Why do black people have white names?

Question

I notice with my latino or Asian friends, they have latino or Asian names. Definitely last names, but even first names a lot of times. Unless my black friends are African, they have super white names. The stereotypical names happen sometimes, but other than that its like Jessica White or Kevin Rogers or something

raven6933 · Accepted Answer

I'm baffled at the amount of people who got deplomas and can not remember art class or did they just get passed to scoot them on or possibly not even have? Has anyone ever looked at black or white paint? Neither the above seems true. Now matter how dark or lack of pigmentation neither is black or white unless you are burnt beyond recognition or albino and would have pink eyes. And why are people who are darker than their counterparts be labeled Afrikaans when the rest of societies will not recognize you past great grandparents at best. Why do they refer to the less pigmented as American and for someone who has been here just as long as something else. Does that mean they are European but refuse to acknowledge it? Fluffy brought up the point, he had to go on the other side of the world just to be called American.

NamerOfStars · Accepted Answer

What other kinds of names would they have? Persian? (Actually, there's quite a few black guys with Persian-derived names, so that doesn't work). Chinese? Look, I'm Irish- white as can be. My first name is Middle Eastern. Cultures don't have a lock on names, and even if they did, they move and change and influence one another.

Also, they're not really "white" names, they're "American" (well, "Western", and even that's off, but "popular in America" names is emphasizing a different element). The whole idea of the USA is that it's a place where race and religion are secondary to a shared cultural and ideological identity. Granted, it's never actually worked out that way yet, but that doesn't mean we should stop trying.

BlueKittyWolf · Accepted Answer

You mean European names because we were raised in the west (Jonathon, May, Isabella, Ova, and Noah). Africans were sent to America in the 16th Century, and so we weren't allowed to name our children African names until now (Slavery & Racism) We were taught to name them American/European/Western names. That's why.

Claireluvskaren · Accepted Answer

What in the world is a white name. Your name is Anonymous. What type of name is that?

coffeewithcream · Answer

Why isn't the answer to that question more widely known?
Those are slave names.
The owner of black property gave his slaves Anglicized names. Their given names in Africa were foreign to slave owners and they provided their black property names in much the same way as you'd name a horse.
It was rare an American slave was able to keep his original name. One famous slave who was able to keep his name was Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, educated, whose languages he was fluent in included Arabic. He wrote out the Koran from memory. He was given a slave name, Job but that wasn't what he was later known by.
One American in the 1960s is famous for rejecting his slave name. Cassius Clay won a gold Olympic medal and came home victorious and was refused service in Louisville restaurant. He threw his gold medal off a bridge into the Ohio River and changed his name from Cassius Clay to Mohammed Ali.

YungWarthog · Answer

My dad is white so I'm named Steven. It just be like that. A name doesn't really have a race attached to it. I'm still black even though my name isn't Darrel or something.

wankiam · Answer

from there slave owners. they werent allowed to keep their African names

Astarlessnightsky · Answer

Whats a white name? I guess American people have American names.

Kaneki05 · Answer

Because white people didn't want no kunta been a name back when they took them in salves.

blondfrog · Answer

Most white names originated in old biblical times in Jerusalem and other middle eastern countries. So technically they are using middle eastern names if anything.

_SOARER · Answer

Their ancestors took on the last name of their masters. And they grew up several generations now in anglo-american culture.

0oGreyo0 · Answer

Cough cough Slavery. And racism Black people fear if you name them any thing black you will tease them or won't give them

OddBeMe · Answer

History. During slavery lots of black Americans took English names. That continued after slavery, probably in an attempt to integrate into a society that still hates them.

Liam_Hayden · Answer

The funny thing is that most so-called "white names" are derived from the Bible and thus are really mostly Hebrew or Aramaic in true origin.

AcidT0y · Answer

It's easier to get a job interview if they think you're gonna be white. Or that's what some people think. I don't know if that's true like.

Anonymous · Answer

I guess they envy whites. You thinking just about names, most blacks run behind white sexual partners.

MDF_ANJ · Answer

White people have black names. I don't know shits weird

EyesOfGod · Answer

Because this is America we are all mixing together names skin tones way of speaking.

hknmhmn4 · Answer

Because France and UK colonized them in the past and spread their cultures

andreasderjuengere · Answer

What do you expect? Kunta Kinte?

Imuglyandiknowit · Answer

most don’t have white names

Anonymous · Answer

Because they're American too...

asshole_ · Answer

Why not?

Why do black people have white names?

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