437 Best Names for Black Boys with Meaning

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I have hand-picked 437 best names for black boys from thousands of names on the internet.

A name connects you to your own identity and individuality. It helps define who you are or what you aspire to become. This also makes choosing the perfect name for your child somewhat of a challenge.

If you are interested in finding the right name for your new son, this list was made for you. Today we will be looking at some great baby names for black boys.

You may also want to check out the Best White Boy Names With Meaning.

How African American Name Their Babies

African Americans name their babies in a variety of ways. 

They may choose baby names based on the events surrounding their birth, or they may choose inspirational baby names from pop culture. Many African American parents also give their babies names that originated from African to help connect them with their heritage. 

Modern black baby names follow no particular structure. However, most African American parents go with names that are memorable and hold a meaning dear to them.

52 Blackest black guy Names for Black Boys

One-Syllable Black Origin Names

  1. Niles – Scandanavian name “son of Neil”

Two-Syllable Black Origin Names

  1. Aiyden – Irish name “little fire”
  2. Andres – Spanish name “warrior”
  3. Antonne – Roman name “priceless”
  4. Booker – English “book binder”

Name inspired by Booker T Washington (Image credit: Britannica)

  1. Brayton – Irish name “brave” and wise”
  2. Chaquille – Arabic name “little”
  3. Darius – Persian name “rich” and “kingly”
  4. Efrem – Spanish name “fruitful”
  5. Ghalen – African name “calm” and “peaceful”
  6. Hakeem – Arabic name “wise” and “intelligent”
  7. Izaak – Hebrew name “laughter”
  8. Jamal – Arabic name “beauty”
  9. Kahlil – Arabic name “friend”
  10. Kelvin – English name “friend of ships”
  11. Kordell – English name “cord maker”
  12. Jaylen – Hebrew name “thankful”
  13. Jordan – Hebrew name “to flow down” 
  14. Justus – Latin name “upright” and “just”
  15. Lamonte – Norse name “lawman”
  16. Malachiah – Hebrew name “messenger of God”
  17. Malik – Arabic name “king”
  18. Nolan – Irish name “champion”
  19. Oscar – English name “God’s spear”
  20. Trayvon – American name “brave” and “chosen one”
  21. Xavier -Arabic name “new house” or “bright” – also founder of X Men

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Name inspired by Professor X (Image credit: Screen Rent)

Three-Syllable Black Origin Names

  1. Angelo 
  2. Caremolo 
  3. Damien – Greek name “to overcome”
  4. Donovan
  5. Elijah – Hebrew name “Yahweh is my God” 
  6. Emerson
  7. Everett
  8. Finnegan 
  9. Gideon
  10. Hamilton
  11. Ibrahim 
  12. Isaiah – Hebrew name “Yahweh is salvation”
  13. Mathias 
  14. Mohamed 

Name inspired by Muhammad Ali (Image credit: US Embassy Paris)

Four-Syllable Black Origin Names


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  1. Abdulrahman 
  2. Abubakar 
  3. Abhimanyu 
  4. Emanuel 
  5.  Ezekiel 
  6. Frederico 
  7. Giovanni 
  8. Jedidiah 
  9. Jeremiah – Hebrew name “Yahweh will rise”
  10. Octavio 
  11. Tiberius 
  12.  Zachariah

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Check out these cute and popular names that we have curated.

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  1. Fynn – Irish name “descendant of Flann”
  2. James – Hebrew name “supplanter”

Name inspired by James Harden (Image credit: Houston Chronicle)

  1. Zaire – Bantu name “the river that swallows all rivers”
  2. Brandon – English name “broom-covered hill”
  3. Caleb – Hebrew name “faithful” and “whole-hearted”
  4. David – Hebrew name “beloved”
  5. Dontrell – Italian name “lasting” 
  6. Ethan – Hebrew name “firm” and “enduring”
  7. Jamir – Arabic name “good looks”
  8. Joseph – Latin name “he will add”
  9. Justin – Latin name “fair” and “righteous”
  10. Lashawn – American “God is gracious”
  11. Matthew – Hebrew “gift of Yahweh”
  12. Montrell – Spanish “mountain”
  13. Tyler – Old English “tile maker”
  14. Sultan – Arabic “king”
  15. Zy’aire – African “river”

