common last names for slaves in the 1800s

There has been disagreement about whether it was slaveholders or the enslaved who gave the recorded names. . 1. 41. If a surname was needed, the slave owners family name might be used. By country & year of birth. The names they gave their children provide a valuable, if limited, index of that process over time. Although enslavers often assigned names to newly acquired enslaved peoplethat were whimsical, satirical, or condescending in intent, the frequent appearance of classical names-Venus, Cato, Hercules, Bacchus, Pompey-reflect enslavers' own educations and libraries. European, Javanese and African and Indentured Servitude in First Contact and Early Colonization of Brazil, France and its Empire in the Indian Ocean, France and the British Isles from 1640 to 1789, George Montagu Dunk, Second Earl of Halifax, Green Atlantic: the Irish in the Atlantic World, Histories and Historiographies of the Atlantic World, Impact of the French Revolution on the Caribbean, The, Indentured Servitude in the Atlantic World, Indian, Internal Slave Migrations in the Americas, Interracial Marriage in the Atlantic World, Liverpool in The Atlantic World 1500-1833, Maritime Atlantic in the Age of Revolutions, The, Marriage and Family in the Atlantic World, Material Culture of Slavery in the British Atlantic, Money and Banking in the Atlantic Economy, Napolon Bonaparte and the Atlantic World, Nation and Empire in Northern Atlantic History, Native American Histories in North America, Native Americans and the American Revolution, People of African Descent in Early Modern Europe, Pets and Domesticated Animals in the Atlantic World. There are 15 tables, blank and editable for you to populate, as well as samples of using each. I was born in Montgomery County, Ala. the child of Phillis Houston, slave of Sol Smith. Who called you by that name and where was it done? Slavery in the 1800s - The history of slavery This was done more because it was the logical thing to do and the easiest way to be identified than it was through affection for the master. The surname issue really presents huge challenges for those of us doign this research, but you soulnd as though you are making headway. I was only three years old when she died. This mini-lesson helps students define the term, learn what forms reparations can take, and consider what reparations should be offered for slavery and other racist policies. It prohibited. When retained, a given name was generally changed to its full form: Thomas, not Tom; Elizabeth, not Bet. If the slaveholder or another free white man was their father, many Creoles did use either is first or last name as a surname. common last names for slaves in the 1800s 1760-1810 Persons declared to be "white by law" or "free" (part 1), (part 2) at Jamaican Family Search Genealogy Research Library. Genealogy becomes so much more than just names and dates, it really feels like a true passion indeed. These people are referred to as slaves, or as enslaved people. . And please do share posts that interest you. Slave rebellions | History, Examples, & Facts | Britannica LOTTIE had been the name of the nurse before me and so they just continued that same name. Besides the Morrows, whom else did you live with in Louisville? PDF Lists of Slave owners with names of slaves 781 While enslaved almost all had just one Christian name. Each is present in your body. BRATHWAITE - This name was derived from a geographic location in the north of England. Tell me the name you were called before you met Phillip Fry? This meant that army records documented their service with their old names instead of their new ones. What were common names for slaves in the 1800s? - Kyoto2.org In the 1930s, ex-slave Martin Jackson explained why he chose his last name after Emancipation: The master's name was usually adopted by a slave after he was set free. Slave Names and Naming in the Anglophone Atlantic The name of the tragic mythological Trojan princess who was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo, but was condemned never to be believed, Cassandra has been used for striking characters in movies and soap operas. He decided that he didnt want to be known as Cap Sherrod and that he would vote and marry under his choice of names. Thank you. Start your year off with tips and strategies that can help you in the new year & beyond. Facing History & Ourselves, "Changing Names," last updated May 12, 2020. All of them are alive in this moment. Elijah is derived from the Hebrew name Eliyahu, composed of the elements. Even worse, during this period, many African Americanssome using surnames for the very first timechanged their surnames once or even several times. Eliza Moore (1843 - January 21, 1948) Source = Pinimg. What are the most popular last names in the UK? -Hugh Kingsmill, "No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?" Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Thank you so much for your kind words. In the late 1830s, Nathaniel Terry of Todd County, Kentucky died leaving a plantation of fifty slaves. If the former slave had been befriended or assisted in getting established after the Civil War, they might have taken that persons name. Hi Pat, They called me OCK. Robyn. Hello College, Advanced AA Gen Class, September 2011, AAHGS Annual Genealogy Conference, November 2008, Howard Comm. One thing for sure, historians are always expanding our knowledge on this topic.BTW, I am a big fan of your website and your work in the field! Alfred Francis Russell (1817-1884), 10th President of Liberia. Manifests - Alphabetical by Slave Names Return to Slave Manifests main page Click on each Slave name to view information on that voyage. LOTTIE had been the name of the nurse before me and so they just continued that same name. Well, I got to thinking