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The 10 Blackest Last Names in America
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Apr 4, 2025
#blackexcellence #blackhistory Some last names are more popular than others. These 10 are the most popular Black last names in America. Subscribe to our channel so you don't miss any future videos! Check out the books we love and recommend in our Black Excellence Book Club: https://www.blackexcellence.com/store/ Some links are affiliate links, which means we earn a very tiny commission if you make a purchase. __________________________________________________________ Sharing interesting and noteworthy stories in Black culture. All content provided by Black Excellence Media, LLC is for entertainment purposes only. None of the information or advice provided is to replace professional advice.
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You know what's one of the most craziest
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things that no one ever talks about?
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Being a black person, is when you run
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into a white person with your same last
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name. It is the most awkward thing in
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the world, especially if you don't have
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a super common last name. The first
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thing you say is, "We both have the same
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last name." And then you sit there for a
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second and it's awkward pause and you
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go, "Oh
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yeah, I think I know what might have
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happened." Anyway, now that we're off of
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that detour, we're going to talk about
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the 10 most common black names in
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America and their history due to the
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transatlantic slave trade. Many
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African-Ameans lost their original
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surnames and were given new ones, often
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from their enslavers or based on other
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circumstances. Over time, some names
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became more common within the black
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community due to cultural, historical,
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and social factors. In this video, we'll
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look at the 10 most common black names
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in America and where they are most
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common. Okay, so before I get started,
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why don't you go down to the comments
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and leave the top three last names that
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you think are the most common and then
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we'll see if you got it right at the end
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of this video. I think that most people
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will get at least one right in the top
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three because they're overall pretty
1:09
common in America, but most of you guys
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have no chance of getting all three.
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Let's do a countdown from the number 10
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to the number one most common black last
1:17
name in America. If your last name is in
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this top 10, which it most likely will
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be, you might have a ton of family out
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there that you didn't even know about,
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or you guys could have been on the same
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plantation. I hate to say it, but you
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just might have been. At number 10, we
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have Robinson. Robinson is a surname,
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meaning son of Robin. The name
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originated in England and Scotland,
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where Robin was a widely used common
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name during the Middle Ages. European
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settlers with this surname brought it to
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North America where it became common
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among enslavers and the general
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population. Like many other common
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surnames among African-Americans,
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Robinson was often assigned to enslaved
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people by their enslavers. Some enslaved
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individuals took the surname of their
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enslavers either voluntarily or by
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force, while others adopted it after
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gaining freedom as a way to establish an
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identity. After emancipation, many freed
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black families move to different parts
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of the country, keeping or adopting the
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name Robinson. The great migration saw
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millions of black Americans relocating
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from the rural south to cities in the
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north and west, carrying the surname
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with them. According to the US Census
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Bureau, there are
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221,835 black Americans with the
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Robinson last name. Some well-known
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people in popular culture with the last
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name Robinson include, of course, Jackie
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Robinson, Smoky Robinson, Holly
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Robinson, and Craig Robinson. Let's not
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forget David Robinson. Washington DC is
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the city with the highest concentration
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of Robinsons, while California, Texas,
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and Florida are the states with the
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highest number of Robinsons. At number
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nine, we have Thomas. The surname Thomas
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is of biblical origin derived from the
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Hebrew name Toma or twin. It was
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commonly used among European settlers
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and as a result was often given to or
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adopted by enslaved people in the United
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States. Over generations, Thomas has
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remained one of the most prevalent
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surnames in African-Amean communities.
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According to the census, there are
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271,273 black Americans with the last
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name Thomas. And this last name is most
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common in Florida, California, and
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Texas. Some famous black people with the
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last name Thomas include Clarence
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Thomas, Rosanda Thomas, aka Chile, and
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Isaiah Thomas. At number eight, we have
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Harris. The name Harris is of English
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origin derived from son of Harry with
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Harry being a medieval form of Henry. It
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was a common last name among slave
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owners who then gave the last name, of
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course, to their slaves. There are
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274,273 black Americans with the last
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name Harris. Some famous black people
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with the last name Harris include of
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course Vice President Kamala Harris,
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Shante Harris aka the Brat, Clifford
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Harris aka Ti, and Tony Harris. The
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Harris last name is most common in
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Georgia, California, and Texas. At
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number seven, we have Davis. Davis,
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meaning son of David, is of English and
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Welsh origin. This name became common
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among African-Americans due to what
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else? Slavery, as enslaved people often
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took the surnames of their owners.
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Notably, the surname Davis is also
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associated with prominent black
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historical figures such as activist
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Angela Davis. Other famous black people
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with the last name Davis include Miles
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Davis, Sammy Davis Jr., Biola Davis, and
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Day Davis. Davis lands at the number
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seven spot with an estimated
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352,769 black people with the last name
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Davis in America. All right, so before I
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get to the rest of this list, it's about
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that time I ask you for a little favor.
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If you like this video and you find it
5:07
entertaining, informative, interesting,
5:09
anything positive, please go down there
5:12
and hit that like button and subscribe
5:13
to us. If you watch our videos often or
5:16
this is the first time you've ever seen
5:18
my face and you aren't subscribed, now
5:20
is the time to hit that subscribe button
5:22
and show us that you find our content
5:24
enjoyable. Thank you so much. Now, back
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to the list. At number six, we have
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Jackson. I think this is one last name
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that everyone will associate with black
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people in America, and you know why. I
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better not even have to say it. It's the
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Jackson family and Michael Jackson.