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  1. Amari – Hebrew “eternal”
  2. Anthony – Roman “priceless one”
  3. Cameron – Irish “crooked river”
  4. Christian – English “follower of Christ”
  5. Christopher – Biblical “Christ-bearer”
  6. Dakari – African “rejoice”
  7. Daniel – Hebrew “God is my judge”
  8. Demarcus – English “son of Marcus”
  9. Gabriel – Hebrew “God is my strength”
  10. Jelani – African American “mighty”
  11. DeAnthony – American “praiseworthy”
  12. JaMarion – American “sparks” and sea”

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40 Unique Baby Names for Black Boys 

Unique Short Names for Black Boys

Short but unique choices for black boys

  1. Craig – Scottish means “rock”
  2. Adwin – Ghanan means “artist” or “intellectual”
  3. Ahmad – Arabic means “much-praised”
  4. Asaad – Arabic means “lion” 
  5. Autry – Old English means “noble strength”
  6. Aston
  7. Blaise
  8. Busta
  9. Booker
  10. Calem – Latin origins and related to Columba
  11. Calvin 
  12. Dajon – means “God is gracious”
  13. Daran – Irish means “great”
  14. Ender – Turkish boy name 
  15. Farrell – Irish “man of courage”
  16. Furnell – Old English “fern-covered hill”
  17. Gabra – Persian means “gift of offering”
  18. Gogo – means “tonga”
  19. Guyton – means “person from Gayton”
  20. Haji – means “person born during Hajj”
  21. Hampton – Old English “home settlement”
  22. Herold – Dutch means “strong fighter”
  23. Jaylen – Hebrew means “thankful”
  24. Joshua – Hebrew means “God is deliverance”
  25. Karlus – English means  “settlement of free men”
  26. Kwamie – African “health” and “spirituality”
  27. Luther – English “lute player”
  28. Major – Latin “greater”
  29. Miles – gracious – of German origins Milo

Name inspired by Miles Davis (Image credit: uDiscover Music)


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Unique Rare Black Baby Boy Names with 3-4 Syllables

  1. Aldous – old English origins
  2. Abasi – Egyptian “stern”
  3. Adama – Hebrew “earth”
  4. Cassian – originated from Roman family name Cassianus, meaning Empty and vain
  5. Sextus – Roman origins, meaning sixth in Latin 
  6. Elimu – Swahili “knowledge”
  7. Erasto – Italian “beloved”
  8. Erasmus – the name of Charles Darwin’s grandfather, variations of Erasmios
  9. Finnick – with origins from the Hunger game
  10. Iniko – African “born during troubled times”
  11. Jimiyu – African “born during summer”

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41 Warrior Handsome Black Baby Boy Names

One-Syllable Warrior Black Baby Boy Names

Fierce warrior name choices for black kids.

  1. Beau 
  2. Clay 
  3. Gage 
  4. Jay 
  5. Ken – Japanese “healthy”
  6. Leif 
  7. Max 
  8. Sam – Hebrew “told by God”
  9. Pax 
  10. Taj 
  11. Tate 
  12. Troy 
  13. Vance 
Name inspired by Vance Winkworth Amory, the former Premier of Nevis. (Image credit: CIU.Gov)

Two-Syllable Warrior Black Baby Boy Names

Fierce warrior name choices for black kids.

  1. Aitan – Hebrew “long-lived”
  2. Amir – Persian “immortal”
  3. Amos – Hebrew “to carry”
  4. Anwa – Arabic “strong-willed”
  5. Armstrong – English “strong fighter”
  6. Atu – Arabic “powerful”
  7. Berta – Old English “bright”
  8. Carel – German “free man”
  9. Carlos – Spanish “free man”
  10. Chacha – Arabic “eagle”
  11. Ekon – Arabic “strong”
  12. Ekun – African “lion”
  13. Eno – German “strong with a sword”
  14. Hamza – Arabic “brave man”
  15. Kale – African “strong” and “manly”
  16. Khalon – American “strong warrior”
  17. Mwamba – Nyakyusan “strong”
  18. Njau – African “young bull”
  19. Nyack – African “persistent”
  20. Pedro – Latin “rock”
  21. Zende – African “strong” and “firm”

Name inspired by Zende Forrester Dominguez, a character on the The Bold and the Beautiful.

Three-Syllable Warrior Black Baby Boy Names


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Fierce warrior name choices for black kids.

