332 Best Black Names for Girls with Meaning

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Names for black girls are important. A name means an identity. It’s the beginning of a personal brand. 

A name is one of the most important things you can give to your baby. As a matter of fact, a name could affect one’s chance to get a job.

If you care about a name a lot as I do, then this article is definitely for you. I am are lucky enough to have a baby girl myself, so I understand the desire to give your princess the best things in the world you could possibly give. 

That means good names for black girls to me.

Names for black girls don’t have to be complicated. We have focused this article on Black names only.  I have worked with my team to look into the history of black names. We have screened over >1,000 names to present you only the names for black girls that have great meanings or great sound. 

One thing I would caution against is having names for black girls that are too unique. For example, you might have heard people call themselves “Ten” or “Joke”. You will probably laugh. But, I’m sure those people have good intentions, too.

Having a familiar name has its own benefit. You can make your baby girl’s name unique with a middle name

Having said that, there are so many ways to come up with Names for black girls. 

Let’s look at some popular names for black girls choices for black girls.

This article is written by a Kenya-born African currently living in Canada.

How African Americans Find Best Names for Black Girls

African Americans’ names for black girls their babies in a variety of different ways. 

Many distinctively black names emerged during the civil rights movement and the black cultural movement of the 1990s. Before this, Blacks used to name their babies based on popular White names. 

Today, a name for black girls that sounds Black is becoming popular especially when you can tell a story about the name and its meanings.

16 Blackest Girl Names that Are Beautiful

We have reviewed multiple sources to land on these names for black girls with great meanings for black girls below. They are popular they are beautiful and noble. You might find a good name or two here.


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Two-Syllable Blackest Names for Baby Girls 

  1. Asia – means lively and of the bright sun
  2. Deja – French name “already” or “remembrance”
  3. Imani – Arabic name meaning “belief” or “faith”
  4. Jada- Arabic name meaning a good and beautiful queen
  5. Jasmin/Jazmin/Jazmine – Alternative name for “Jasmine” meaning Persian “gift from God”
  6. Kiara – Irish name meaning “Ciara” which means dark or black
  7. Nia – Gaelic “goal” or “purpose”
  8. Precious – makes me think of the Lord of the Rings 
  9. Raven – makes me think of the Game of Thrones
  10. Shanice – name meaning God is merciful
  11. Tiara – Latin name meaning  “headdress”
  12. Tierra – Spanish name meaning “Earth”

Three-Syllable Blackest Names for Baby Girls 

  1. Alexus – Greek name  “defender”
  2. Aliyah – alternative name  for Aaliyah – Arabic “high” and “exalted”
  3. Diamond – marketing people want us to believe it’s forever
  4. Ebony – Egyptian “deep black wood”

Picking the names for black girls for your princess is hard. Here you can see the most popular names for girls from Virginia, Texas, Colorado, Arkansas, and New York City.

Two-Syllable Common Black girl Names

  1. Angel – Messenger in Greek
  2. Aniyah – Hebrew “God favours”
  3. Chloe – Greek “blooming” or “fertility”
  4. Hailey – Scottish “Hay’s meadow”
  5. Hannah – Hebrew “favour” or “grace”
  6. Isis – Egyptian “throne”
  7. Jayla – Hebrew “God will protect”
  8. Jordan – Greek “to go down”
  9. Kayla – “slim and fair”in Ireland
  10. Laila – Hebrew “night” or “dark”
  11. Nevaeh – Heaven spelled backwards
  12. Sydney – English “wide meadow”
  13. Taylor – English “taylor”
  14. Tiana – Russian “princess”

Three-Syllable Popular Baby Girl Names

  1. Alexis – Greek “helper”
  2. Alyssa – Flower, also means “rational”
  3. Brianna – “strong” and “honorable” in Ireland
  4. Destiny – Latin “fate”
  5. Gabrielle – French “God is my strength”
  6. Kennedy – “head” in Ireland
  7. Madison – English “son of Matthew”
  8. Makayla – Hebrew “who resembles God”
  9. Trinity – English “The Holy Trinity”

