Daniel

Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means, "God is my judge", and derives from two early biblical figures, primary among them Daniel from the Book of Daniel. It is a common given name for males, and is also used as a surname. It is also the basis for various derived given names and surnames.

Background

The name evolved into over 100 different spellings in countries around the world. Nicknames (Dan, Danny) are common in both English and Hebrew, although in some instances "Dan" may be a complete given name rather than a nickname. The name "Daniil" (Даниил) is common in Russia. Feminine versions (Danielle, Daniela, Daniella, Dani, Danitza) are prevalent as well. The Dutch names "Daan" and "Daniël" are also variations of Daniel. A related surname developed as a patronymic, Daniels. Other surnames derived from "Daniel" include McDaniel and Danielson.

In the United States, the U.S. Social Security Administration reports that Daniel has peaked as the fifth most popular name for newborns in 1985, 1990, 2007, and 2008. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in the 2000 census, "Daniels" was the 182nd most common surname in the U.S., while "McDaniel" was ranked at 323, and "Daniel" (without a final "s") was ranked at 380.

Daniel Cormier

Daniel Ryan Cormier (born March 20, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist and former Olympic wrestler. He competes in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he is the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. As of December 21, 2015, he is #10 in official UFC pound-for-pound rankings and ranked as the #2 light heavyweight and #9 pound-for-pound fighter in the world by Sherdog. Cormier was also the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion.

Background and wrestling career

Cormier is the son of Joseph and Audrey Cormier. He has an older brother named Joseph, a sister named Felicia and a younger brother named Ferral. When Cormier was eight, his father was shot and killed on Thanksgiving Day in 1986 by the father of his second wife.

In high school at Northside High, Cormier won 3 Louisiana state championships. After 9th grade Cormier only lost twice, both times by injury default. His final high school record was 101-9, with 89 of his victories coming by a fall. Twice he was voted the most outstanding wrestler of the state tournament. In 1995 Cormier won a bronze medal in the world championships in Greco-Roman Wrestling, in the cadet (15–16 years old) division. Cormier was also an all-state football player in high school at the linebacker position, and had a fast 4.5 time on the 40 yard dash. Cormier was offered a scholarship to play football at LSU, but declined in order to continue to pursue wrestling.

Bat for Lashes

Natasha Khan (born 25 October 1979), better known by her stage name Bat for Lashes, is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She has released three studio albums, Fur and Gold (2006), Two Suns (2009) and The Haunted Man (2012), and received Mercury Prize nominations for Fur and Gold and Two Suns. Khan is also the vocalist for Sexwitch, a collaboration with the rock band Toy and producer Dan Carey.

Early life

Khan was born to an English mother, Josie, and Pakistani father, squash player Rahmat Khan. A member of the Khan family, she is the granddaughter of squash player Nasrullah Khan and the niece of squash players Jahangir Khan and Torsam Khan, and the stepdaughter of singer and actress Salma Agha and half-sister of actress Sasha Agha. Khan is of Pashtun descent and British and Pakistani ancestry. Khan moved to Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire with her family when she was five years old. She attended many of her father and uncle Jahangir's squash matches, which she felt inspired her creativity: "The roar of the crowd is intense; it is ceremonial, ritualistic, I feel like the banner got passed to me but I carried it on in a creative way. It is a similar thing, the need to thrive on heightened communal experience." After her father left the family when Khan was 11, she taught herself to play the piano, which became "a channel to express things, to get them out".