# Heroic African-American names

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroic-african-american-names/143947
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 20, 2002, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroic-african-american-names/143947 "2002-12-20T01:19:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![burntsand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba9def/32.png) [@burntsand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burntsand)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2002, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroic-african-american-names/143947/1 "2002-12-20T01:19:13Z")

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In the “What is up with African American names” thread (sorry, don’t know how to link to a thread), 'doper Masonite said:

> [@](#):
>
> When the [slave] families were freed, they could either take on the names of their former captors (Washington, Jefferson, etc.) or they could just make something up. When they chose English words with beautiful associations (Love, etc.), I think this was a far better choice than choosing a “white” name for assimilation value.

I had always believed that names like Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Sherman, etc. became common among African Americans because freed slaves chose the names of US heroes and famous men, not because their former owners had those names.

This could have been done as an homage to the men who helped emancipate them, or could be similar to the practice of naming a child Caesar, Alexander, or Jesus in the hopes that the child becomes as renowned/successful/etc. as their namesake.

So what’s the straight dope? Names of their former captors, names of heroes, or a bit of both?