Four-Syllable Baby Girl Names

  1. Alexandra – “defender” (with great matching middle names here)
  2.   Isadora
  3. Magnolia
  4. Rosario
  5. Zenobia

21 Unique Black Girl Names That Are Beautiful and Noble


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One-Syllable Unique Baby Girl Names for Black

  1. Leal – a trustworthy name
  2. Neve – Latin “snow”
  3. Nur – Arabic “the divine light”
  4. Vale – English “lives in the valley”

Two-Syllable Unique Baby Girl Names for Black

  1. Adah – Hebrew “adornment”
  2. Audre – “noble strength”
  3. Bisa – “greatly loved”
  4. Fajah – “thanks”
  5. Lysha – German “of a noble kind”
  6. Oba – “king”
  7. Ramla – Arabic “prophetess”

Three-Syllable Unique Baby Girl Names for Black

  1. Bolanle – “finding wealth at home”
  2. Edwina – English “rich friend.
  3. Indigo – Greek “Indian dye”
  4. Jacenta – Greek “hyacinth”
  5. Kalifa – “leader”
  6. Makeba – “precious jewel”
  7. Mandisa – “sweet”
  8. Nakeisha – “her life”
  9. Shaquana – “truth in life”
  10. Sakina – Arabic “peace” and “tranquility”

19 Beautiful and Cute Black Girl Names


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We have reviewed >1,000 names to identify beautiful names for black girls that are popular African names for girls. These names originated mostly from black cultures. We have identified the place or culture where it’s not from Africa.

Two-Syllable Beautiful and Cute Names

  1. Abeba – Ethiopian “flower”
  2. Buhle – Ndebele “beautiful or gracious”
  3. Konjit – Amharic “beautiful or gracious”
  4. Mia – Egyptian “beloved”
  5. Nora – Anglo-Norman “honor”
  6. Sadie – Hebrew “princess”
  7. Thando – “love”
  8. Thema – Ghanan “queen”
  9. Willow – English “freedom”
  10. Zuri: Swahili “beautiful or gracious”

Three-Syllable Beautiful and Cute Names

  1. Alheri – “grace”
  2. Amahle – Zulu “the beautiful or gracious one”
  3. Anuli – “daughter that brings happiness”
  4. Chiamazk – Lgbo “God is beautiful or gracious”
  5. Chiondi – Lgbo “good fortune”
  6. Mbalenhle – “beautiful flower”
  7. Minenhle – Zulu “beautiful day”
  8. Monifa – Arabic “exalted one”
  9. Yewubdar – Ethiopian “beautiful beyond borders”

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28 Badass Black Girl Names

We have chosen a few names for black girls that sound badass with good meanings for your princess. We also noticed that shorter names with two syllables such as Laila, Nia, Jada are getting more popular lately. 

One-Syllable Names that Show Personality 

  1. Lux – Latin “bright light”
  2. Rouge – French “red-colored”
  3. Skye – Norse “cloud”

Two-Syllable Names that Show Personality 

  1. Alaska – Aleut “great land”
  2. Amazon – Race of female warriors
  3. Bristol – English “meeting place by a bridge”
  4. Devyn – English “bard” or “poet”
  5. Fallon – “king’s granddaughter” in Ireland
  6. Gemma – Latin “gemstone”
  7. Lennox – Scottish “elm grove”
  8. Lyra – Greek “lyre”
  9. Maxine – Latin “greatest”
  10. Moana – Polynesian “deep ocean or sea”
  11. Monique – French “advisor”
  12. Nova – Latin “new”
  13.  Saturn – Roman “god of wealth”, also a planet

Three-Syllable Names that Show Personality 

Most of these come from Greek, e.g., 17-19, 22-24

  1. Artemis – “butcher”
  2. Calixta – “most beautiful”
  3. Elektra – “shining” 
  4. Emersyn – Old English “princess of Emery”
  5. Jupiter – Latin “supreme God”, also a planet
  6. Medusa – “cunning”
  7. Pandora – “precious stone” – a diamond brand
  8.  Sirena – “enchanter”

Four-Syllable Names

  1.  Alessia – Italian “defending warrior”
  2. Eulalia – Greek “well-spoken”
  3. Liliana – English “lily”
  4. Valentina – Roman “healthy” and “strong”

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21 Classic Black Girl Names

These names for black girls were referenced from Nameberry.com who compiled a list of African American girl names from the US Top 1000 names.

