Black Names and Stereotypes

Four major stereotypes

The four major Stereotypes about more names of black children are:

Creative names only come from “Ghetto” and low income communities (Stanley Lieberson, 1995)

Creative names mean the parents are uneducated (Stanley Lieberson, 1995)

Black males with more unique names are thugs and prone to violence and illegal activity (Stanley Lieberson, 1995)

Black females with more unique names are promiscuous. (Stanley Lieberson, 1995)

Four major Stereotypes

None of the 4 major stereotypes can be proven to be 100 percent true.

How unique a name is, usually is subjective.

Discussion: Are parents to blame for if the name of the child hinders that child?

Yourhighness Morgan

Assumptions about this name:

What career do You think this person has?

How well off is this person’s family?

2013 NFL draftee, who graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2012. Raised in a 2 parent middle class household in Florida.

Cymphonique

Assumptions about this name:

How well off are this person’s parents?

Where do you think this person’s family is from?

Daughter of multi-millionaire Percy miller Aka Master P. They live in L.A

Ta’Kiesha Presner

Assumptions about this name:

What career does this person have?

Huffington Post Blogger

Advertising sales manager at Google.

Delashaun Dean

Assumptions about this name:

What type of career does this person have?

Football Star for University of Tuscon. Nfl recruit in 2011

The stripping of names during slavery

How were slaves named?

How did the stripping of names effect black families as a whole?

Numbers

Since the slave traders saw the enslaved as little more than a commodity, they were treated like cargo, often branded and usually assigned numbers rather than names.

Owners

Slaves assumed the surnames of their owners.

Work

Former slaves often made up surnames based on their occupations. A Wessyngton slave named Bill who was the plantation’s blacksmith was known as Billy the Smith during slavery.

Emancipation of Slaves

Following emancipation slaves usually assumed their previous name that had been in their families for generations.

How does your name effect you psychologically?