Instead of what they did, which is draw from their own culture which is as old as America itself.
Moreover, you don't have to pick something randomly, you can look at names, read about their meanings and pick something that sounds nice to you. you don't do it in a vacuum. So, my question is why this alternative, vs, any other alternative at creating self identification?
PS never mind that in some countries you can't just make up names. You can use foreign names, but you have to prove they are viable names in the place you claim them to be used names. But that's beside the point.
And, of course, keep in mind, all names were somewhat "invented" and new at some point in time. My question is more about how/why did this method (of prefixes, among other unique qualities) predominate over other available methods?
Also, curiously, many Africans with their ancestral surnames will have a European forename along with an African middle name.
This naming convention has been a long tradition in Europe, making the names appear indigenous to that region, but in many cases these 'European' names actually originated in North Africa or the Middle East which had Christian populations before Europe did.