Two-Syllable Names

  1. Ambrose – Greek “immortal”
  2. Cela – Welsh “heavenly”
  3. Daphne – Greek “laurel tree”
  4. Dinah – Hebrew “judged” or “vindicated”
  5. Dolly – English “gift from God”
  6. Minerva – Latin “mind”
  7. Sable – Slavic “black”
  8. Tamar – Hebrew “date palm”

Three-Syllable Names

  1. Athena – Greek “from Athens”
  2. Cassandra – Greek “one that shines above men”
  3. Charity – English “giving” and “kindness”
  4. Dorina – Latin “precious”
  5. Flavia – Roman “golden”
  6. Jemima – Hebrew “dove”
  7. Keziah – Hebrew “female equality”
  8. Lucinda – Latin “light”

Four-Syllable Names

  1. Catalina – Spanish “pure”
  2. Desdemona – Greek “wretchedness”
  3. Giuliana- Italian “youthful”
  4. Mariama – African “gift of God”
  5. Serenity – English “calmness”

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70 Plant and Flower Black Girl Names

These names were referenced from Parade.com who compiled a great list of names for black girls inspired by flowers. Many of these names would be great for black girls. 

Two-Syllable Plant-based Black Women Names

  1. Arbor – Cluster of vines
  2. Bellerose – French “lovely rose”
  3. Blossom – A mass of flowers
  4. Briar – English “thorny patch”
  5. Calla – Greek “beautiful”
  6. Canna – From Cannalily
  7. Chrystanthe – “golden flower”
  8. Dahlia – Swedish “valley”
  9. Daisy – A yellow and white flower native to Europe
  10. Delphine – French for a bluebell-like flower
  11. Fleur – French “flower”
  12. Freesia – German trumpet-like flowers
  13. Garland – French “a wreath of flowers worn on the head”
  14. Ivy – Latin “vine”
  15. Ione – Violet-colored stone
  16. Iris – Greek “rainbow”
  17. Lita “garden”
  18. Mawar – Indonesian “rose”
  19. Muguet – French “lily”
  20. Neeja – Hindi “lily”
  21. Rada – Yiddish “rose” or “happy”
  22. Rayen – Chilean “flower”
  23. Saffron – Exotic spice
  24. Sharon – Area in ancient Palestine known for its roses
  25. Tansy – Greek “immortality”
  26. Varda – Hebrew “rose” or “pink”
  27. Yasmine – Pesian “Jasmine flower”
  28. Zaria – Arabic “rose”
  29. Zinnia – Latin “Zinn’s flower”

Three-Syllable Plant-based Black Women Names

  1. Abelia – Flower, also means “breathe”
  2. Acacia – Greek “thorny”
  3. Ambretta – A French dessert pear
  4. Azalea – A colorful flowering shrub
  5. Bryony – Latin “to sprout”
  6. Buttercup – A species of bright yellow wild flowers
  7. Camellia – Flower, also Latin “priest’s helper”
  8. Chamomile – Flowery herb used in teas
  9. Clematis – A climbing plant from the buttercup family
  10. Crisanta – Spanish “a golden flower”
  11. Danica – Slavic “morning star”
  12. Diantha – Greek “divine flower”
  13. Edelweiss – Small white German flower
  14. Embelia – Greek “A shrub that bears white and flowers”
  15. Erica – Norse for a pink flower, also “eternal ruler”
  16.  Heliotrope – Cluster of purple flowers
  17. Hibiscus – Greek “a beautiful red flower”
  18. Ixora – A flowering plant found in tropical climates
  19. Leilani – Hawaiian “a pink flower”, also “royal child of heaven”
  20. Jessamine – Persian “jasmine flower”
  21. Kalina – Polish “viburnum”, a flowering shrub
  22. Kassiani – Greek “cinnamon”
  23. Linnea – Swedish “twinflower”
  24. Liana – Fresh “climbing like a vine”
  25. Magnolia – Latin “Magnol’s flower”
  26. Manuka – Tree with honey-producing flowers
  27. Nanala – Hawaiian “sunflower”
  28. Ornella – Italian meaning “flowering ash tree”
  29. Peony – Latin meaning “healing”
  30. Petunia – Trumpet shaped flower
  31. Patchouli – Fragrant plant from Southeast Asia
  32. Prunella – Latin “small plum”
  33. Shoshana – Hebrew “lily”
  34. Verbana – Spanish “sacred foliage”
  35. Winika – Maori “Christmas orchid”
  36.  Zahara – Swahili meaning “flowering”
  37. Zenobia – Bell-shaped white flowers from North America