about all us slaves that was going to take the name Fitzpatrick. slave rebellions, in the history of the Americas, periodic acts of violent resistance by Black slaves during nearly three centuries of chattel slavery. "The past is not dead. 20 August 2022, 1-3:30 pm [PAST EVENT], Eastern Standard Time: Join me for a two-hour lecture and workshop on Using Deed Records. Hi Jann, See footnotes for source information. Other common surnames included Jones, Matthews, Sinclair, and Bennett, Price, and Gray.. Archambeau. Augustin Meaning: a descendant of Augustine Origin: English 2. In 1870, all of them were listed with the surnames of their last owner; however, each one of them named their sons for one of their brothers. Slavery in America was the legal institution of enslaving human beings, mainly Africans and African Americans. I was called mostly Lewis Smith till after the war, although I was named Dick Lewis SmithDick was the brother of John Barnett whom I learned was my father . Hi Susan, Analyzing Creole names, especially those of African origin, demands a combination of historical and linguistic expertise that has not yet been systematically applied to slave names. He was sold to my master William Orr and he always went by the name Edward Orr after that.. Well, Ive gone off on a tangent again;) But thank you again for writing and thank you for the cemetery work (especially trying to include African-Americans you are doing that will be of benefit to others. Surname origins reveal a complex history of slavery in The Bahamas Jonah, the name of the Old Testament prophet who was swallowed by the whale, only to emerge unharmed three days later, is increasingly appreciated by parents looking for a biblical name less common than Jacob or Joshua, yet not too obscure. Cook Cook has an Old English origin, and it means 'one who cooks' or 'one who sold cooked meat'. Its knowledge that I think most Americans (not even just white Americans) dont have and it is endlessly fascinating and sobering both at the same time. He was a planter with 20,000 acres of land in East Florida and was at the forefront of slavery in The . The slave schedules of 1860 Arkansas do not give the names of the slaves. Ref. I am the identical person who was named called and known as Dick Lewis Smith before the Civil War and during the Civil War and until I returned home after my military service . Explore the most common surnames in England. EDHASA, 2006, 359 pages, (. Just from the detail in your first comment, I knew there was a good chance you were already familiar with those authors. I did not even check the 1850 slave schedule. Thomas mother, younger brothers and sisters remained with the Black family. This phenomena makes research very complicated when you dont know the mothers surname. They are part of Records of the U.S. Customs Service . Places; Login. A small number of creoles in Louisiana also acquired surnames derived from ethnic identities in Senegal. Plus, Jonah comes with a ready-made nursery-decorating motif. 1754 Excerpts from the Courant for June 22 to 29, 1754 at Jamaican Family Search Genealogy Research Library - contain the names of some "runaway slaves" or indentured servants, and information about them. No, I dont know to whom she belonged before she was brought from Virginia to Kentucky. I also meant to email you and tell you how I enjoyed your article in the last NGSQ. common last names for slaves in the 1800s. In the 1760s Anglo-American frontiersmen, determined to settle the land, planted slavery firmly within the borders of what would become Tennessee. Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), born into slavery in Maryland and escaped to the Northeast in 1838, where he became an internationally renowned abolitionist writer, speaker, and diplomat. Robyn. Seating is limited. Mary Deborah Petite, "1836 Facts about the Alamo and the Texas War for Independence". That alone can make if difficult to research an African- American family during those years. The naming of slaves has not been treated in dedicated monographs, but it often figures in general accounts of plantation culture and the practices of enslavement. Lists Of Most Common Bajan (Barbados) Last Names - Blogger Most Popular Names. Thanks for writing this post! This causes many researchers to wrongly conclude that enslaved people did not have surnames until after emancipation, which was not the case. Many enslaved people were allowed to keep their original African names or names assigned them elsewhere (as reflected by the frequency of Spanish and Portuguese names among the first generation of enslaved people in the Carolinas.) My mother's name was Octavia Smith and it was from her that I got it but where the name came from to her I never knew. Slave Names Below are some best cute and catchy slave names: Infirm Mite Lunn Amanda Walter Garner Hannah Delia Bastard Inferior Weevil George O'Hanlon Jordan John Owen Rachel Fetid Spider Betty Nathan York John Wright Wicked Whelp Thornton Dick Field Robert Dick William Hunter William Sam Kiner Augustus Dick a/k/a Richard Ferguson Foul Beast I am an engineer by day, but my true passion lies in genealogy. And now that it's been chosen by Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, it could take off as their first son's nameKingstonhas. Im very familiar with the work of Gwendolyn Hall and Elizabeth Shown Mills. . The campaign in Britain to abolish slavery began in the 1760s, supported by both black and white abolitionists. The majority of these slaves used the surname Lewis instead of Washington. Both are excellent researchers and historians. No superior alternative has yet been found." They are recorded with the Ashby surname on subsequent documents. [15] Alice Clifton (c. 1772-unknown), as an enslaved teenager, she was a defendant in an infanticide