Mahogany

There was a woman on the bus the other day who, when talking on her cell phone, identified herself as [name]Mahogany[/name]. She appeared to be of [name]African[/name]-American descent. I thought her name was a nice alternative to [name]Ebony[/name]…what do you guys think?

I know an [name]African[/name]-American [name]Mahogany[/name] as well!

I disagree. [name]Mahogany[/name] is wood. Only wood. Not a name. It’s like Walnut or [name]Oak[/name] - who would name a child those?

For some reason, [name]Mahogany[/name] reminds me of [name]Magnolia[/name], a natural name with much more appeal in my opinion - plus the cute [name]Maggie[/name] and [name]Lia[/name] nicknames!

The [name]Mahogany[/name] you encountered on the bus may have had a mother who was a fan of [name]Diana[/name] [name]Ross[/name], as the incomparable Miss [name]Ross[/name] starred in a 1975 movie in which she played a rags-to-riches character named [name]Mahogany[/name]. The theme song from the movie [name]Mahogany[/name], sung by [name]Diana[/name] [name]Ross[/name], was titled “[name]Do[/name] You Know Where You’re Going To” and became a #1 hit in the '70s.

The name [name]Mahogany[/name] is similar to [name]Ebony[/name], in that both names represent dark, expensive hardwood and as such have significance in the [name]African[/name]-American community, no doubt due to skin color association.

While the name [name]Mahogany[/name] has never made the U.S. Social Security Administration’s top 1,000 list of baby names, in the year 2000 there were 160 baby girls given that name, indicating that the name is still around, long after its introduction in the '70s.

Personally, I prefer the name [name]Ebony[/name], as I’m not fond of the “hog” sound in the middle of [name]Mahogany[/name].

– [name]Nephele[/name]

Interesting…thanks for the background, [name]Nephele[/name].

My cousin named her second daughter “[name]Mahogany[/name].” I didn’t mind this until she revealed the middle name to be [name]Mahalia[/name]. I thought that they sounded too similar. Otherwise, [name]Mahogany[/name] suits the little girl well.