[RetSignman]

I was curious so I searched and found that they WEREN’T African names but derived from the Muslim (Islam) faith.
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In the 1970s and 1980s, names beginning with La- such as Lashonda and Lashay were most popular. In the 1990s, Sha- names such as Shameka, Shanae, and Shaniqua were fashionable. In 2004, names starting with Ja- or ending in -iyah such as Jakayla, Jamya, Janiyah, and Taniyah were in vogue. But the point of this custom for most parents is to create a unique name for their child, and many are successful. Even in states as large as Pennsylvania, each year the average African-American girl receives a name that no other African-American girl born in that state is given. It was not possible to include many of these unique names, such as Azanae, Kyaire, and Zaterria, but they are now the most typical kind of names for African-American girls. Names for boys that have been created similarly include DeJuan, Deonte, Jamarion, Ladarius, and Quantavious.

[hinckley buzzard]

Interesting. Creating unique names, especially for women, was a cultural practice in the South, among Whites and Blacks alike. Blacks brought the custom north with them, and it seems to be amenable to changing influences like the moslem thing you describe. But it would be inaccurate to believe it started recently.