trial in 1787. Here are some common black last names: Jackson Davis Brown Wilson Harris Lewis Clark Walker Hall Thomas Young Allen King Wright Scott Baker Adams Nelson Carter Mitchell Perez Roberts Turner Phillips Campbell Parker Evans Edwards Green Hall Baker Bell Coleman Crawford James Reyes Most Common Black Last Names This blog is where I share family history methods, resources, tips and advice, with an emphasis on slave research, slavery and its aftermath. Place names that were disproportionately popular among Black Americans in history include Boston, Jamaica, York, and Africa. Also included here are common names among slaves, many of which were classical and had ties to the Bible or mythology, such as Keziah and Venus. One thing we should keep in mind is that the practice of referring to enslaved people by a given name only was a part of the attempt of the system of slavery to dehumanize them..to other them. Is this the work of the evil spirits or from my bad karma? Is this my fate!To worsen matters, a given new European label applied only to one aspect of the nature (whereas his/her original name referred to a total identity) of the enslaved and this was an effective way to try to fragment a victims mindset. As a newspaper that publishes in the spirit of the Black Press, the Black Voice News has given voice to the voiceless and shined a light on systemic inequities and disparities since 1972. . 6. This financial assistance was available to all Civil War veterans and their families. This happened mostly on large plantations where several individuals had the same first names and a surname was used to distinguish them from one another. Spanish areas had male Slave names as Francisco, Pedro, and Antonio; and for females: Maria, Isabella, and Juana. . When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. 1. One frequently occurring name is Rolle. I am generally called Cap Sherrod but I was married under Cap Ross and have voted under the name Ross, A good many people call me Cap Sherrod because I belonged to Sherrod but I calls myself Cap Ross.. Newly emancipated slaves also frequently chose new first names, discarding those associated with slavery. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. .When I got home after the war, I was wearing the name of Lewis Smith, but I found that the negroes after freedom, were taking the names of their father like the white folks. The Complexity of Slave Surnames > Reclaiming Kin common last names in the 1800s - stmatthewsbc.org Instead a wide variety of surnames came about that would be the family name for future generations. Choose the best name for your child. When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. U.S. Slavery: Timeline, Figures & Abolition - HISTORY Copyright 2023 Facing History & Ourselves. Sabe, Anque, Bumbo, Jobah, Quamana, Taynay, and Yearie) used in the Slave quarters. Thus, the patronymic surname can be effectively regarded as "keeper of the peace." This phenomenon is not unheard of with African American surnames. . See flier for details; cost of this event is $25. Thank you for posing your question. John C. Inscoe, "Carolina Slave Names: An Index to Acculturation," Journal of Southern History 59 (November 1983). I was called by that name all the time I was with the Morrows. After I had returned to Louisville from Danville, My sister, Lizzie White, got to calling me Mollie, and it was with her that the name started. Baby Name Generator. Also largely unrecorded are the alternative names the enslaved used among themselves, sometimes called country names or basket names; they may also, according to African practice, have had multiple names over a lifetime. 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272, Finding Aids for the National Archives at Atlanta, National Archives Catalog (National Archives Identifier 2767350). It is these single names that have been most often studied. Index by slave owner's name | Surname unknown or illegible. Interestingly, the five most common American surnames as of 2010 haven't changed that much over time and are Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, and Jones. Bailey, Word Stories Surrounding African American Slavery. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Surely the hundreds of black Culbert people living today cannot all be connected to those three cases. I am an engineer by day, but my true passion lies in genealogy. Slavery's reach is still with us, and part of the gift of doing African-American genealogy, "The past is not dead. Please share, in the comments below, examplesyou have come across of the surnames of enslaved people, especially if it was different from their last slaveholder. Each name was a clue to her origins. Some of the most common or popular last names in the 1800s included Robinson, Clark, and Smith. Women tended to have two names, and slaves often just had one. Flora, the name of the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, who enjoyed eternal youth, is one of the gently old-fashioned girls' flower names we think is due for a comebackalongside cousins Cora and Dora. Place names that were disproportionately popular among Black Americans in history include Boston, Jamaica, York, and Africa. Are you thinking this woman Eliza Ellis was married to Wash Ellis? Entre la construccin de la memoria y la ficcin histrica", "From Africa to India: Music of the Sidis and the Indian Ocean Diaspora (review)", "Mark and Phillis Executions, Burned at the Stake and Gibbeted in Puritan Massachusetts", "Letter from Paul Revere to Jeremy Belknap, circa 1798", "Re: Nancy Titsworth-1800-Livin - Genealogy.com", Association of Muslim Social Scientists & International Institute of Islamic Thought 2008, "Creolizing Natural Liberty: Transnational Obligation in the Thought of Ottobah