Jul 21, 2017 · 1 min read
Upon emancipation, former slaves could chose their surnames. Many found it easiest to just stick with their previous owners name. Some chose names of presidents who had, in popular imagery, emancipated themselves and others from harsh conditions. For example, “Washington” is amongst the most common last names for African Americans. Jefferson and Jackson are as well.
Still an interesting perspective, though realistically this is not going to happen.
