Black History Names

Most parents would prefer to leave the car part parked in the garage.

Even for lovers of Cab (born, yes, Cabell) Calloway's music, the connection to 'Taxi!' is too strong.

A unique international short form of Margaret.

Long associated with jazz great Ornette Coleman, this name's main problem is that almost all other ette-ending names -- from Annette to Paulette -- are unequivocally feminine.

What with Mason scooting up the charts, this attractive place-name, with its thick Georgia accent, could make a more distinctive alternative.

A once very common Irish diminutive of Bridget that has unfortunately been associated since the 18th century with a pejorative slang term for an old or fussy woman.

A potential hero name: Crispus Attucks, an African and Native American man, was the first colonist to die for independence in the Boston Massacre.

Colorful middle name choice.

This spelling of Winton has gotten considerable buzz via jazz musician Wynton Marsalis.

Sometimes heard as a first name in Scotland, particularly among the Campbell clan.

If you want to move beyond Maya.

Dubois, which can also be stylized as DuBois or Du Bois, is a surname derived from bois, the French word for "forest." A notable, namesake-worthy bearer is W. E. B. Du Bois (who actually pronounced his surname doo-BOYSS), civil rights activist and a founder of the NAACP. A familiar fictional wearer is Blanche DuBois, protagonist of A Streetcar Named Desire.

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

Despite its -son ending, Woodson is not a patronymic surname (although it would be a great choice for the child of a Woody or Woodrow). People with the surname Woodson have ancestors from Woodsome, a town in West Yorkshire, England. Woodsome means "place at the houses in the wood," from the Old English æt wudu-hūsum.

Occasionally used in the African-American community to honor Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey, known as "Emperor of the Kingdom of Africa," though his first name is more frequently chosen. Another possible namesake is baseball player Steve Garvey. Garvey sounds more modern than Harvey.

With the first name True receiving a Kardashian dose of popularity for girls, Truth is gaining in visibility too. Though its still more popular for boys two to one, the truth is that the name works equally well for both genders -- but may inspire a lot of puns.

While typically used for girls, former US senator Blanche Bruce — the first ever Black man to preside over the senate — makes this name feel useable (and meaningful) on a boy as well.

One of the few military ranks used as a name, as in Kennedy in-law and Peace Corps creator Sargent (born Robert Sargent) Shriver. There's also a more creative, artistic association with painter John Singer Sargent.

Multisyllabic New Testament relic dimly recalled from the Thornton Wilder novel Theophilus North.