Cugoano", "Madison and the White House, Through the Memoir of a Slave", "Black Slaves, Indian Masters: Slavery, Emancipation, and Citizenship in the Native American South, by Barbara Krauthamer (2013) Not Even Past", "Timeline of Missouri's African American History", "So Tom e Prncipe recorda o Rei Amador", "Black Christian Republicans: Delegates to the 1847 Liberian Constitutional Convention", "A Slave's Service in the Confederate Army", "Slavery and French Cuisine in Jefferson's Working White House", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_slaves&oldid=1140857860, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 03:19. I have gotten so many requests over the years from those who couldn't make the live webinars so I hope you enjoy this new feature. This event is $25. Anthropologist Meyer Fortes's observation that the naming practices of any society "epitomize personal experiences, historical happenings, attitudes to life, and cultural ideas and values" holds particularly true for African American enslaved people. Rounding out the Top 40, here are the next 30 most common names among African-Americans and Caribbean people: Taylor (Jayceon Terrel Taylor "The Game") Wilson (Charlie Wilson) Moore (Shemar Moore) White (Barry White) Lewis (Carl Lewis) Walker (Jimmie J. J. Walker) Green (Al Green) Thompson (Kenan Thompson) Washington (Denzel Washington) Danish West Indies, Denmark, Records of Enslaved People, 1672-1917 I love to hear from my readers. They are held at The National Archives (Kew, England). Throughout the colonial period, as many as one-fifth of the enslaved people in North Carolina retained African names; Quash, Cuffee, Mingo, Sambo, Mustapha, and Sukey were among the most common recorded. The surname Williams occurs roughly 550 times per 100,000 people in the U.S. You can find explanations for each of the table columns below, or use the following links to view more last names for different ancestries. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. 3. Garcia is the Spanish variation of the word Gerald that means a pointed weapon, like a spear. Dear Robyn, Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts South Atlantic Creole Archipelagos I am a farmer. Political Participation in the Nineteenth Century Atlantic Portugal and Brazile in the Age of Revolutions, Poverty in the Early Modern English Atlantic, Reconstruction, Democracy, and United States Imperialism, Settlement and Region in British America, 1607-1763, Slavery in British and American Literature, Slavery in Dutch America and the West Indies, Slavery in North America, The Growth and Decline of. Like most of the architecture and towns in Italy, they can also tell a story. A valuable and incisive discussion, both theoretically and historically informed, of slave naming in two African societies, the Caribbean, and the American South. In French-speaking Louisiana, Slave names reflected the dominant language and thus were generally different from those in the English colonies. Were there any famous slaves? They cut it off from OCTAVIA. You can also look up Charleston Manifests by Slave Owner These records are also available through the National Archives Catalog (National Archives Identifier 2767350). Smithsonian Institution. Here, our list of notable early African American names. "Injurious Names: Naming, Disavowal, and Recuperation in Contexts of Slavery and Emancipation." In The Anthropology of Names and Naming. Renate, Edited by Gabriele vom Bruck and Barbara Bodenhorn, 178-199. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration By examining periods of violence during the Reconstruction era, students learn about the potential backlash to political and social change. Evidence indicates that many enslaved parents named their children after the first generation or so of family members brought to America. My great great grandfather in Mississippi took the surname of the previous SC enslaver, whose widow sold him away. > | Index main page>| Index by slave owner's name, Index to "Descriptive Recruitment Lists of Volunteers for the United States Colored Troops for the State of Missouri, 1863-1865"(NARA Microfilm Publication M1894 - 6 rolls). In small communities when slaves were sold, they were often bought by someone in the area. Copeland This last name comes from Old Norse origin. Brief, but stimulating and thoughtful for students coming new to the subject. As a result, many slaves used the surnames of their owners wifes family. Ethereal and delicate, Cassandra was in the Top 70 throughout the 1990s but is now descending in popularity. Students consider how US history books, films, and other works of popular culture have misrepresented the history of the Reconstruction era. that lists the slaves along with their surnames. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. Is this the same woman Eliza I see living with Thomas Crenshaw in 1880 and 1900? No, I don't know to whom she belonged before she was brought from Virginia to Kentucky. Where did you get the maiden name of Smith from? "More than half of the surnames are derived from the Christian or fore-name of the father," [1] and based on a total of 3,253,800 people, nearly 18 in every 100 persons was known by one of these fifty surnames. After emancipation, he became William Smith. Allard. Phone: 314-994-3300, Hours & Locations Comments/Suggestions314-994-3300, Copyright 2023. Now, that parents surname could very well be the surname of the most recent slaveholder or an earlier slaveholder. 40. Distinctively Black names were thought to have risen from the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, which promoted the use of names with connections to Africa. Leo (M) (Russian origin) means "lion". This is another instance of oral history being a key component in tracing African American ancestry.