Four-Syllable Plant-based Black Women Names

  1. Amaryllis – Lily-like flower
  2. Begonia – French meaning “Begon’s flower”
  3. Florentina – Latin meaning “blooming”
  4. Geranium – Greek meaning “crane”

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21 Geeky Nerdy Sci-fi Black Girl Names

We based this list of geeky and nerdy names for black girls on some of the most popular characters from the science world.

Two-Syllable

  1. Ada Lovelace – the world’s first computer programmer 
  2. Auri – a character from The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
  3. Clover – A character from Inside Daisy Clover
  4. Dione – One of Saturn’s moons
  5. Ezri – A character from Star Trek
  6. Hera – A character from the Battlestar Galactica. Also refers to the queen of the Greek Gods
  7. Jemma – A character from Marvel’s Agents of Shield TV series 
  8. Keiko – A character from Star Trek – The Next Generation
  9. Leela – A character from Futurama
  10. Martha – A character from Doctor Who

Three-Syllable

  1. Coraline – A character from Coraline
  2. Natasha – A character in Marvel films
  3. Peggy – A character in Marvel’s Agents of Shield TV series
  4. Persephone – Daughter of the Greek God Zeus
  5. Ruby – A popular programming language
  6. Sora – A character Stargate Atlantis
  7. Teyla – A character from Stargate Atlantis
  8. Thalia – One of the three muses from Greek mythology
  9. Trillian – A character from the book Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
  10. Veronica – A character in Archie comics
  11. Zelda – A character from the Zelda video game series

93 Unisex Black Girl Names

Many Black Americans choose gender-neutral or unisex names for their kids. We have picked up some black beautiful Names for black girls that are great for a boy or a girl. These names originated mostly from Africa. We have identified the place or culture where it’s not.

Two-Syllable Unisex Pretty Black Girl Names

  1. Achebe – “one that is protected by Goddess”
  2. Adwin – Ghanan “artist” or “intellectual”
  3. Cheche – Spanish “small thing
  4. Dayo – Nigerian “Joy arrives”
  5. Dembe – Scandinavian “peace”
  6. Dumi – “inspirer”
  7. Ebele – “mercy” or “kindness”
  8. Eega – “palm bird that loves to fly”
  9. Ekene – Lgbo “praise”
  10. Emene – “God-fearing”
  11. Genet – “Eden”
  12. Ghana – Arabic “riches” or “contentment”
  13. Jettie – “black”
  14. Jira – “related by blood”
  15. Juji – “heap of love”
  16. Jumoke – “Everyone loves the child”
  17. Kalei – Hawaiian “flower wreath” or “the beloved”
  18. Keita – English “offspring” or “blessing”
  19. Kendi – “the loved one”
  20. Kiho – “fog” 
  21. Kinfe – “wing”
  22. Kione – “someone who came from nowhere”
  23. Kuron – “thanks”
  24. Loba – “to talk”
  25. Mhina – Arabic “something given from God”
  26. Naiser – “sensational” and “infectious”
  27. Nasha – Persian “judge”
  28. Natine – “of the Natine tribe”
  29. Neo – “gift”
  30. Ngozi – Lgbo “blessing”
  31. Nuru – Arabic “light”
  32. Okal – “to cross”
  33. Okoth – “born while raining”
  34. Russom – “leader in charge”
  35. Saidi – “fortunate” 
  36. Shange – Zulu “one who walks like a lion”
  37. Sisi – Hebrew “God has sworn”
  38. Tene – “love”
  39. Teshi – “cheerful” and “full of laughter”
  40. Tiwa – Yoruban “who owns the kingship”
  41. Toure – “elephant”
  42. Zuri – Swahili “beautiful”

