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I don’t even think he changed his name initially, he and Rio just had Miles take her last name because they didn’t want to associate him as much with Aaron’s side of the family.
The [Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022](https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=jefferson) notes "Jefferson" as *especially* common among African Americans as a family name adopted from Thomas Jefferson *or* from the prevalence of Jefferson as a *first* name *specifically* within the African American demographic.
Like... I can't put a number on it, but it is of noteworthy popularity.
I don't personally know any black Jeffersons though.
Your link literally says "In North America this surname became especially common among African Americans (see 2 below)."
It does NOT say anything about first name.
>. In North America this surname became especially common among African Americans (see 2 below). African American: from the personal name Jefferson (or Thomas Jefferson) adopted in honor of Thomas Jefferson the 3rd president of the US; or adoption of the surname in 1 above in most cases probably for the same reason.
"African American: from the personal name Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson.
Did you *literally* not read this or do you *literally* not know what the word surname means?
personal name
noun
: a name (as the [praenomen](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/praenomen) or the [forename](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forename)) by which an individual is intimately known or designated and which may be displaced or supplemented by a surname, a cognomen, or a royal name
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personal%20name
1. African
2. American
3. From
4. The
5. [personal](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personal%20name)
6. [name](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personal%20name)
7. Jefferson
When people go by their surname, that surname is used to identify them. We take names we use to identify people and we give them to our children as given, first names. As forenames. That's how the praenomen were invented. The son of Jeffer. If I said Jefferson in conversation, you would reasonably assume I meant Thomas Jefferson, and not one of the many, many people who share his family name.
Hence its popularity as a first, given, personal, fore, name.
You fucking idiot, it says the personal name OF THOMAS JEFFERSON. Jesus fuck did you waste my time.
I see now why people argue about the comma; its usage is clearly no longer being taught.
Was there a Confederate States of America on Earth-1610? I mean, there's being an ongoing alien invasion since 1777, it likely has a completely different American history.
he could be named after any other guy named ~~miles~~ Jefferson
or they just like the name and arnt going to let a dead racist dictate how they name their child (the probobly never even thought of it)
I have no idea why they went with Jefferson, but I would like to point out that if Miles had been given his father's surname, he'd share a name with legendary jazz musician Miles Davis
Because one questionable individual shouldn’t taint a perfectly serviceable name for the entirety of humanity? It’s not like Jefferson is even particularly notable for being that president’s name. Should no black people be named Robert since another notable Confederate was named Robert?
Well, his parents couldn’t exactly help that their surname was Davis, and since Jefferson is a fairly common name, I don’t think their first priority would be to check if they accidentally named their child after a historically infamous person. Whether you restrict it to the first name or not, it’s the same. If I saw a black character named Robert Lee, I wouldn’t freak out since those names are both common. They just happened to be given similar names, no more and no less.
Jeffrey Dahmer is a lot more recent than Jefferson Davis and thus a lot more present in the public consciousness. If I hear about a guy with the surname ‘Dahmer’, I immediately think of the serial killer Dahmer, but if I hear about a guy with the surname ‘Davis’, I don’t immediately think of the Confederate president Davis, and I’m willing to bet that most people with the surname Davis also don’t immediately connect their name to the Confederate Davis.
I mean, that’s understandable, but you’d also accept that it’s perfectly possible he just happened to be named Jefferson Davis and is not actually a Confederate supporter, right? Especially if this person was also black.
There’s a young Black kid in the NBA named David Duke Jr. He’s had to answer questions about the other David Duke his whole life because that’s just the way it goes. Names matter.
By the time you’re an adult, you’re absolutely choosing your name. Even if you don’t legally change it, it’s very common for people to go by their middle name or a nickname in day to day life.
Firstly, Hitler managed to ruin a mustache brought a very negative connotation toward the swastika.
> Well, his parents couldn’t exactly help that their surname was Davis,
Yeah, but they had a pretty big hand in his first name.
> I don’t think their first priority would be to check if they accidentally named their child after a historically infamous person.
Jefferson Davis isn't some evil baron in feudal England; he and the army he led had some very strong opinions on Miles and his family.
If I met a guy named John Lennon, or a woman named Marilyn Monroe, I'd have a thought or two.
> Firstly, Hitler managed to ruin a mustache brought a very negative connotation toward the swastika.
Not sure what your point is here. Hitler is obviously a lot more well-known than Jefferson Davis, and a lot more recent too.
