Names of sports stars
These are the given names of athletes who became legends in their sport: Serena, LeBron, Simone, Usain. Each carries an association with discipline, greatness, and the singular thrill of watching someone become the best in the world at what they do.
Serena serene, tranquil; famously borne by Serena Williams
Venus the Roman goddess of love and the morning star; famously borne by Venus Williams
Naomi pleasantness; famously borne by Naomi Osaka
Coco affectionate French pet name, as in Coco Chanel; famously borne by Coco Gauff
Billie diminutive of Bill, also used as a feminine form of William ("will helmet"); famously borne by Billie Jean King
Roger famous spearman; famously borne by Roger Federer
Rafael God has healed; famously borne by Rafael Nadal
Arthur of unknown meaning, possibly Celtic artos "bear"; famously borne by tennis pioneer Arthur Ashe
Althea healer, wholesome (Greek althos, 'healing'); famously borne by trailblazing champion Althea Gibson
Andre manly, brave (French form of Andrew); famously borne by Andre Agassi
Novak new, newcomer (South Slavic); famously borne by Novak Djokovic
Martina of Mars, warlike (feminine of Martin); famously borne by Martina Navratilova
Kobe from the Japanese port city of Kobe; famously borne by Kobe Bryant
LeBron modern American coinage; famously borne by LeBron James
Michael who is like God; famously borne by Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps
Larry laurel (pet form of Lawrence); famously borne by Larry Bird
Kareem generous, noble (Arabic); famously borne by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Sue lily (short form of Susan); famously borne by Sue Bird
Candace queen mother (ancient royal title of Kush, borne in the Bible); famously borne by Candace Parker
Lisa consecrated to God (short form of Elisabeth); famously borne by Lisa Leslie
Shaquille handsome, well-formed (from Arabic Shakil); famously borne by Shaquille O'Neal
Shohei soaring peace (Japanese 翔平); famously borne by Shohei Ohtani
Ichiro first son (Japanese 一朗); famously borne by baseball great Ichiro Suzuki
Jackie pet form of Jack and Jacqueline, from John, 'God is gracious'; famously borne by Jackie Robinson and Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Hank estate ruler (American pet form of Henry); famously borne by Hank Aaron
Derek ruler of the people; famously borne by Derek Jeter
Mickey who is like God (pet form of Michael); famously borne by Mickey Mantle
Lou renowned warrior (short form of Louis); famously borne by Lou Gehrig
Roberto bright fame (Spanish and Italian form of Robert); famously borne by Roberto Clemente
Simone she has heard (French feminine of Simon); famously borne by Simone Biles
Nadia hope (from Russian Nadya); famously borne by Nadia Comăneci
Gabby God is my strength (pet form of Gabrielle); famously borne by Gabby Douglas
Usain of uncertain origin, likely a form of Arabic Husayn, 'handsome'; famously borne by Usain Bolt
Wilma short form of Wilhelmina ("will helmet"); famously borne by Wilma Rudolph
Jesse gift; God exists; famously borne by Jesse Owens
Florence flourishing; famously borne by sprint legend Florence Griffith Joyner
Allyson noble (form of Alison, from Alice); famously borne by Allyson Felix
Carl variant of Karl (see Charles), from Germanic karl, "man"; famously borne by Carl Lewis
Muhammad praiseworthy (Arabic); famously borne by Muhammad Ali
Ronda from the Rhondda Valley of Wales; also a Spanish city name; famously borne by Ronda Rousey
Laila night (Arabic); famously borne by boxing champion Laila Ali
Tiger English word name for the big cat; famously borne by golfer Tiger Woods, born Eldrick, as a lifelong nickname-turned-name
Annika grace (Scandinavian pet form of Anna); famously borne by golf great Annika Sörenstam
Katie pet form of Katherine, its debated meaning tied to 'pure' since the early Christian era; famously borne by swimmer Katie Ledecky
Tony from Anthony, a Roman family name of uncertain meaning; famously borne by skateboarding legend Tony Hawk
Kelly descendant of Ceallach (Irish, traditionally 'bright-headed'); famously borne by surfing great Kelly Slater
Laird lord of the land, landowner (Scottish); famously borne by big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton
Bethany house of figs (biblical village near Jerusalem); famously borne by surfer Bethany Hamilton
Shaun God is gracious (form of Seán, the Irish John); famously borne by snowboarder Shaun White
Chloe blooming, verdant; famously borne by snowboarder Chloe Kim
Eileen Anglicized form of Irish Eibhlín; famously borne by Olympic freeskier Eileen Gu, known in China as Gu Ailing; the popular light gloss is not established
Danica morning star (Slavic); famously borne by racing driver Danica Patrick
Lewis renowned warrior (English form of Louis); famously borne by F1 champion Lewis Hamilton
Ayrton farm on the River Aire (English surname and place name); famously borne by F1 legend Ayrton Senna
Mario of Mars, warlike (Italian form of Marius); famously borne by Mario Andretti
Wayne wagon maker; famously borne by Wayne Gretzky
Sidney wide meadow (English surname); famously borne by Sidney Crosby
Tom twin (short form of Thomas); famously borne by Tom Brady
Peyton from an English place name, 'Paega's town'; famously borne by Peyton Manning
Tara hill of the kings, seat of Ireland's ancient high kings; famously borne by figure skater Tara Lipinski
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