Where did the baby name Nazr come from in 1998?

Basketball player Nazr Mohammed on the cover of Sports Illustrated (March, 1998).
Nazr Mohammed

The rare name Nazr has appeared in the U.S. baby name data a single time (so far):

  • 2000: unlisted
  • 1999: unlisted
  • 1998: 5 baby boys named Nazr [debut]
  • 1997: unlisted
  • 1996: unlisted

What put it there?

Basketball player Nazr (pronounced NAH-zee) Mohammed, who was born in Chicago to Ghanaian parents.

The 6′ 10″ center attended the University of Kentucky for three years during late ’90s, helping the Kentucky Wildcats win the NCAA Championship in March of 1998. (Several weeks before the championship game, he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.)

Nazr decided to forgo his senior year in order to enter the 1998 NBA draft. He ended up playing for eight different teams over the course of his 18-season professional career.

What are your thoughts on the baby Nazr?

Sources:

Image: © 1998 Sports Illustrated

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