Today we honor the life and the work of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the sacrifices he made to ensure equality and justice for every citizen in the United States. Because of his struggles, young Americans today are endowed with certain invaluable rights and because of the depth of his work — and of those who worked diligently by his side — we’ve rounded up some of the best and most inspiring baby names! Any baby who’s name-spiration came from any of the iconic Civil Rights Movements’ bravest individuals should be proud!
Coretta - inspired by Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Ella - inspired by the human rights activist, fought to empower black women
Ruby - inpsired by Ruby Bridges, the first African American woman to attend an all white school in the south
Septima - inspired by Septima Pointsette Clark, the activist who fought for equal pay for all teachers
Martin - inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Luther - also inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Montgomery - home of the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott
Malcolm - inpsired by Malcolm X (known as Malcolm Little)
Langston - inspired by Langston Hughes, voice of the Harlem Renaissance
Lola - inspired by the local leader of the Birmingham, Alabama Campaign
Jackson - inspired by the activist Jesse Jackson
Birmingham - inpsired by the location, Birmingham, Alabama
Rosa - inspired by Rosa Parks
Oscar - inpsired by Oscar Stanton De Priest, the first African American elected to Congress in the 20th century
Lorraine - inpsired by the Lorraine Hotel, site of the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mason - inspired by the temple where Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke the day before he was assassinated
Marshall - inspired by Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court justice
Whitney - inspired by Whitney M. Young, who fought to end employment discrimination in the South
Berea - inspired by Berea College, which was used in 1855 to educate black and white students together, before segregation
Selma - inspired by the First Baptist Church located in Selma, Alabama, which led marches that helped the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Michael - Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s real name
Dexter - the name of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s son
Georgia - inspired by the home of the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia, which was established after the death of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
