About Names: All hail Queen Serena

Serena Williams in a 2013 doubles match with Venus Williams.

Dr. Cleveland Evans writes about names for the Omaha World-Herald. In his September 26th column, he looks at the history of the name Serena.

Tennis great Serena Williams, who has twice won all four Grand Slam tournaments in a row, turns 36 today. Serena is the feminine form of Latin Serenus, meaning “clear” or “serene.” The first famous Serena was a niece of Theodosius, last emperor to rule both the western and eastern halves of the Roman Empire.

The 1850 U.S. census found 2,051 Serenas. The 1851 census of Great Britain had only 172. Perhaps Americans saw Serena, with its Latin origin, as part of the “Classical Revival” where towns were named Rome and Athens and babies Horace and Minerva.

Serena’s rise was boosted in 1993 when English actress Serena Scott Thomas starred in the miniseries “Diana: Her True Story.” In 1997, teen character Serena Baldwin (Carly Schroeder) began appearing on the soap “General Hospital.” Serena peaked again at 209th in 2000. 2000 was just after Serena Williams began her tennis career. Her first “Serena Slam” — winning the Australian, French and U.S. Opens along with Wimbledon — came in 2002 and 2003.

Want to know more? Read on to find out more about Serenas in history!

Bluetiful: Crayola announces new color name

Crayola has finally revealed the name of the new blue crayon that will replace the now-retired Dandelion yellow color in boxes around the world. A contest was held this summer to choose the name, with over 90,000 entries whittled down to just 5. The winner? Bluetiful. Predictably, some people complained that the winner wasn’t a real word and that children might get confused. Spoiler: “Crayola” isn’t a real word either; it comes from “craie”, the French word for chalk, and “ola” from oleaginous.

Rotterdam arts centre ditches name of controversial colonial admiral

Throughout the United States, civil rights activists have fought to have the names of slave owners removed from public spaces and replaced with the names of champions for equality and social justice. This trend is not only to be found within the US, however. Across Europe, a similar movement has taken place. Most recently, the leaders of the Rotterdam Arts Centre decided to remove the name Witte de With, a 16th century Dutch admiral who led violent expeditions into Indonesia. Currently, the Arts Centre representative is looking for an appropriate onomastic replacement. The new name choice is expected to be announced in 2018.

Offensive sports teams names persist

Many people, both inside and outside of the Native American community, agree that the term “redmen” is offensive. Nevertheless, there are still athletic teams with names that feature this and other potentially offensive terms. A case in point is the Brooklin Redmen Lacrosse Club club in Ontario, Canada. Interested in learning about the history of the team, and what the team president thinks about this moniker? Read more here.

Immersive Entertainment: What’s next, and what to name it?

Riders getting their VR equipment ready for The New Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

What is immersive entertainment? The term can cover everything from the VR attraction The Void, to Sleep No More, to a months-long alternate reality game and immersive theater hybrid like The Lust Experience. It’s also being used to describe new real-world, participatory experiences at theme parks. Recently, Disney surveyed customers about a new name for its Florida-based Hollywood Studios. “Enter this newly named Disney Theme Park and completely immerse yourself in the realm of some of your favorite stories,” the survey read, promising guests the chance to “step into imagined worlds made real, and take the lead in an adventure that surrounds you at every turn.” The awkward names they got highlight the problem of immersive entertainment: How to label it in a way that allows customers to understand what their ticket will get them? Read this article at the Verge to learn more.

Call for Editors: Fandom and Neomedia Studies (FANS) Association Gender Studies Area

The Fandom and Neomedia Studies (FANS) Association has announced a call for editors in its upcoming Gender Studies Area. The purpose of this area is to examine the definition, acceptance, rejection, and expression of gender and sexuality in fandom and media. Among the topics to be included in this area include fandom onomastics.

Anyone, committee members and non-members alike, may submit a paper for consideration for our annual journal, The Phoenix Papers, and presentation at our conference, but committee members must meet certain qualifications.
Members must have an advanced degree or equivalent experience in gender studies and/or relevant fields within philosophy, literary studies, film studies, psychology, sociology, anthropology, social work, or medicine. Persons from all nations are eligible to join the committee.

More details can be found here.

What will the next royal baby name be?

Recently the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge formally announced that they are expecting their third child. No sooner had that announcement been made did UK bookmakers begin to take bets on what the next baby royal will be named. Alice is currently the firm favourite at 7/1, while other names mentioned include Arthur (10/1), Victoria (10/1), Alexandra (12/1), Albert (14/1) and Philip (14/1).Want to know how your favorite or last favorite baby name is fairing amongst the odd-makers? Read this article at the UK Telegraph to learn more.

Afghan women claiming the right to have their names used in public

Afghan women in Bagh-e-Babur, Kabul, Afghanistan

Name taboos exist or have existed in many cultures. In Afghanistan it is still the rule to not use the personal names of women in public. Rather they are designated by different kinship terms meaning “my wife”, “aunt”, etc.

Originally, name taboos were a protection against the misuse of names, which were believed to have magical powers and in many societies today, addressing someone by his personal name is still considered impolite.

However, in this modern age, Afghan women experience this taboo as a denial of their identities, reducing them to be nameless wives and mothers. As they strive to play an equal part in society, claiming the right to use their names as they see fit, is one step towards that goal.

A social media campaign to change this custom has been percolating in recent weeks, initiated by young women. The campaign comes with a hashtag in local languages that addresses the core of the issue and translates as #WhereIsMyName.

The activists’ aim is both to challenge women to reclaim their most basic identity, and to break the deep-rooted taboo that prevents men from mentioning their female relatives’ names in public.

Help Name the Fatberg in London!

Have you heard about the “fatberg”? It’s a 140-ton mix of fat, oil, diapers and baby wipes clogging up the London sewers. Fatbergs are created by residents and businesses flushing and pouring things they’re not supposed to down the drain, like cooking oils and wipes. Back in 2013, Thames Water faced its biggest fatberg ever recorded in Britain, a bus-sized 15-ton glob. This latest fatberg blows that one out of the sewer. Thames Water notes the current monster is heavier than four humpback whales.

The utility company Thames Water is asking for the public’s help in naming it:

Read more at this CNET article, and submit your names suggestions via Twitter!