Actor Keanu Reeve's first name means 'cool breeze over the mountains' in the Hawaiian language.

Film director Ron Howard and his Wife Cheryl gave their children a middle name for the place (like the Carlyle hotel) where each child was conceived.

* Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's, named his business after his daughter, Wendy. The funny thing is that Wendy's real name was Melinda Lou.

* A couple in Louisiana named their children after famous colleges: Stanford, Duke, T'Lane, Harvard, Princeton, Auburn & Cornell. The parents' names? Stanford, Sr. and Loyola.

* Some people don't like their own first name. The most common reasons given for this dislike are that the names 'sound too ugly,' that they're old-fashioned, too hard to pronounce, too common, too uncommon, too long, sound too foreign, are too easy for people to joke about, and that they sound too feminine (for men) or too masculine (for women).

* 2/3rds of the US population is named in honor of another person. Of these, 60% are named after a relative and 40% are named after a friend or famous person.

* Boys who have unusual first names are more likely to have mental problems than boys with common names. Girls don't seem to have this problem.

* The Academy Award statue is named after a librarian's uncle. One day Margaret Herrick, librarian for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, made a remark that the statue looked like her Uncle Oscar, and the name stuck.

* The chartered jet Pope John Paul II used during his 1999 U.S. visit was dubbed 'Shepherd One'.

* Queen Elizabeth II uses the initials ER. ER stands for Elizabeth Regina, Regina being the Latin word for Queen. Should Charles become King, he will use the initials CR, R being Rex, the Latin word for King.

* What is the most common town name in the US? 1. Fairview 2. Midway 3. Oak Grove 4. Franklin 5. Riverside 6. Centerville 7. Mount Pleasant 8. Georgetown 9. Salem 10. Greenwood.

* The original name of the San Antonio River was Yanaguana. It was renamed (on the day of its discovery by a Spanish exploration) by Fr. Damien Massanet on June 13, 1691, the feast day of Saint Anthony of Padua. It's believed that in the Payaya Indian dialect Yanaguana meant place of clear and restful waters.

* The longest name officially used by a person is: Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irvin John Kenneth Lloyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Sherman Thomas Uncas Victor William Xerxes Yancy Zeus Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorft Sr.

* Bangkok's official name is actually hideously long and roughly translates to 'Great city of angels, the repository of divine gems, the great land unconquerable, the grand and prominent realm, the royal and delightful capital city full of nine noble gems, the highest royal dwelling and grand palace, the divine shelter and living place of the reincarnated spirits.'

* In a recent survey of newborn babies, researchers have determined the most popular boys' names. They include Michael, Matthew, Sean, Brendan, and Brian. Interestingly enough, for the 3rd year in a row, the LEAST popular boy's name was "Lumpy".

* In one survey of newborn babies, researchers have determined the most popular boys' names. They include Michael, Matthew, Sean, Brendan, and Brian.

* Los Angeles's full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula" and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size, "L.A."

* A man named Obediah King had the job of checking everything out in a train baggage car. If everything looked good, he signed his name on the clearing sheet. He had to do this daily so he eventually just put his initials: O.K.

* The names of all the continents end with the letter they start with.

HERE ARE SOME MORE:

• Adolf Hitler's birthname was SCHICKELGRUBER.
  
• Hulk Hogan's real name is Terry Bollea.
  
• Rush Limbaugh used the name Rusty Sharpe as a Top 40 disk jockey.
  
• Cinderella's real name was Ella Tremaine.
  
• Chang is the most common last name.
  
• Rita Hayworth's real name was Margarita Cansino.
  
• Mozart's real name was Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart.
  
• The real name of the "I've fallen & I can't get up" lady is Edith Fore.
  
• The most common name in the world is Mohammed.
  
• The most popular name for a boat in 1996 was Serenity.
  
• The most common name in Italy is Mario Rossi.
  
• The "L. L." in L. L. Bean stands for Leon Leonwood.
  
• The most popular name for a boat in 1996 was Serenity.
  
• Tonsilitis Jackson has brothers & sisters named Meningitis, Appendicitis & Peritonitis.
  
• The middle name of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, is Angela.
  
• Aztec emperor Montezuma had a nephew, Cuitlahac, whose name meant 'plenty of excrement.'
  
• Gatorade was named for the University of Florida Gators where it was first developed.
  
• The 3 most valuable brand names on earth: marlboro, Coca-Cola, Budwiser (in that order).
  
• The Acronym 'TWAIN' actually stands for 'Tool Without An Interesting Name'.
  
• The condom is named after Dr. Charles Condom.
  
• The gorilla's scientific name is 'Gorilla, gorilla, gorilla.'
  
• The Jordanian city of Amman was once named Philadelphia.
  
• The name Wendy was made up for the book "Peter Pan."
  
• The only nation who's name begins with an 'A', but doesn't end in an 'A' is Afghanastan.
  
• The Pretzel is named from the Latin word brachiatus meaning 'having branch-like arms'.
  
• There is a town called Bummerville, Ca, & another called Nameless, TN.
  
• There is an elevator company named Schindler's, meaning that there are Schindler's lifts!
  

[This message has been edited by JoJo2 (edited 04-15-2000).]

where do you find this stuff Jo?

Because Schindler himself started the company !!! (I think)

Good addition ren, thanks!!

IQ man, I have collected trivia for a few years. I am always attempting to get more space on my hard drive because I am a data junkie.

Rush Limbaugh was more often known as Jeff Christy as a DJ. Have read all his stuff and don't recall the Rusty Sharpe name. Don't doubt you..just don't remember it. Have to go back and review my Rush trivia.

One of Texas' (and, more specifically, Houston's) most famous ladies was named Ima Hogg (daughter of Governor James Stephen Hogg). She was a great philanthropist and patron of the arts.

Contrary to what most people have heard, Ima did NOT have siblings named "Ura," "Shesa," or "Hesa." This is an urban legend.