  1. Averey – German “magical being”
  2. Kiume – African “masculine” and “strong”
  3. Kijana – African “youth”
  4. Mukunda – Hindi “freedom giver”
  5. Obike – Lgbo “a strong household”
  6. Jabali – Swahili “strong as a rock”
  7. Tegama – African “region in Niger”

52 Badass black kid names with Meanings

One-Syllable Badass Names with Meanings

  1. Blaze – Latin “fire”
  2. Jax – English “favored by God”
  3. Lars – Roman “crowned with laurel”
  4. Knox – English “top of a hill”

Two-Syllable Badass Names with Meanings

  1. Aera – Hindi origin “lion”
  2. Archer – Eng “an archer”
  3. Bjorn – Dutch “bear”
  4. Caesar – Latin “thick head of hair”
  5. Corbin – Eng “raven”
  6. Draco – Latin “dragon”
  7. Darby – Irish “free from envy”
  8. Hardwin – Old English “courageous friend”
  9. Jagger – Hindi “hunter”
  10. Kestrel – French “falcon cry”
  11. Legend – Eng “myth”
  12. Logan – Scottish “little hollow”
  13. Neron – Spanish “sea”
  14. Tyson – English “firebrand”

Name inspired by Mike Tyson, the former boxing champ. (Image credit: Los Angeles Times)

  1. Phoenix – Greek “dark red”, also a legendary bird.
  2. Ranger- French “forest guardian”
  3. Rocco – German “rest”
  4. Rumi – Famous Persian poet
  5. Ryder – Eng “knight”
  6. Talon – Eng “large claw from bird of prey”
  7. Wilder – Old English “untamed”

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Three-Syllable Badass Names with Meanings

  1. Anderson
  2. Arsenio – Spanish origin “strong”
  3. Diego
  4. Dominic 
  5. Donovan – Irish word “dark-haired chieftain”
  6. Julius
  7. Killian 
  8. Lionel 
  9. Maverick – American “wildly independent”
  10. Orion – Greek word “mighty hunter”
  11. Raphael 

Name inspired by Mike Tyson, the former boxing champ. (Image credit: Sky Sports)

  1. Sebastian 
  2. Sergio 
  3. Sirius 
  4. Tobias 

Four-Syllable Badass Names with Meanings

  1. Aloysius 
  2. Amadeus 
  3. Aurelius 
  4. Bartholomew 
  5. Cornelius 
  6. Demetrius  
  7. Leonardo 
  8. Leonidas 
  9. Hezekiah
  10. Nehemiah 
  11. Tiberius 
  12. Valentino – Latin word “strong”

30 Classic Black Boy Names

One-Syllable Classic Black Names

  1. Blake – English meaning “dark”
  2. Bruce – French meaning “from brushwood thicket”
  3. Clark – Latin meaning “scribe” or “clerk”

Two-Syllable Classic Black Names 

  1. Abel – Hebrew originated “breath” or “vapor”
  2. Ambrose – Greek “immortal”
  3. Andre – French “manly”
  4. Caspar – Persian “treasurer”
  5. Cato – Latin “all-knowing”
  6. Curtis – English “polite”
  7. Derek – German “the people’s ruler”
  8. Douglas – Irish “stream”
  9. Eli – Hebrew “elevated”
  10. Emmett – German “universal”
  11. Francis – Latin “free man: 
  12. Hector – Greek “restrain”
  13. Isaac – Hebrew “one who laughs”
  14. Jalen – Greek “healer”
  15. Marquis – French “nobleman”
  16. Moses – Hebrew “to pull out of water”
  17. Nero – Latin “powerful”
  18. Owen – Welsh “well-born”
  19. Pascal – Pascal “born on Easter”
  20. Percy – English “soldier”
  21. Roscoe – Norse “doe wood”
  22. Tyrone – Irish “land of the Yew tree”
  23. Wesley  English “field to the west”

Three-Syllable Classic Black Names 

  1. Alonzo – Spanish “noble”
  2. Apollo – Greek “destroyer”
  3. Lysander – Greek “liberator”
  4. Jupiter – Latin “the supreme god”

30 Adorable and Popular Black Boy Names

Adorable and Popular Black Boy Names with 1 Syllable 

  1. Ade – Nigerian “royal”
  2. Cain – Hebrew “spear”
  3. Dace – French “of nobility”
  4. Taj – Persian “crown”
  5. Zain – Arabic “beauty”

Adorable and Popular Black Boy Names with 2 Syllables 

  1. Arris – Greek name means “best”
  2. Ayren – Hebrew name means “mountain of strength”
  3. Chike – Egyptian name means “God’s strength”
  4. Davu – African name means “the beginning”
  5. Ekon – Nigerian name means “strong”
  6. Issa – Arabic name means “Jesus”
  7. Kasim – Arabic “divided”
  8. Keenan – Irish “ancient”
  9. Kellan – German “slender”
  10. Kendi – African “loved one”
  11. K’yeon – African American “good fortune” 
  12. Kwame – African “born on a Saturday”
  13. Mosi – African “born first”
  14. Oman – Hindi “giver of life”
  15. Raden – Japanese “god of thunder”
  16. Rion – Gaelic “king”
  17. Saleem – Arabic “safe”
  18. Shobi – English “glorious”
  19. Tatum – English “Tate’s homestead”

