Marking an ‘X’: Exploring the History of Grenada’s Surnames

• Despite the widespread belief that most Grenadian surnames today are derived from plantation/slave owners, many former enslaved men actually used their first (and only) names to create their family names.
• This is the case for a plurality of both English and French-derived surnames today.
• That means your surname may contain a clue to the name of your last enslaved male ancestor.
• A smaller percentage of Grenadian surnames, both English and French, are derived from plantation owners, and this often indicates a blood connection.
• Maybe we can see these surnames as more a creation of the newly freed Grenadians to establish identity, rather than something imposed upon them, as was the case in other countries.

 

Malcolm X, the son of Grenadian Louise Langdon Norton Little (1895/6-1989), made famous the identity struggles of Black people in the diaspora when he replaced his family name of Little (or what has also been termed his “slave name”) with an ‘X’ to signify his lost or robbed African identity as a result of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the legacy of slavery. It is a cry voiced by many descendants of enslaved Africans in the Caribbean who feel a sense of loss, a sense of disconnect, not knowing their African name, their African identity.

In the 1970s, following the emergence of Rastafari and the Black Power Movement, several Grenadians adopted African names (like Akee, Kamau and Owusu) in an attempt to reclaim that perceived lost identity, adorned with their dashiki and a big Afro, even carrying around beautifully carved afro-combs to enhance that identity. The recent developments in DNA technology have provided some solace in creating a “direct” biological connection to the peoples of West Africa, but the connections to ancestral birthplaces remain elusive at best. Yet, many continue to search their ancestry for any links that would take them closer to finding that lost identity.

For Grenadians (and others from the Caribbean), doing genealogical research is difficult to say the least. Luck is the most operative word here: luck in locating pertinent records, luck that the records have not been eaten by time, luck that you can read the handwriting, etc. It is often easier for Grenadians in the diaspora because many of our records are available in the US, UK and other places. Grenada has outsourced the preservation of its history to others! For those making that difficult search because of the dearth of records, archives, and access to whatever might be available, I would like to share my thoughts on a very important aspect of that search from my years of experience in my own family search and as a historian and archivist working among those historical records. I am referring specifically to the origin and history of the surnames of Grenadians, which I hope will aid you in your search and overall understanding of Grenadian genealogy.

Slave Registers and Surnames

It is often repeated that most Grenadians (and West Indians) today have family names that were unwittingly received from their enslaved ancestors’ masters/owners, hence the reference to family names as “slave names” and Malcolm X’s use of an “X” to illustrate that. However, that is only true for a minority of Grenadian surnames (although it could be argued that all names of enslaved Africans are “slave names”).

There is little on enslaved names and naming practices, which makes it rather difficult to trace Black ancestry beyond the limited official records like the Civil List (which begins in 1866) and selected church records, especially the Anglican Church (see Handler & Jacoby 1996). However, a look at the names of plantation owners (Legacies of British Slave-ownership) and the Slave Registers (Former British Colonial Dependencies…) makes clear that many of those names do not survive in Grenada as surnames, and when they do, there is an actual blood connection. In fact, the plurality of Grenadian family names today, and the most popular ones at least, are derived from the first names of the last enslaved male ancestors. This does not seem to be the case across the region (for example, in Trinidad, St. Lucia and Belize, enslaved were given last names on the Slave Registers; or in Curacao where former enslaved received surnames based on the first names of the wives of their white slave owners, hence the preponderance of female surnames). But for Grenada, an examination of family names today will reveal the preponderance of male first names. This in itself is not unusual, as many European cultures and patrilineal societies worldwide have used this naming practice for centuries (think of many names in the Bible – Solomon, son of David; Joseph, son of Jacob, etc.). What is unique about it here is how it came about in Grenada.

Records of the names of enslaved Grenadians are readily available and give a good idea of the names that were given to enslaved peoples in Grenada. As a matter of fact, there are complete lists of the enslaved in Grenada between 1817 and 1834 as part of the Slave Registry Act passed to inhibit the continued illegal importation of captive Africans (Former British Colonial Dependencies…). Other lists are also available in legal deeds from the sale of plantations, which included enslaved as part of the property (Register of Records, 1764-1931).