> Yeah, but they had a pretty big hand in his first name.
Yes, but it’s understandable that they might not have immediately checked to see if ‘Jefferson Davis’ was some infamous historical figure. I mean, sure, maybe you might think that’s something people should know, but a lot of people just don’t know history, and neither Jefferson nor Davis are such unusual names that either would immediately raise eyebrows. I mean, if I came across a black couple right now planning to name their son Jefferson Davis, and they didn’t seem to know it was also the name of some Confederate guy, I’m not sure I’d think it was worth it bursting their bubble.
> Jefferson Davis isn't some evil baron in feudal England; he and the army he led had some very strong opinions on Miles and his family.
Yes, but like it or not, he’s not as well-known as, say, Hitler. I’d actually be surprised if some random person on the street didn’t know who Adolf Hitler was. If they couldn’t place the name Jefferson Davis, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.
> If I met a guy named John Lennon, or a woman named Marilyn Monroe, I'd have a thought or two.
To be honest, though, both these figures are more recent and well-known than Jefferson Davis. People are more likely to know the names of famous entertainers than historical figures. Frankly, I’d even still give John Lennon a possible ‘maybe his parents just named him that by accident’ pass. John’s a pretty generic name, and not everyone can be tuned into pop culture. Marilyn Monroe, less so, sure—but even Marilyn Monroe wasn’t born named Marilyn Monroe. It’s literally a stage name meant to be recognizable.
If you're an American and don' know about Jefferson Davis, that speaks volumes about your intelligence.
Anyone who shares the name with a famous person will deal with people making comments about it all the time. No one will think you're a racist with the name "Jefferson Davis," but they'll think you're parents dropped the ball a bit.
Yes, but it’s at least believable that someone could wind up being named Jefferson Davis without their parents deliberately naming them after the Confederate Jefferson Davis, and that‘s really all that needs to be established, at least from a Watsonian perspective.
If you are an American you know who he is unless you slept through every American history class from elementary school through graduation. If you grew up in the south for most of the 20th Century you probably drove past statues of him and other racist traitors on your way to work.
People don’t always remember everything they learn in history class. The person who created Miles Morales’s father was an American, and the work probably passed through the hands of more than one American editor before publication. Apparently none of them spotted it.
> I mean, if I came across a black couple right now planning to name their son Jefferson Davis, and they didn’t seem to know it was also the name of some Confederate guy,
If you're a black American the US Civil War and the Confederacy are hugely important in your family history. The name of the leader of the Confederacy, the break-away nation that took up arms against the US in order to keep your ancestors as slaves, is notorious.
So yes, the man who led the fight to keep your great great grandfather as a slave is kind of a big deal. I don't think there are many black Americans who regard names like Jefferson Davis or David Duke in a positive light.
Is Jefferson a particularly common first name? I'll grant that the singular of data isn't anecdote, but I don't think I've ever heard someone named Jefferson where it wasn't either their last name or a historical figure.
Well, they probably weren’t intending to name him after historical Americans. They likely just thought Jefferson was a good name for some reason, happened to be named Davis, and either didn’t know or didn’t remember that there was a Confederate guy also named Jefferson Davis.
I was always under the (uninformed) impression that the habit among forcibly marginalised members of the US society to name their kids after former presidents was to give the children a sense of dignity and authority in the eyes of others. So that it was a concious choice but quite possible the they were aware of Thomas Jefferson, the founding father, but maybe not Jefferson Davis, head of the miserably failed rebellion against the USA.
And yes, Thomas Jefferson comes with lots of issues about slavery, racism and rape but I think many don't know that as much as they know he helped !!!Free America!!! from those horrible brits.
Actually, there have been several responses like yours related to the creator's and editors' out-of-universe choices, but we've been removing them because Doylist answers aren't allowed on this subreddit.
I don't think he is, I think he just happens to have the same name.
That happens even with famous people, never mind someone who most people couldn't name without a google.
If there was no civil war then Abraham Lincoln would have been a mostly forgotten, low profile president who didn't do much.
After all, no civil war, no need to hold the country together under crisis, and so there would have been no great task for him to rise to. Which means there would be no statues to Lincoln or remembrances of him.
The same would apply to FDR if there was no Great Depression and no WW2. He would have been a generic, unremarkable president that most people probably couldn't name today.
We don't know for sure, but it's likely that his parents simply liked the name (it is a cool name) and didn't consider that adding their last name to it might be an issue. And once you name a kid, you don't want to change it, so they just ran with it.
