If one is familiar with tennis or just following the news lately, you know that Serena Williams is a legend on the tennis court, that she’s the best tennis player - from both the men’s and women’s game – of all time. She was always considered so due to the way she decimated opponents, but as of last year she’s officially the greatest of all time, surpassing Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles to achieve legendary status.
What’s notable about Serena is how natural the game comes to her, how easy she makes things seem on court. Not disrespecting her opponents, but she could probably defeat most of her fellow pros out there on the tennis circuit with one hand tied behind her back, and she has one many titles when she’s been seriously hampered by injury and illness. But even despite all the battles she’s faced over the years, fans were astounded when news broke that Serena was pregnant, and what’s more, she was pregnant when she won her last Australian Open title. Serena broke the news herself, posting a pic of her little baby bump with the caption “20 weeks.” That gave it away, it was later revealed that she was indeed pregnant, and those mathematicians then began tracing things back and discovered she was pregnant when she won that all important and record breaking 23rd Grand Slam title.
The next thing on everyone’s minds is what she’s going to call the baby. Bookmakers have already started offering odds, taking bets as to what the baby’s name will be; I wonder what odds these names will get, what’s the likelihood of Serena and the baby’s dad, Alexis Ohanian, taking a fancy to any of these names? These are 15 names that should definitely be on her baby name shortlist.
15 Venus
No one should be surprised that Venus is on this list. Serena is of course one half of the famous Williams sisters, and she initially became famous for following in her older sister’s footsteps. It was Venus who was killing it on the court, before a flick switched in her head and Serena became the dominant sister. But putting their on-court rivalry aside, Venus and Serena are tremendously close, have a huge amount of love for each other, so much so that Serena sites Venus as being her best friend, her inspiration. So, although it might seem a tad off to name your baby after your sister, it makes sense considering their family dynamic, the fact the Serena credits Venus for where she is today. Venus is a name that’s got to be at least considered, put on that shortlist; if not the baby’s first name, she’d love to be able to incorporate it into her baby’s name in some way.
14 Alexis
Due to all hype surround Serena and the fact that she’s having a baby, it seems as if people have forgotten that there’s actually a guy involved too! Yes, the baby daddy, and incidentally Serena’s fiancé since a matter of months ago, is Alexis Ohanian. Who’s Alexis you might ask, as are millions around the world. He’s the co-founder of Reddit, the world-used web content rating, and discussion website. They make for a pretty interesting couple, but are planning to get married have a baby on the way, and are understandably very much in love, very much besotted with each other.
Many people choose to name their babies after their baby’s dad. Some love it, love the fact that not only their last name, but first name is being carried on down the line from generation to generation, but others find the notion of doing that pretty ludicrous – which side of the fence Serena’s sitting on remains to be seen. But it’s safe to say that Alexis Ohanian will have a say in naming his baby, and if Serena gives birth to a baby boy, Alexis could be a pretty good fit.
13 Ayo
Serena is African-American, so it’s a real possibility that she and her hubby could settle upon an African name to call their baby. This name’s pretty cute, people won’t have too much trouble pronouncing it – which is a consideration that’s got to be taken into account, provided they’re planning on raising their child in America, which we all assume they are – and it’s got a really nice meaning behind it, a meaning that fits perfectly with a baby and one that describes Serena’s family and the time she’s enjoying at the moment.
Little baby Ayo; Ayo’s an African name that means “full of joy,” which is a perfect description for what the baby means to Serena and the joy the baby will no doubt bring to her life. It’s also, one feels, a perfect name for a baby, and it’s pretty unique too – in the celebrity world that is – so the name would stand out without being utterly ridiculous, like a lot of celebrity baby names are nowadays.
12 Yetunde
This might not seem like a really glamorous name or anything like that – no disrespect to anyone called Yetunde – but that may not deter Serena from incorporating it into her baby’s name in one way or another. Yetunde’s a name that has real meaning to Serena and her entire family, so if the baby’s a girl, Yetunde is a name that’s definitely got to be on the cards.