Adorable and Popular Black Boy Names with 3 Syllables 

  1. Azibo – African “earth”
  2. Dakarai – African “rejoice”
  3. Hamidi – Swahili “to be commended”
  4. Jabari – Swahili “brave one”
  5. Odion – Lgbo “first of twins”
  6. Omari – Swahili “God the highest”

41 Botanical Black Boy Names

One-Syllable with Botanical Meaning

  1. Clem – Latin “merciful”
  2. Sage – Latin “wise”
  3. Rhodes – German “where roses grow”

Two-Syllable with Botanical Meaning

  1. Adair – Old English “happy spear”
  2. Alder – Old English “old”
  3. Aspen – American “quaking tree”
  4. Basil – Greek “kingly”
  5. Burleigh – Old English “meadow with knotty-trunk trees”
  6. Calix – Greek “handsome”
  7. Cedar – American “tree”
  8. Elon – Hebrew “oak tree”
  9. Florent – Old French “in flower”
  10. Florian – Roman “yellow flower”
  11. Gilford – Old English “ford with yellow flowers”
  12. Gulzar – Arabic “rose garden”
  13. Hawthorne – Old English “where hawthorn trees grow”
  14. Linden – English “made from linwood”
  15. Lotem – Hebrew “bush of golden flowers”
  16. Palmer – Old English “pilgrim”
  17. Quesnel – French “little oak”
  18. Raanan – Hebrew “green” and “flourishing” 
  19. Stockley – Old English “tree-stump meadow”
  20. Tamir – Hebrew “arcane”
  21. Zahar – Arabic “bloom”
  22. Zahir – Arabic “flourishing”

3-4 Syllables with Botanical Meaning

  1. Amaranth 
  2. Aweinon – Native American “moving flowers”
  3. Bryony
  4. Clementine 
  5. Crisento – Spanish “gold flower”
  6. Elowen 
  7. Gentian 
  8. Hinata – Japanese “sunny place”
  9. Oleander 
  10. Oliver 
  11. Sequoia
  12. Talasi – Native American “cornflower”
  13. Timothy 
  14. Pahukumaa – Native American “edge of sunflower”
  15. Yarrow 
  16. Zinnia 

40 Geeky Nerdy Sci-Fi Black Boy Names

One-Syllable with Sci-Fi Origin

  1. Blaise – Harry Potter 
  2. Kael – Vindictus video game
  3. Fox – X-Files TV series
  4. Spike – Buffy the Vampire Slayer film series
  5. Spock – Star Trek
Leonard Nimoy made Spock 'Star Trek's' most complicated, and modern, hero -  Los Angeles Times

Name inspired by Caption Spock from Star Trek. (Image credit: LA Times)

Two-Syllable with Sci-Fi Origin

  1. Aegon – with origins from the Game of Thrones – Aegon Targaryen, niece of Jon Snow
  2. Aldous -Huxley, influential science fiction author
  3. Arthur – Clark, notable science fiction writer
  4. Cassian – Star Wars 
  5. Deckard – Blade Runner 
  6. Dexter – Dexter
  7. Emmett – Back to the Future 
  8. Ender – Ender’s Game 
  9. Erwin – Attack on Titan 
  10. Jareth – Labyrinth
  11. Gandalf – Lord of the Rings 
  12. Genji – Overwatch 
  13. Hogarth – Ted
  14. Idris – Operating system from the 1980s
  15. Kaidan – Mass Effect 
  16. Ludo – Labyrinth
  17. Marty  Back to the Future 
  18. Milo – The Phantom Tollbooth
  19. Ronan – Centaur character from the Harry Potter series
  20. Rory – Doctor Who
  21. Sauron – Antagonist from the Lord of the Rings 
  22. Tyrian – Game of Thrones 
  23. Sheldon – Big Bang Theory
  24. Pascal – I would pick this as the most scientific baby name for the names appearance in math: Pascal’s Theorem, Pascal’s Law, Pascal’s Wager, and Pascal’s Triangle fame
  25. Xavier -Arabic name “new house” or “bright” – also founder of X Men

Name inspired by Name inspired by Professor X (Image credit: Screen Rent)

