's now ready to be adopted by others.

Long considered Mr. Hall's exclusive property, it's now ready to be adopted by others.

An African family name ripe for adoption in honor of Nelson Mandela, the South African activist imprisoned for almost thirty years for his antiapartheid activities.

This traditionally male surname name could find new life for girls thanks to its similarity to the popular Abby and Abigail.

There will probably be lots of little namesakes after the fastest man in the world, Jamaican Olympic runner Usain Bolt--middle name St. Leo.

African-American and women's rights activist Sojourner Truth was born as Isabelle into enslavement. She adopted her new name when she began traveling and preaching abolition in 1843. Sojourner is a heroine name that may, with the rise of spiritual word names such as Journey and Genesis, finally be ready for prime time.

Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall's name probably originated as "Thoroughgood" -- quite a mouthful and a lot to live up to.

An old English redhead name -- one of the few that doesn't begin with the letter r -- with references both to a famous French knight and a magical horse.

If you want to move beyond Maya.

As a first name, Basquiat is used as in honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat, the neoexpressionist whose art touched on themes of race, wealth disparity, and humanism.

The misspelling that created an indelibly one-person name.

This surname is on trend with its S ending, and could honor people such as athlete Jesse Owens. But it has strong potential for confusion with Owen singular.

Made famous by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, whose parents fashioned her name from a musical term meaning "with sweetness".

Famous as the name of the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The compound name Joycelyn, which combines the names Joyce and Lyn and also is a spin on Jocelyn, was brought to widespread attention via the first African-American female surgeon general, Joycelyn Elders, who served under President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. Although Joyce and Lynn were popular names in the 1930s and 40s, this name is unlikely to resonate now.

Colorful middle name choice.