These lists provide a clear picture of the rendered/official names of the last generation or two of enslaved Grenadians. Comparing the list of surnames today with the Slave Registers reveal an obvious connection: a majority of the family names today were derived from the actual names held by the last enslaved males. They did not have actual surnames, so the Slave Registers recorded the patriarch’s first name. Table 1 provides a list of the 20 most common family names today and compares them to the prevalence of these names to their counterpart in the Slave Registers.

Table 1. The 20 Most Common Grenadian Surnames Today and Their Prevalence in the Slave Registers

Rank in Grenada	Rank in Carriacou	Surname	Current Incidence	# in the 1834 Slave Register	Comments
1	3	Charles	3870	115
2	1	Joseph	2807	138
3	9	Thomas	2787	92
4	17	Williams	2312	150	“s” added to William
5	4	Alexander	2255	83
6	42	Lewis	1839	5*
7	4	John	1743	149
8	54	Phillip	1660	19	The French Philip is #94
9	2	Noel	1638	46
10	33	Mitchell	1558	33
11	68	Francis	1456	8*
12	12	George	1310	111
13	41	James	1165	69
14	64	Baptiste	1138	38	French-derived name
15	150	Edwards	915	78	“s” added to Edward
16	33	Peters	826	44	“s” added to Peter
17	97	Paul	823	22
18	33	Sylvester	786	23	Sylvest/Sylvestre/Sylvester
19	14	Roberts	758	83	“s” added to Robert
20	166	Frederick	751	52

*Lewis and Francis on the Slave Registers are far below expected numbers to their popularity today.

Sources: https://forebears.io/grenada/surnames
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1129/

 

The Survival of African Names

One easy test of the theory is to examine the unique example of the few surviving African names. African day-names and others, especially from the Akan, have survived slavery like few other African cultural memories. This may have been due to the large numbers of Akans (from the historical Gold Coast region) brought to Grenada, from whom we have other cultural survivals like Anansi the trickster spider and a handful of Twi words (Martin 2007).

These few African names as first names can be seen on the Slave Registers, but only the male names have survived because they became surnames in Grenada and Carriacou today: Cuffie (<Kofi), Quamina (<Kwami), Quashie (<Kwesi), and Cudjoe (<Kojo). The female names like Cumba, Accou, Acra, Ama, Yabba and Amba have totally disappeared, as have the ethnic appendages like Ebo/Ibo, Chamba, Moco, and Congo (see Table 2). The retention of these few African names possibly suggests that the enslaved may have had some agency in naming their offspring, but that would be difficult to prove as much of the evidence is anecdotal. It is believed that the enslaved, especially those born in Grenada, were named by their grandmothers and godparents (Handler & Jacoby 1996).

Table 2. Historical Male African First Names as Surnames Today and Their Prevalence in the 1834 Slave Register

Rank	Surname	Current Incidence	# in the 1834 Slave Register	Comments
213	Quashie	96	7	Ranks #18 in Carriacou
305	Cudjoe	63	8	Ranks #31 in Carriacou
309	Cuffie	62	10	Not present in Carriacou
537	Quamina	28	6	Ranks #111 in Carriacou

Sources: https://forebears.io/grenada/surnames 
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1129/

Another good example from the Slave Registers is when changes in names had to be explained from one year to the next. For example, the Register for 1834 provided comments for names of three families on the “Breteche and Lance La Roche Estates” in Carriacou owned by E. B. Dallas. A patriarch named Rodney (no last name) was listed as being born in Africa around 1787/88, and was about 46 years in 1834; he is described as having “country [tribal] marks on his breast” (see image below). The children, who had been recorded on previous Registers with only one name, were now recorded with the family name Rodney: Mary Charlotte Rodney (15 yrs), Damfreson Rodney (12 yrs), Noel Rodney (10 yrs), Arline/Alexline Rodney (7½ yrs) and Johnny Rodney (4 yrs), with the comment “Surname taken on father’s marriage.” His wife (the mother of the children) is not identified because she may have been on another plantation, or was not associated with the name Rodney. (It is interesting to speculate that the Rodney family of Beauséjour, Carriacou today could be descendants of Rodney from 1834.) Other families identified on the same page include Henry and Joseph.

