[Jennifer31026]

Actually, the practice of assigning black children non-mainstream names is common no matter their gender, but I agree that it's more common with girl children. Maybe it's because there are more names to choose from (or make up, as the case may be)with girls. As far as i've been able to tell, the unusual names in the black community are either African or African-derived (Swahili, mostly), Arabic (Aaliya, Latifa), or a mainstream name with a distinctive prefix added (*La*tricia). Sometimes, names are given that just sound nice to the parents, but that have never been heard before. Call it creativity run amok. The same guidelines go for boys, but rather than 'La' being the most common prefix added for distinction, 'De' or 'Del'(DeAndre, De/DelShawn) is often used. I'm not sure what the reason for the prefixes is; there's probably no more reason for it than the 'guilded lily' names among American white children. However, in the case of more African or Arabic-sounding names, I think it's an attempt to connect the child with their culture, or that of their ancestors.

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Name : Jennifer31026, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 31, City : Saint Paul, State : MN Country : United States, Occupation : Non-profit, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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