The Causes and Consequences of Distinctively Black Names

TLDR

In the 1960s, Black and White parents selected similar first names for their children. In the early 1970s, Black parents in racially isolated neighborhoods increasingly chose distinctive names—a trend linked to the Black Power movement—yet these names, which now signal socioeconomic status, are not negatively associated with later life outcomes once birth circumstances are controlled.

Abstract

In the 1960s Blacks and Whites chose relatively similar first names for their children. Over a short period of time in the early 1970s, that pattern changed dramatically with most Blacks (particularly those living in racially isolated neighborhoods) adopting increasingly distinctive names, but a subset of Blacks actually moving toward more assimilating names. The patterns in the data appear most consistent with a model in which the rise of the Black Power movement influenced how Blacks perceived their identities. Among Blacks born in the last two decades, names provide a strong signal of socioeconomic status, which was not previously the case. We find, however, no negative relationship between having a distinctively Black name and later life outcomes after controlling for a child's circumstances at birth.