For the most part, surnames for slaves are a product of emancipation. Slave records kept show a plantation owner's list of slaves by first name and nickname and that's how people both slave and free referred to them. Surnames weren't that important back then unless you were a wealthy family moving in high society circles. If a slave's name was Jon then he'd be referred to as Jon. Once slaves were freed they pretty much chose their surnames. Some chose their former Master's surname, especially if the Master was considered a good man or if they'd freed them, some chose war heroes or political heroes, county names or place names while others chose a surname honoring someone they knew and liked or just picked a surname they liked the sound of. Some free people of color were given their mother's surname centuries before slavery ended (whether you were free or slave was determined by your mother's status and a lot of the major families classed as free people of color were the children of white women and black men) or were given the surname that their free black father chose on arrival (there were free black males here). But it's not always the case that a black person's surname has anything to do with his or her master. Also, despite common belief, racial mixing has been going on in this country since before we were a country.
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