Serena

Serena carries the hush of a Roman courtyard at dusk, three soft syllables drawn from the Latin serenus, meaning clear or tranquil. It belonged to the wife of Emperor Stilicho in the late Roman Empire and later to several early Christian saints, giving it a quiet gravitas. Tennis champion Serena Williams brought a modern, unstoppable counterpoint to that stillness, and the name has hovered gracefully in the mid-range of American charts for decades. Say it aloud and the syllables settle: se-RE-na, like water finding its level. Poised, musical, never showy, it wears both gown and gym bag with equal composure.