Three-Syllable Unisex Pretty Black Girl Names

  1. Amare – Ethiopian “handsome”
  2. Amari – Hebrew “eternal”
  3. Chibueze – Lgbo “God is the king”
  4. Chibuzo – Lgbo “ God leads the way”
  5. Chidinma – Lgbo “God is good” 
  6. Chidubem – Lgbo “God guide me”
  7. Chiedozie – Lgbo “ God has repaired”
  8. Chikelu – Lgbo “Created by God”
  9. Chikere – Lgbo “God created”
  10. Dubaku – Akan “eleventh born child”
  11. Folami – “honor and respect me”
  12. Jelani – American “mighty”
  13. Jenue – Nigerian “from Jenue” 
  14. Jioni – Meaning “evening” 
  15. Jonbenet – English “gift of God”
  16. Kabili – Meaning “honest” and “brave” 
  17. Kaikara – Meaning “god” 
  18. Katlego – Tswanan “success”
  19. Kijana – Kiswahil “youth”
  20. Kirabo – “gift from God”
  21. Kitoko – “beautiful”
  22. Lethabo – “happiness” or “joy
  23. Luthando – “love”
  24. Mashaka – “trouble”
  25. Mikaili – “God-like”
  26. Mikenna – “name that brings joy”
  27. Milandu – “a case to answer”
  28. Mirembe – Ugandan “peace” and “quiet”
  29. Miyanda – “roots”
  30. Morathi – “wise person”
  31. Natoya – “fierce” and “brave”
  32. Okapi – “animal with a long-neck”
  33. Rafiki – Arabic “companion” or “friend”
  34. Safari – Meaning “journey” 
  35. Salama – Arabic “peace”
  36. Tafadzwa – “we are pleased”
  37. Tanisha – Sanskrit “born on a Monday”
  38. Tatenda – “thank you”
  39. Tokunbo – Yoruban “from overseas” 

Four-Syllable Unisex Pretty Black Girl Names

  1. Ekundayo – “sorrow becomes joy”
  2. Enzokuhle – “to do great things”
  3. Lolovivi – “there’s always love”
  4. Melokuhle – Xhosa “standing for what is right”
  5. Naserian – Maasaian “one born in peaceful times”
  6. Olajuwon – “wealth” and “honor” 
  7. Olufemi  – Nigerian “The Lord loves me”
  8. Oluyomi – “sent by God”
  9. Onyekachi – Lgbo “greater than God”
  10. Oratilwe – “loved one”
  11. Pretoria – “official”

15 Famous Black Girl Names 

  1. Mae Jemison – 1st Black American and female astronaut
  2. Ada Lovelace – an accomplished mathematician and writer
  3. Ella Fitzgerald – 1st Black American lady to win a Grammy
  4. Halle Berry – one of the most famous Black American actresses
  5. Misty Copeland – 1st Black American principal ballerina
  6. Oprah Winfrey – one of the most influential Black American figures
  7. Rosa Parks – a famous figure in the Civil Rights Movement, who stood up for injustice on a bus 
  8. Sherly Swoops – 1st WNBA player
  9. Venus Williams – leading female tennis player in history
  10. Althea Gibson – 1st Black American female in Wimbeldon
  11. Aretha Franklin – 1st Black American woman in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame
  12. Indira Gandhi – India’s first female prime minister
  13. Nadia Murad – 1st Iraqi to earn a Nobel Prize
  14. Serena Williams – leading female tennis player in the world
  15. Condoleezza Rice – former US Secretary of State

60 Controversial Black Girl Names

Warning: This list is highly controversial.

Best Books For Naming Babys

Here are the best naming books with good reviews and ratings


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Closing Thoughts

Finding a Name for black girls is always difficult if you care about a name. You should because as we mentioned, a name could affect your girl’s ability to get a job. 

So consider looking through this list when you decide to christen your new baby girl.

Like a name? Share it with your queen or friends for their thoughts. 


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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.