         

Pages from the 1834 Slave Register for “Breteche and Lance La Roche Estates” in Carriacou listing enslaved, with references to members of the Rodney, Joseph and Henry families highlighted (courtesy of Ancestry.co.uk)

There are almost 7,000 unique surnames in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Most of them are historical Grenadian families that date to the immediate post-Emancipation period when the majority of Grenadians adopted surnames. There were a few enslaved who had two names, mostly compound names (and primarily French-derived), but compound names were also used to differentiate those with similar names on the same plantation (examples: Jean Paul, Jean Pierre, Louis Pierre & Louis Charles; Julien & Julien 1^st, Charles & Charles 2^nd, Harriet 1^st & Harriet London). Some of these compound names may account for why we do not see surnames like Jean and Louis today. For Grenada, I examined almost 1000 surnames and their incidences of occurrence, 200 for Carriacou, and 40 for Petite Martinique (see the Forebears directory). English, Scottish, and other names of the British Isles dominate as the British were the last and longest colonial rulers of Grenada.

Continuity of British Surnames

Although male first names dominate the English-derived (including British, Scottish, Irish) Grenadian names (see Table 1 above), some British surnames that derive directly from British families are quite evident as well. Most of these indicate blood connections, as in the offspring of white men and Black/mixed women (free and enslaved), who thus carried their name, often even identified in last wills and testaments (see Table 3).

Table 3. English-Derived Surnames from British Slave Owners

Rank	Surname	Current Incidence	Listed on 1834 Slave Register	Comments
5	Alexander	2255	Yes	Ranks #4 in Carriacou
62	Campbell	308	Yes	Ranks #166 in Carriacou
97	Ferguson	216	No	Not present
114	Whiteman	178	No	Not present
119	Munro	180	No	Ranks #198 in Carriacou
125	Cummings	175	No	Ranks #49 in Carriacou
235	Young	86	No	Not present
530	Hankey	29	No	Not present

Sources: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/search/ 
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1129/

Names of some Grenadian surnames stem from British surnames because of some other connection to a plantation and the family. One example is the Mills family of Carriacou, who took their name from the Mill family that owned Grand Bay Estate into the early 1900s; there were no registered enslaved with the name of Mill or Mills. The Carriacou family added an “s” as was the case with several adopted male first names like Williams, Peters, Edwards, Richards, and Andrews. It is unclear why this happened instead of taking the patriarchs’ name.

The many Scottish names of Carriacou and Petite Martinique are also as a result of racial mixing between the Scots and Blacks (free and enslaved), with names like McLawrence, McFarlane, and McGillivary (see Table 4). One of the most popular family names on Petite Martinique is Bethel, a Welsh-derived name.

Table 4. English-Derived Surnames in Carriacou & Petite Martinique

Rank	Surname	Current Incidence	Listed on Slave Registers	Comments
11	McLawrence	90	No	Ranks #197 in Grenada
18	Stewart	69	Yes (2)	Ranks #85 in Grenada
20	Boatswain	67	No	Ranks #207 in Grenada
22	McFarlane	65	No	Ranks #274 in Grenada
29	McIntosh	55	No	Ranks #910 in Grenada
33	Matheson	50	No	Ranks #323 in Grenada
1	Bethel	198	No	Ranks #73 in Grenada
4	Blair	42	Yes (2)	Ranks #259 in Grenada
12	Tillock	21	No	Ranks #470 in Grenada

Sources: https://forebears.io/grenada/surnames 
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1129/

 

French Surnames

Though Grenada was a French colony between 1649 and 1763, French-derived names are still quite common centuries on. Several of these surnames of French origin are French male first names that were converted to surnames, similar to their British counterparts (see Table 5). The plurality of French-derived family names, however, were present since the mid- to late 18^th century and held by persons of French and African ancestry or mixed race (see Table 6). Most of these French family surnames do not appear on Slave Registers, but rather by owners of enslaved, they being the descendants of “interracial relationships” (free and enslaved).

Table 5. The 15 Most Common French-Derived Surnames Today and Their Prevalence in the 1834 Slave Register

Rank	Surname	Current Incidence	# on the 1834 Slave Register	Comments
9	Noel	1638	46	Ranks #18 in Carriacou
14	Baptiste	1138	38	Ranks #31 in Carriacou
24	Antoine	691	46	Ranks #135 in Carriacou
30	Calliste	556	12	Ranks #111 in Carriacou
31	Pierre	538	45	Ranks #166 in Carriacou
32	Julien	536	30 (+Julienne)	Ranks #45 in Carriacou
37	Modeste	475	46	Ranks #47 in Carriacou
44	St. Louis	371	19
59	St. Bernard	315	No	Ranks #198 in Carriacou
70	Francois	272	40
88	Pascal	230	29	Ranks #150 in Carriacou
92	Clement	222	8
94	Philip	220	52 (+John Philip)
98	Cadore	214	No	Ranks #198 in Carriacou
99	Hosten	213	No	Ranks #135 in Carriacou