Three-Syllable with Sci-Fi Origin

  1. Alistair – Dragon Age videogames
  2. Barnaby 
  3. Ellery 
  4. Faramir – Lord of the Rings books
  5. Julian 
  6. Lazarus 
  7. Leander 
  8. Harrison 
  9. Malachi 
  10. Remington 
  11. Solomon 
  12. Theodore 
  13. Zachary 

42 Unisex Black Boy Names (also work for Girls)

One-Syllable Unisex Names

  1. Drew – Welsh “wise”
  2. Gray – English “the color grey”
  3. Jules – French “youthful”
  4. Lee – English “meadow”
  5. Quinn – Irish “counsel”
  6. Sloan – Irish “warrior”
  7. Vick – Latin “champion”
  8. Wren – Old English “small bird”

Two-Syllable Unisex Names

  1. Ali – Arabic “elevated”
  2. Avery – French “wise”
  3. Bailey – Old English “agent of the law”
  4. Brady – Irish “descendant of Bradach”
  5. Casey – Irish “vigilant”
  6. Charlie – German “free man”
  7. Devon – Old English “defender”
  8. Eden – Hebew “Biblical garden”
  9. Frankie – French “free man”
  10. Harper – English “harp player”
  11. Haskell – English “god helmet”
  12. Hayden – Old English “hedged valley”
  13. Kyrie – Greek “lord”
  14. Lennox – Scottish “with many elm trees”
  15. Lumi – Finnish “snow”
  16. Mason – English “stone worker”
  17. Merritt – Old English “boundary gate”
  18. Samar – Sanskrit “battlefield commander”
  19. Sydney – English “wide meadow”

Three-Syllable+ Unisex Names

  1. Addison 
  2. Albany  
  3. Avery 
  4. Cameron 
  5. Emery – Latin “loving”
  6. Indiana 
  7. Kennedy – Irish “chieftain”
  8. Mackenzie 
  9. McKenna 
  10. Montana
  11. Nikita 
  12. Romilly 
  13. Tennyson 
  14.  Trinity – Latin “divine triad”
  15. Dominique 

40 Famous African American Male Names 

Famous One-Syllable Names

  1. Chris Rock, American comedian
  2. Duke Ellington, American pianist
  3. George Washington Carver, African American inventor
  4. John Coltrane, jazz saxophonist
  5. Miles Davis, jazz trumpeter
  6. Prince American musician
  7. Spike Lee, American director
  8. Will Smith, American actor 

Famous Two-Syllable Names

(Image credit: BBC)

  1. Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States
  2. Chadwick Boseman, American actor
  3. Denzel Washington, American Actor
  4. Eddie Murphy, American Actor
  5. Guion Stewart Bluford, first African American in space
  6. Jesse Jackson, African American political activist
  7. Kanye West, American hip hop artist
  8. Kevin Hart, American comedian
  9. Laurence Fishburn, American actor
  10. LeBron James, basketball player
  11. Malcom X, civil rights activist
  12. Martin Luther King, influential Civil Rights activist
  13. Pharrell Williams, American singer 
  14. Richard Pryor, American comedian
  15. Samuel L. Jackson, American actor
  16. Shaquille O’Neal, basketball player
  17. Tiger Woods, championship-winning golfer

Famous Three-Syllable and Four-Syllable Names 

  1. Amiri Baraka, American poet
  2. Anthony Anderson
  3. Arsenio Hall
  4. Benjamin O’Davis, United States Air Force general
  5. Elijah McCoy, African American inventor
  6. Gregory Hines
  7. Jeronimo Spinx
  8. Lionel Richie
  9. Mahershala Ali
  10. Moneta Sleet Jr
  11. Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest American boxers
  12. Orlando Jones
  13. Terrence Thornton
  14.  Alexander Crummell, African nationalist, and pastor
  15. Willian Paul Mitchell

Best Books For Naming Babys

Here are the best naming books with good reviews and ratings

The Complete Book of Baby Names: The #1 Baby Names Book with the Most Unique Baby Girl and Boy Names  – The Complete Book of Baby Names as their essential guide for choosing the perfect name for their child.


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Closing Thoughts

Adding a new member to your family can be exciting. 

Be sure to choose the right name for your son before their birth, as it may influence the kind of person they grow up to become.


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Author
Shane
Shane is passionate about researching and comparing interesting baby stuff for his baby girl. After getting his Master's in Health Management in London, he worked for a top-tier naming and branding consulting firm based in the US. He helps with the research on this site.