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Jackson is an English and Scottish
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surname meaning son of Jack where Jack
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itself is derived from the given name of
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John. This is another common surname
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among European settlers in North America
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including of course slaveholders. One
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significant reason why Jackson is a
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common surname among African-Americans
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is the prominence of Andrew Jackson the
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seventh president of the US. He was a
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well-known and influential figure during
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the early 19th century. Although Andrew
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Jackson himself was a controversial
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figure known for his role in Indian
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removal, taking their land, and killing
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tons of them, and owning enslaved
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people. The name Jackson remained
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widespread among African-Americans,
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particularly for those who lived on
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Jackson-owned plantations. It's
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estimated that there are currently
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353,179 black Americans with the last
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name Jackson. Some famous black people
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with this last name include the whole
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Jackson family, of course, Jesse
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Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Bo Jackson,
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and O'Shea Jackson Jr. Jackson is
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dominant in the South in states like
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Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, and
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Texas. At number five, we have Brown.
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Brown is of Anglo-Saxon origin and was
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often used as a descriptive name
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referring to skin color. After the Civil
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War, the Freedoms Bureau helped formerly
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enslaved people established legal
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identities. Many newly freed
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African-Ameans adopted surnames like
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Brown because they had previously been
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known only by first names. There are
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currently
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476,72 black Americans with the last
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name Brown. The last name is more common
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in states like Georgia, Mississippi,
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Louisiana, and Alabama. There are a lot
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of Browns in the entertainment industry,
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including James Brown, Bobby Brown,
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Chris Brown, Yvet, Nicole Brown, and
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Sterling Brown. At number four, we're
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getting close to that top three. You
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better hurry up and leave your comments.
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At number four, we have the last name
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Jones. The surname Jones is of Welsh
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origin, meaning son of John. It became
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common among African-Americans due to
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its widespread use among enslavers.
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After emancipation, many formerly
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enslaved black people retained the last
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name Jones, either because it was
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familiar or because it had been used in
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the family for generations. It's
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estimated that there are
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514,167 black people in America with the
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last name Jones, and they are more
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likely to be found in the South and/or
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Midwest cities like Chicago and Detroit.
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Now, let's get into the top three, and
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these three will not surprise anybody.
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Starting with Smith. The name Smith has
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English origins and originally denoted
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somebody who worked as a blacksmith. As
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one of the most widespread surnames in
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the United States, many black Americans
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carry this name due to its historical
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practice of enslaved people being
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assigned or adopting their enslavers
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names. The name also became prominent in
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black communities as a chosen surname
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due to its widespread familiarity. I'm
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sure the number one famous person you
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can think of with the last name is Will
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Smith and the Smith family, but there
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are so many other notable black figures
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with the last name like Stephen A.
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Smith, Yandandy Smith, and blue singer
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Bessie Smith. Side note, before we move
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on to the top two, did you know that the
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last name Smith is so common that it
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actually makes it difficult for many
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African-Americans to trace their
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ancestry back to Africa if they're
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trying to do so? A lot of
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African-Americans chose this actually
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after slavery because it was associated
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with being a skilled laborer or helped
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them maybe get a job. And number two, we
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have Johnson. Johnson, meaning son of
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John, is of English and Scottish origin.
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Anthony Johnson is one of the earliest
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recorded black Americans with the
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surname Johnson. Originally an African
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indentured servant in Virginia. He
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gained his freedom and even own land and
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enslaved workers himself. After the
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Civil War, many newly freed
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African-Americans had to choose a last
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name. Johnson was a widely known and
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easy to adopt surname. Johnson's are
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found pretty much anywhere black people
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are found in large populations like in
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the south and big cities like New York
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and Chicago. There are
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627,720 black Johnson's in America.
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Pause cuz that didn't sound right at
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all. Making it the second most common
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black last name. And at the number one
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spot, the most common black last name
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is Williams. Yes, Williams. Not Carter.
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There's so many other last names I would
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have picked before Williams and
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Jefferson. The surname Williams is one
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of the most common last names in the
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United States and has a particularly
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strong presence in the black community.
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It is of English and Welsh origin,
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meaning son of William. They weren't
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creative at all. It's just you're son of
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William, so we'll call you a Williams.
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Many enslaved individuals were assigned
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this name by their enslavers while
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others adopted it after emancipation. In
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states like Maryland, Virginia, and
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Pennsylvania, free black families with
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the last name Williams appear in
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historical records from the 18th and
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early 19th century. Some mixed race
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individuals took the name Williams from
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their fathers or ancestors, which makes
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me wonder again, where is Jefferson?
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Because we know it became particularly
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common in states like Georgia, Alabama,
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Mississippi, Louisiana, and the Carolas
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before spreading to cities like Chicago,
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Detroit, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles
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due to the great migration. There are so
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many famous black people with the last
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name Williams that it doesn't even make
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sense to try and include them all. But
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here are some of the most famous ones
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that I could think of like Fel Williams,
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Serena and Venus, Wendy Williams, Cat
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Williams, Vanessa Williams, and Billy D.
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Williams. It's estimated there are
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716,74 black Americans with the last
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name Williams. So, now that we're at the
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end of this list, did you get your top
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three right? Let me know again in the
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comments. That's it for today's video.
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We'll see you next time with another
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video with interesting topics in black
11:58
culture. My last name wasn't anywhere
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close to this list. I have never met
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anyone with my last name. Actually,
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there are people with my last name and I
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almost guarantee we're probably related.
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Must have been a small plantation or
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something. I wonder how Africans do
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their surnames. We should talk about
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that one time in a
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episode cuz I feel like they all do it
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different. Anyway, see you next time.
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Bye.