What a lot of you may not know is that the Williams sisters do have other siblings, three half-sisters, or they did. One of these half-sisters was Yetunde, and I say was because she’s no more; she was tragically murdered when she was 31 years old, an incident which understandably left Serena and her whole family devastated. She was working closely with Serena too, as her personal assistant, when she died as a result of a drive-by shooting, so for Serena, naming her baby Yetunde might be a nice little touch, in memory of the baby’s aunt.
11 Caroline
Ok, granted, this might be a tad odd, naming your baby after your best friend and all, but it is a really nice name, and Caroline really does have a special place in Serena’s heart. For those of you who know your tennis, you’ll know that I am of course talking about Caroline Wozniacki, a tennis player who’s been right up there over the years when it’s come to battling Serena for that number one position. She’ll probably be the number one contender when Serena takes some time off, so it may appear that they’re rivals, which they essentially are, but they’ve always been very close and keep each other company when away on tour.
Serena might use the reasoning that her best friend’s name is Caroline to call her baby the same name, but aside from that, it is really just a nice name. It has many meanings, one of which is “joy,” so it will suit the baby and the occasion down to the ground.
10 Oracene
If the baby’s a girl, naming the baby after your own mom is always a good idea, is always going to be considered. Actually, it’s not as common as baby boys being named after their dads, so naming her baby after its grandma may seem a tad unusual, but not if you know about the special relationship Serena and her mom – both her parents for that matter – Oracene, have shared over the years. It’s they who can be credited for getting her into tennis, and they helped shape a global sporting superstar, an icon, so Oracene is a name that’s always going to be special to Serena.
Oracene is actually a tennis coach, responsible for coaching her daughters during their early days, but is still active, hoping to unearth the next tennis superstar. The meaning of the name is that you’re rather reserved, secretive, a rather quiet individual, so the meaning might not be all that special, but the name certainly is to Serena.
9 Steffi
Just like a lot of the other names on this list, the name Steffi holds a special place in Serena’s heart. She’s not great friends with a woman named Steffi or anything like that; it’s just that she has a huge amount of respect for a Steffi, Steffi Graf. Steffi Graf was one of the greatest tennis players in the world, and someone who Serena always tried to emulated growing up. Serena’s entire career has been about striving to surpass Steffi’s Grand Slam record, something which she recently achieved to become the best female tennis player of all time. But for years and years it was Steffi who had that accolade; although you’d thing, because Serena was after her record, that they wouldn’t be that close. But they’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for each other and recognize each other’s achievements, so naming her child, provided it’s a girl, Steffi, would certainly be a nice touch.
8 Serenus
Even though Serena’s a beautiful name, I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t want to name her baby girl – if that’s the sex of the baby – after herself. She’d want to be a bit more original than that, and this name is certainly just that. It’s safe to say, if she decides to go with this name, her child would be the only girl in her class with this name – it’s original and it’s beautiful too.
I’ve mentioned how much of a role big sister Venus has played in Serena’s life. The Williams sisters have been joined at the hip from the time they were young, and I’m surprised this name hasn’t been used by the press to describe them both – I suppose “the Williams sisters” has always sufficed. “Serenus” is a really beautiful name, it’s a combination of both her name and Venus’, and it has meaning too – it means joyous; it seems as if this name has been coined just for Serena’s kid.
7 Mosi
There’s a strong possibility that Serena could delve into her African roots and choose a name that really means something in her African heritage. There are a ton of really beautiful names she could pick should she choose to do so, and one of these names is Mosi. Again, it’ll be a pretty unique name around the area the baby’s likely to be brought up, and it’s another name that has real meaning behind it. Mosi essentially means your first born, first born child, which this baby will be, so there’s nothing really that’s more suitable.
It means first child in Swahili, originates from Eastern Africa, and it’s thought that naming your baby boy Mosi will mean he’ll grow up to be charming and friendly, clever, intuitive, and extremely lively – full of beans so to speak! He’ll also be an incredibly creative individual, be really sociable and just generally be a pleasure to be around – sounds like the perfect child!
6 Melbourne
Nowadays it’s quite snazzy to name your child after a place, a place, city or country that just sounds nice, or one that has a special meaning, some sort of significance in your life. Paris, India, Denver, Jorden – just some of the most common place names parents choose to name their kids, but Melbourne also has a nice ring to it and is pretty popular too.