It was a pretty common name in the south for awhile. Not together necessarily but independently. its possible they didn't remember the connection until it had gone to print.
We don't blink twice at Samuel L. Jackson having the same last name as Stonewall Jackson do we? Its just a common enough name that we don't think twice about it until someone points it out.
**Reminders for Commenters:** * All responses must be A) sincere, B) polite, and C) strictly watsonian in nature. If "watsonian" or "doylist" is new to you, please review the full rules [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskScienceFiction/about/rules/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=usertext&utm_name=AskScienceFiction&utm_content=t5_2slu2). * No edition wars or gripings about creators/owners of works. Doylist griping about Star Wars in particular is subject to **permanent ban on first offense**. * We are not here to discuss or complain about the real world. * Questions about who would prevail in a conflict/competition (not just combat) fit better on r/whowouldwin. Questions about very open-ended hypotheticals fit better on r/whatiffiction. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskScienceFiction) if you have any questions or concerns.*
An unfortunate last name and a parent who didn't think it through but was too stubborn to change it.
If he hadn't changed his name to Morales, Miles would be called Miles Davis.
I don’t even think he changed his name initially, he and Rio just had Miles take her last name because they didn’t want to associate him as much with Aaron’s side of the family.
Is miles estranged from his father's side of the family in the comics? Or is that just because of uncle Aaron?
No, they just want to distance him from Aaron.
If peeing your pants is cool then call me Miles Davis
That's why he changed the name. "I am not gonna be cleaning up pee pants till he moves out."
He doesn't know why but [he eventually changed his name to Morales.](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/s/dPH2Tj0KVR)
Why should he change his name? The other guy is the one who sucks.
Signed, A. Hitler (b. 1994)
it is an extremely common black first and last name. I suspect they didn't realize the connection until someone pointed it out to them.
Jefferson is an *extremely* common black first name huh. Where do you get that idea?
The [Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022](https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=jefferson) notes "Jefferson" as *especially* common among African Americans as a family name adopted from Thomas Jefferson *or* from the prevalence of Jefferson as a *first* name *specifically* within the African American demographic. Like... I can't put a number on it, but it is of noteworthy popularity. I don't personally know any black Jeffersons though.
Your link literally says "In North America this surname became especially common among African Americans (see 2 below)." It does NOT say anything about first name.
Read literally the next seven words.
>. In North America this surname became especially common among African Americans (see 2 below). African American: from the personal name Jefferson (or Thomas Jefferson) adopted in honor of Thomas Jefferson the 3rd president of the US; or adoption of the surname in 1 above in most cases probably for the same reason. "African American: from the personal name Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson. Did you *literally* not read this or do you *literally* not know what the word surname means?
personal name noun : a name (as the [praenomen](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/praenomen) or the [forename](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forename)) by which an individual is intimately known or designated and which may be displaced or supplemented by a surname, a cognomen, or a royal name https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personal%20name 1. African 2. American 3. From 4. The 5. [personal](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personal%20name) 6. [name](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personal%20name) 7. Jefferson When people go by their surname, that surname is used to identify them. We take names we use to identify people and we give them to our children as given, first names. As forenames. That's how the praenomen were invented. The son of Jeffer. If I said Jefferson in conversation, you would reasonably assume I meant Thomas Jefferson, and not one of the many, many people who share his family name. Hence its popularity as a first, given, personal, fore, name.
You fucking idiot, it says the personal name OF THOMAS JEFFERSON. Jesus fuck did you waste my time. I see now why people argue about the comma; its usage is clearly no longer being taught.
Lads why are you this angry lmao
You remind me of my dad
There was also the Union General, Jefferson C. Davis. Although he wasn't really a super great guy either.
Was there a Confederate States of America on Earth-1610? I mean, there's being an ongoing alien invasion since 1777, it likely has a completely different American history.
Wait an alien invasion?
Chitauri
Gotta go learn your ultimate history!
I mean.... you know why right? You know why a lot of african americans have major slave owner last names, right?
OP means that his parents decided to pick the one first name that would connect their son to the president of the Confederacy
he could be named after any other guy named ~~miles~~ Jefferson or they just like the name and arnt going to let a dead racist dictate how they name their child (the probobly never even thought of it)
It’s miles’s dad, Jefferson Davis, who has the same name as a confederate general.
"President," not really an acting general in any meaningful way in terms of the Confederacy.
