Ebony is a unique and distinctive given name of African origin, meaning "dark-skinned". It gained popularity in the United States during the mid-20th century as a unisex name but has since been used more frequently for females. Ebony is also associated with the dark, hardwood tree of the same name.
"The name Ebony experienced significant popularity from the mid-70s to the late-80s with a peak of 36 births in 1982. Afterward, its usage declined steadily, reaching a low of 5 births in several years between 1995 and 2008. Overall, Ebony has been given to 455 babies over the span of four decades."