Why would Serena name her baby Melbourne, after the second-most populous city in Australia? Because this is one city that certainly has a special place in her heart, that is very significant in her life, that has played a role in helping her become the superstar sportswoman she currently is. Melbourne must seem like her second home, because she’s made that Grand Slam her own. She wins for fun in Melbourne and has a record number of Australian Open titles which will probably never be overhauled, so little baby Melbourne could be a great memory of that feat.
5 Ayana
Here’s another beautiful African baby name with another beautiful meaning to it. Ayana translates to “beautiful blossom,” – just like her baby will be, a pretty flower, blossoming up and bringing a ray of sunshine to Serena’s life.
The name originates from Ethiopia, but it’s used in many different African countries and in many different languages. It has pretty much the same meaning, although it can also mean “hope,” which in itself isn’t a bad meaning.
There are quite a few variations to that name too. Ayanna, with two ‘n’s is also a pretty common spelling, and has the same meaning. Some also name their child Ayani – another variation that makes this name more unique, and a name that can be given to a boy too. Many parents choose this name for their baby girls as a first name but it could also be a pretty sweet middle name; the perfect name for Serena’s pretty flower.
4 Richard
After talking about her mom and what an influence she’s been on her and her sister growing up, it’s now time for me to sing the praises of her dad, a person who’s played an equally important role in Serena’s upbringing and her becoming the global superstar that she currently is. Her mom’s a tennis coach but her dad is too, and it was he who first got Serena into tennis, got her picking up a racket and hitting tennis balls. He started his daughters out at a young age, but was never the hard taskmaster – he let them have fun, progress at their own pace, and because of that, Serena grew up loving the game instead of hating it, which could very easily have been the case. Richard’s undoubtedly the most important man in Serena’s life and always has been, but if she has a son, she’ll have a new man in her life, so what better name to give her son, than Richard.
3 Liz
Ok, so Serena’s the queen of the court, the queen of tennis, there’s no arguing with that. She’s dominated the game over the past decade or so and has made it her own, and has gained an almighty fan following in the process. During this time, she’s also made plenty of friends, and pretty much everyone on the female – and you can bet that quite a few men do to – tennis circuit look up to her, are in awe of her achievements and want to emulate her in every which way, which would make them not only better tennis players, but better people. She’s the queen of the court, so why not name her kid after the actual queen? Queen Elizabeth has been on throne so to speak since 1952, and it seems as if Serena’s been dominating tennis for that long too. I’m not suggesting Serena name her baby Queen Elizabeth – just Liz would suffice; short and sweet, and by shortening it, it becomes more hip, more modern, not that Elizabeth isn’t a beautiful name.
2 Jojo
Here’s another African name, and it’s pretty unique, pretty unusual, and it’s got a nice ring to it. Serena might want to give her baby a name that will pop a little bit, a name that will stand out, just like a lot of celebrities who have kids do nowadays. A lot of celebrities choose to give their kids – I’m sure lots of people would agree – weird but also truly ridiculous names, but this isn’t one of them. Jojo has real meaning in African cultures, and it’s quite a catchy name too, pretty modern sounding.
Jojo translates to mean “god raises,” so it has a beautiful meaning to go along with its catchiness. A baby raised in part by god and by Serena is going to stand a good chance of making it in life, of growing up to be a fine human being, so why not give her kid a name that represents that and highlights that fact? Jojo should definitely be on the baby name shortlist.
1 Serreana
Who wouldn’t want to be named after their mom, especially if their mom is as successful as Serena Williams.
Serena may want to name her kid after herself, but if she thinks just giving her the same name, naming her Serena, would just be too ridiculous, she may prefer to give her a slightly different name – similar but different – that still has the same meaning.
For those of you that didn’t know, Serena’s name means tranquillity and serenity – Serena, serene, you can make the connection! Serreana is a slightly more unusual name, it’s certainly more unique, and it has the same meaning. That’ll be kind of cool; giving your baby a similar name to yours – similar but not the same – and a name that has the same meaning. Aside from what the name means, Serreana is just a beautiful name for a baby girl, and should certainly be at the top of her list.