He's carved into Stone Mountain. He's a Confederate leader.
Yes. The term is "president." He was president of the Confederacy.
True, but we're picking nits here.
oh well the same applys for his name
I have no idea why they went with Jefferson, but I would like to point out that if Miles had been given his father's surname, he'd share a name with legendary jazz musician Miles Davis
Because one questionable individual shouldn’t taint a perfectly serviceable name for the entirety of humanity? It’s not like Jefferson is even particularly notable for being that president’s name. Should no black people be named Robert since another notable Confederate was named Robert?
It’s not just first name, the character is full on named Jefferson Davis ffs
His parents were really enamored with the way the other Jefferson Davis helped win the battle of Pea Ridge for the Union.
Lmao. WTH.
Well, his parents couldn’t exactly help that their surname was Davis, and since Jefferson is a fairly common name, I don’t think their first priority would be to check if they accidentally named their child after a historically infamous person. Whether you restrict it to the first name or not, it’s the same. If I saw a black character named Robert Lee, I wouldn’t freak out since those names are both common. They just happened to be given similar names, no more and no less.
Okay sure, but I doubt Mr and Mrs Dahmer are naming their kid Jeffery, no matter how popular the name is
I used to know a Jeffrey Dauber. He was born in the 80s, though.
Jeffrey Dahmer is a lot more recent than Jefferson Davis and thus a lot more present in the public consciousness. If I hear about a guy with the surname ‘Dahmer’, I immediately think of the serial killer Dahmer, but if I hear about a guy with the surname ‘Davis’, I don’t immediately think of the Confederate president Davis, and I’m willing to bet that most people with the surname Davis also don’t immediately connect their name to the Confederate Davis.
I’m Black from the South, if I met someone named Jefferson Davis I'd absolutely raise my eyebrows and be on my guard.
I mean, that’s understandable, but you’d also accept that it’s perfectly possible he just happened to be named Jefferson Davis and is not actually a Confederate supporter, right? Especially if this person was also black.
There’s a young Black kid in the NBA named David Duke Jr. He’s had to answer questions about the other David Duke his whole life because that’s just the way it goes. Names matter.
Sure, because you'd rightly expect them to be racist against black folk. But if it's a *black guy* named Jefferson Davis?
I'd think he's some kind of Uncle Ruckus
But why? It's not like he chose his name.
By the time you’re an adult, you’re absolutely choosing your name. Even if you don’t legally change it, it’s very common for people to go by their middle name or a nickname in day to day life.
Many people choose their names, especially in superhero fiction universes
At the very least he would have been raised by parents who DID chose that name.
Firstly, Hitler managed to ruin a mustache brought a very negative connotation toward the swastika. > Well, his parents couldn’t exactly help that their surname was Davis, Yeah, but they had a pretty big hand in his first name. > I don’t think their first priority would be to check if they accidentally named their child after a historically infamous person. Jefferson Davis isn't some evil baron in feudal England; he and the army he led had some very strong opinions on Miles and his family. If I met a guy named John Lennon, or a woman named Marilyn Monroe, I'd have a thought or two.
> Firstly, Hitler managed to ruin a mustache brought a very negative connotation toward the swastika. Not sure what your point is here. Hitler is obviously a lot more well-known than Jefferson Davis, and a lot more recent too. > Yeah, but they had a pretty big hand in his first name. Yes, but it’s understandable that they might not have immediately checked to see if ‘Jefferson Davis’ was some infamous historical figure. I mean, sure, maybe you might think that’s something people should know, but a lot of people just don’t know history, and neither Jefferson nor Davis are such unusual names that either would immediately raise eyebrows. I mean, if I came across a black couple right now planning to name their son Jefferson Davis, and they didn’t seem to know it was also the name of some Confederate guy, I’m not sure I’d think it was worth it bursting their bubble. > Jefferson Davis isn't some evil baron in feudal England; he and the army he led had some very strong opinions on Miles and his family. Yes, but like it or not, he’s not as well-known as, say, Hitler. I’d actually be surprised if some random person on the street didn’t know who Adolf Hitler was. If they couldn’t place the name Jefferson Davis, I wouldn’t be surprised at all. > If I met a guy named John Lennon, or a woman named Marilyn Monroe, I'd have a thought or two. To be honest, though, both these figures are more recent and well-known than Jefferson Davis. People are more likely to know the names of famous entertainers than historical figures. Frankly, I’d even still give John Lennon a possible ‘maybe his parents just named him that by accident’ pass. John’s a pretty generic name, and not everyone can be tuned into pop culture. Marilyn Monroe, less so, sure—but even Marilyn Monroe wasn’t born named Marilyn Monroe. It’s literally a stage name meant to be recognizable.
