Most Popular Baby Names by State Mississipians prefer Emma and William Celebrity Baby Names The interesting, odd, and downright crazy names celebrities give their children The Most Common Names for Twins “Olivia” and “Sophia,” and “Daniel” and “David” are hot names for twins Most Common Last Names Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, and Jones top the list
Place Names
Spanish Place Names “Alcatraz” comes from the Spanish word for pelican American Indian Place Names “Alabama” may come from Choctaw meaning “thicket-clearers” or “vegetation-gatherers” Origin of State Names “Texas” comes from an Indian word meaning “friends” Names of State Residents Are you a Bay Stater or a Wyomingite? Nicknames for States North Carolina is the Tar Heel state Wacky Town Names Do you hail from Turkey Scratch, Arkansas, or Boring, Oregon? Former Country and City Names Ceylon is now Sri Lanka, Siam is now Thailand Planet and Moon Names Mercury was named for the winged Roman god of travel because it appears to move so swiftly
Sports
Sports Team Names Why is the Los Angeles NBA team known as the Lakers, despite the lack of lakes in L.A.? Sports Nicknames The story behind Tiger Woods’ s name Baseball Team Nickname Changes In 1987, the Oakland A’s were renamed the Oakland Athletics Hockey Team Nickname Changes In 1995, the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver and became the Colorado Avalanche Animal Names: Male, Female, and Young A male fox is called a dog, a female fox a vixen Animal Group Terminology A “bed” of clams, a “murder” of crows, a “troop” of kangaroos
Days and Months
Names of the Months July was named after Julius Caesar Names of the Days of the Week The names are based on the seven celestial bodies—the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn
A Miscellany: Cars, Hurricanes, Old Testament Names
Car Names Don’t mess with a Lamborghini Diablo, a Plymouth Fury, or a Rolls Royce Phantom Atlantic Hurricane Names Before 1979, all Atlantic hurricanes were named after women Retired Hurricane Names When hurricanes are particularly destructive, their names are retired Old Testament Names From Aaron to Zophar Famous Food Dishes and How they Got Their Names The origins of Beef Stroganoff and Peach Melba
Just for Kids
Where the Name Fits the Place—Or Does it? Is Greenland green, and is the Dead Sea dead? Name Power Indonesians sometimes change their names after suffering great misfortune Japanese Pokemon Names The Japanese name for Haunter, “Gosuto”, is the English word for “Ghost” Names for Santa Around the World Brazilian kids call him “Papai Noel” Brand Names Kleenex, Xerox, Scotch Tape are actually brand names
