Hakeem - "The Intelligent One." In Islam, the Intelligent One is an appellation of God, descriptive of one of His ninety-nine attributes. Bryce- "Dotted." Steve - "Crown or garland." In Christian scripture, Stephen was the first martyr, and the influence of this saint accounts for the popularity of both male and female variations of his name in many Western languages. The Bible describes Stephen as a righteous and compassionate person who refused to disguise his beliefs, even though his frankness cost him his life. Stephen was tried and condemned by the authorities. He was taken to the place where he was to be stoned, and those commissioned to do the bloody work gave their cloaks to a fellow persecutor of the Christians, Saul of Tarsus. In time, Saul the persecutor was transformed into Paul the Apostle, shaper of Christian doctrine and Christian missionary to the entire ancient world. Matt - "God's gift." According to Christian folklore, the disciple Matthew collected taxes before he followed Jesus. Jews of that period hated tax-gatherers, who were agents of Herod, the Roman puppet-king. By accepting Matthew, Jesus demonstrated his tolerance of all types of people. In the Bible, however, Levi is the disciple who formerly collected taxes. While many disciples were known by two names -- Simon Peter, Judas Iscariot and Judas Thaddeus, for example -- there is no clear indication that Matthew and Levi were the same man. Walt - "Commander of the army." In Shakespeare's day, this name was pronounced without sounding the ''l.'' This gave rise to many puns, including Queen Elizabeth's nickname for sea-going privateer Sir Walter Raleigh, whom she called her ''Ocean.'' Kelvin -"Friend of ships." Name scholars are uncertain of Kelvin's meaning. However, a Kelvin communicating from England shared with us his knowledge about the meaning and derivation of this Scottish river name. Based on his information, our follow-up research found a likely Old English phrase (coelan wine meaning ''Friend of ships'') that could have developed into the name Kelvin. Kelvin did not commonly appear as a first name until the early 20th century. The fame of physicist William Thomson, named Baron Kelvin in 1882 to honor his achievements, plus its blend of the more familiar names Kevin and Melvin, might account for its use today. Kenny - ''Fire born'' Scots Gaels are descendants of the Irish, though the two peoples have developed distinct cultures. This explains how Kenneth, the descendant of Irish Gaelic names, could become primarily identified with Scotland. (The Scots surname MacKenzie -- ''son of Kenneth'' -- underscores the name's nationality.) Dan- "Judge." In the Jewish scriptures, Dan was one of the sons of Jacob. Like his brothers, he gave his name to one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jason - "Healer." The Greek mythical hero Iason led his famous Argonauts in pursuit of the Golden Fleece. Later, Greek Biblical translators applied this name to the Hebrew character Yehoshua (known to English speakers as Joshua). Father and son actors both named Jason Robards gained reknown in the early and mid 20th century. Add to this Jason's strategic use on popular television shows such as Room 222 and Here Come the Brides, and we understand why its use soared among modern Americans. A reaction has set in, however. Jason's image changed somewhat when an unkillable monster with that name terrified movie-goers in the Friday the 13th series of films. Also, a popular naming book has suggested in its title that Jason (along with Jennifer) is a name we should get ''beyond.'' Shandon -Nothing Carlos - "Freeholder." The first Holy Roman Emperor, who lived from 742-814, is known to English-speaking students of history as Charlemagne (French for ''Charles the Great.'') Charlemagne was a powerful Germanic leader who synthesized a relatively ordered society out of the chaos that followed the fall of Rome. He not only united France, but much of central Europe. His widespread fame gave rise to many forms of his name, in many languages. For example, in Latin he was referred to as Carolus Magnus, and in German as Karl der Grosse. Many of these forms remain popular names in their own right, or have formed the basis for other modern names. Moochie - "Savior." Cuttino - "One from Gaeta, a town in Italy." Anthony "pig" - name whose meaning has been lost ------------------ humble, but hungry.
"The Bible describes Stephen as a righteous and compassionate person who refused to disguise his beliefs, even though his frankness cost him his life." I describe Steve as a creative, fun, damn good ball-player who refused to disguise his beliefs about not wanting to play for Vancouver, even though his frankness cost him the respect of many Canadians. ------------------
In "The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi" St. Francis speaks to animals (like Bulls, Cats, and Pigs?). He also joined the fifth crusade in an effort to convert Muslims (Hakeem) to his way of thinking (half-court, pound it inside to the new fastbreaking style). Works for me. ------------------
Well I read that Dream's middle name, Abdul, translates into "always being on top" What a combination in his name. How fitting. ------------------ Don't EVER underestimate the Heart of a CHAMPION!