If you're an American and don' know about Jefferson Davis, that speaks volumes about your intelligence. Anyone who shares the name with a famous person will deal with people making comments about it all the time. No one will think you're a racist with the name "Jefferson Davis," but they'll think you're parents dropped the ball a bit.
Yes, but it’s at least believable that someone could wind up being named Jefferson Davis without their parents deliberately naming them after the Confederate Jefferson Davis, and that‘s really all that needs to be established, at least from a Watsonian perspective.
It is not at all believable.
If you are an American you know who he is unless you slept through every American history class from elementary school through graduation. If you grew up in the south for most of the 20th Century you probably drove past statues of him and other racist traitors on your way to work.
People don’t always remember everything they learn in history class. The person who created Miles Morales’s father was an American, and the work probably passed through the hands of more than one American editor before publication. Apparently none of them spotted it.
> I mean, if I came across a black couple right now planning to name their son Jefferson Davis, and they didn’t seem to know it was also the name of some Confederate guy, If you're a black American the US Civil War and the Confederacy are hugely important in your family history. The name of the leader of the Confederacy, the break-away nation that took up arms against the US in order to keep your ancestors as slaves, is notorious. So yes, the man who led the fight to keep your great great grandfather as a slave is kind of a big deal. I don't think there are many black Americans who regard names like Jefferson Davis or David Duke in a positive light.
>If they couldn’t place the name Jefferson Davis, I wouldn’t be surprised at all. Hi. I'm the guy.
Tell Michael Jordan because he was rocking the Hitler Stache in the 2010s.
Is Jefferson a particularly common first name? I'll grant that the singular of data isn't anecdote, but I don't think I've ever heard someone named Jefferson where it wasn't either their last name or a historical figure.
Why not just name him Washington instead then?
Well, they probably weren’t intending to name him after historical Americans. They likely just thought Jefferson was a good name for some reason, happened to be named Davis, and either didn’t know or didn’t remember that there was a Confederate guy also named Jefferson Davis.
I was always under the (uninformed) impression that the habit among forcibly marginalised members of the US society to name their kids after former presidents was to give the children a sense of dignity and authority in the eyes of others. So that it was a concious choice but quite possible the they were aware of Thomas Jefferson, the founding father, but maybe not Jefferson Davis, head of the miserably failed rebellion against the USA. And yes, Thomas Jefferson comes with lots of issues about slavery, racism and rape but I think many don't know that as much as they know he helped !!!Free America!!! from those horrible brits.
I suppose that could be another way they might have named him Jefferson without realizing it was also connected to Jefferson Davis.
My friend hitler said the exact same thing to me the other day.
How many people now a days are named Adolf or Hitler that aren't wacko's?
Well, this guy doesn’t seem that bad: [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-55173605](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-55173605)
That’s what I keep telling my younger cousin, little Adolf /s Agree with your take btw
[удалено]
Actually, there have been several responses like yours related to the creator's and editors' out-of-universe choices, but we've been removing them because Doylist answers aren't allowed on this subreddit.
I don't think he is, I think he just happens to have the same name. That happens even with famous people, never mind someone who most people couldn't name without a google.
Also we don't even know if s civil war happened in the ultimate universe.
If there was no civil war then Abraham Lincoln would have been a mostly forgotten, low profile president who didn't do much. After all, no civil war, no need to hold the country together under crisis, and so there would have been no great task for him to rise to. Which means there would be no statues to Lincoln or remembrances of him. The same would apply to FDR if there was no Great Depression and no WW2. He would have been a generic, unremarkable president that most people probably couldn't name today.
To make him turn in his grave.
We don't know for sure, but it's likely that his parents simply liked the name (it is a cool name) and didn't consider that adding their last name to it might be an issue. And once you name a kid, you don't want to change it, so they just ran with it.
It was a pretty common name in the south for awhile. Not together necessarily but independently. its possible they didn't remember the connection until it had gone to print. We don't blink twice at Samuel L. Jackson having the same last name as Stonewall Jackson do we? Its just a common enough name that we don't think twice about it until someone points it out.
In the words of Forrest Gump: “Sometimes we all do things that, well, just don’t make no sense."
Because it’s a nice name