The Story Behind Why a Black Mother Named Her Kids After U.S. States Might Shock You

Xaviera Greene-Davis wanted her six children to see a future bigger than their neighborhood. So she gave them names that stretched across the map: Nevada, Montana, Indiana, Arizona, Missouri and Dakota.

It’s no secret that Black folks are known for giving their children unique and unorthodox names, but while many might see Greene-Davis’s names as just a fun family tradition, the mother saw it as a deliberate act of hope.

Greene-Davis began raising her six children while also navigating financial struggles and legal troubles of her own, according to TODAY. Still, she wanted her sons and daughters to believe their lives could extend far beyond the boundaries of their Newport News, Virginia community. The state names, she said, represented possibility — places she associated with opportunity, adventure and a wider world.

The names also served another purpose.

During periods when Greene-Davis was in and out of jail, she worried about keeping her children connected, according to the outlet. The shared naming tradition became a bond, a reminder that they belonged to the same team regardless of what challenges the family faced.

“It worked,” daughter Montana Jones, 26, told TODAY. “We’ve been close our whole lives. It’s always been the six of us.”

The deep history of Black parents and naming their children dates back generations. According to research conducted by Science Direct. Since slavery, Black folks have been intentional about giving their children distinct and original names in efforts to reject those assigned by white slave masters to enslaved Africans– i.e., Perlie and Booker in the 1920s. That concept evolved with the emergence of the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement– leading to popular names like Jalen in the 1970s.

While you wouldn’t necessarily classify Greene-Davis’ children’s names as “Black names,” they still follow a pattern of Black parents using naming to impact destiny.

Growing up, the siblings often drew attention for their unusual names. Montana recalled comparisons to the Disney character Hannah Montana, but the teasing never made her any less confident in her name. Instead, she came to view her name as part of a larger family story.

In 2020, all six siblings went viral after posting about their unique names to TikTok. Greene-Davis hoped the names would encourage her children to stand out and imagine a future different from the one she had experienced.

Today, she says that hope has been realized.

All six children graduated from high school and have pursued careers or higher education, according to TODAY. Montana works as a deputy sheriff; Nevada is employed by a restoration company; Indiana became a veterinary technician, while Arizona works as a 911 dispatcher. Additionally, Missouri is employed at a daycare center, and Dakota plays football at Virginia State University.

Greene-Davis eventually moved her family to North Carolina after rebuilding her life and getting married, a decision both she and her children describe as transformative. Now 49, she says she takes pride in the adults her children have become.

For Montana, the names carry a deeper meaning than geography.

“She always felt in her heart that her six states were going to be something,” Montana continued of her mother. “Everybody is going to remember our names.”