A Note on Slave Names

As you browse through the names you will notice that the overwhelming majority of slaves only had the one name or were only referred to by one name. Many of the names you will find here were not given to the slaves by their family, but are the informal names their owners bestowed upon them. With their freedom from enslavement came a freedom to choose a new name. Often a former slave would change their name from the informal to something more formal like Joseph, Elizabeth, William, etc. For surnames, some took names from their trades or skills (Miller). Some took their new surnames from the color of their skin (Brown or Black). Some took their new surnames from famous Americans at the time (Washington or Franklin). While others took common surnames like Jackson, Johnson, Moore, and Morgan. It was all just one step in the process of a former slave reclaiming themselves for themself.