Sources: https://forebears.io/grenada/surnames 
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1129/

 

Table 6. Popular Historical French Surnames and Their Prevalence in the 1834 Slave Register

Rank	Surname	Current Incidence	# on the 1834 Slave Register	Comments
115	De Coteau	189	No	Ranks #85 in Carriacou
118	Langaine	182	No	Not present
125	La Touche	175	No	Not present
129	Stanislaus	172	Yes (11)	Ranks #47 in Carriacou
182	Bedeau	109	No	Ranks #20 in Carriacou

Sources: https://forebears.io/grenada/surnames 
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1129/

 

Final Thoughts

Lastly, due to migration since the mid-1800s, several names unique to neighboring islands have been brought to Grenada, some becoming well established. But it is still possible to differentiate exclusively Grenadian names from those of neighboring Caribbean islands. Table 7 presents a short list of some of these names originally exclusive to Grenada, but now can be found in Trinidad, the US and UK due to migration of Grenadians since the 18^th century. Surnames like Chantimel have disappeared, while names like Horsford and Ackie, coming from Antigua (where they are common), or Quarless, Dowden, Chandler, and Dottin from Barbados, have enriched Grenada’s family history and cultural identity.

Table 7. Unique Surnames to Grenada

Rank	Surname	Possibly Derived From	Listed on the 1834 Slave Register	Comments
59	Belfon	Pierre Aman Belfon	No
191	Braveboy	1st name of enslaved	Yes
209	Brizan	Brisant	Yes	Place name
98/243	Cadore/Cadoo	Unknown	Yes	Ranks #198 in Carriacou
115	De Coteau	Clozier Decoteau	No	Ranks #85 in Carriacou
163	De Roche	La Roche	No	Ranks #85 in Carriacou
108	Hillaire	St. Hillaire	Yes
867	La Grenade	Grenade	No	Name of the island
194	Lalgie	East-Indian derived	No
125	La Touche	La Touche-Limouzinière de Mareuil	No
207	Lendore	Unknown	No	Ranks #13 in Carriacou
218	Marryshow	Maricheau	No
57/749	Morain/Moraine	Unknown	No
413	Viechweg	John Viechweg (Belair, 1800)	No

Sources: https://forebears.io/grenada/surnames 
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1129/

So in conclusion, Grenadian surnames are not purely baggage from our enslaved ancestors. Slavery is the reason for the lack of surnames in the first place, but the ones we have bear the names of our ancestors, much as surnames are supposed to. As such, these surnames may lead to Grenadians today finding their enslaved ancestors on Slave Registers and other lists if aware of the village (and thus plantation) where your family originated. As a final example, the name Braveboy shows up on Slave Registers for the Carriere Estate in St. Andrew. Knowing that the Braveboy family has roots in that area (and the name is quite distinctive) leads to the conclusion that the young man identified as Braveboy was probably the patriarch of the Braveboy clan, a family name that is unique to Grenada.

Page from the Slave Register for 1834 listing enslaved males on the Carriere Estate, St. Andrew, with the name Braveboy highlighted

-JAM

 

References

For the names of enslaved Grenadians see “Former British Colonial Dependencies, Slave Registers, 1813-1834” at https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1129/

For the names of mostly British slave owners in Grenada see “Legacies of British Slave-Ownership” at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/maps/caribbean/grenada

For current surnames of Grenadians see “Most Common Last Names in Grenada,” Forebears at https://forebears.io/grenada/surnames.

“Most Common Last Names of Carriacou,” Forebears at https://forebears.io/grenada/carriacou#surnames

Most Common Last Names of Petite Martinique,” Forebears at https://forebears.io/grenada/petite-martinique#surnames

Handler, Jerome S. and JoAnn Jacoby. 1996. “Slave Names and Naming in Barbados, 1650-1830,” The William and Mary Quarterly, Third Series, 53, (Oct):685-728.

Martin, John Angus. 2007. A-Z of Grenada. Oxford: Macmillan Caribbean.