Where do African-American Johnson's come from?

Answer 1

African-Americans with European surnamesI believe that I understand that the Johnson surname is of Norman Anglo Saxxon origin so it is understandable that an African-American with this surname must have acquired it in America during slavery. My assumtion is based on the fact that although the British Empire enslaved many peoples world wide, no other ethinc group lost their names and identities. A great example of this is in Tobaggo and Trinidad where peolple of eastern Indian decent still carry their Indian surnames, however the people of African desent have European names mostly English Dutch and Spanish. But i cant find any trace of ancesteral or geneoligical evidence of how or where the names began to be attached to African-Americans. The only Africans to use the name are of African-American decant in modern Liberia. They obviously came from within the ranks of American slaves that adopted or were more likely forced to use this name in place of their African names (see Alex Haley's Roots). I am curious of whom is recorded among the first African-Americans to use English surnames and of what areas and families they originated.