Also, I thought that "piccaninny" was folk etymology for the Spanish word "pequeno" meaning "small". However, I'm not certain of that.

In any event, "piccaninny" definitely has negative connotations now as it has become attached to images of stereotypically drawn Black children. Regardless of its source, in my not at all humble opinion, "piccaninny" is a word that needs to be retired if it isn't already withdrawn from usage.

And as far as I'm concerned, anyone who still uses "coon" to refer to Black people is beyond the pale {if you'll excuse that expression}. And even though the term "coon songs" was acceptable way back and those songs might be fondly remembered by some folks, I hope that people don't sing them in public and I hope adults don't pass them down to their children, or if they pass them down they do it in an educational way, making sure that their children know that what is problematic about those songs.

Rant over, though I didn't really begin.