LeBron is an American given name of unique origin, with its meaning not explicitly defined in any known language or culture. It is speculated that the name may have been inspired by the French word 'brun', which means brown. The name first gained significant attention when NBA superstar LeBron James adopted it as his professional name, having been born as Leonardo but later changing it to LeBron James reportedly due to his mother Gloria's wish for her son's name to stand out and be unique. While LeBron James is often credited with popularizing his given name, it had existed prior to his rise to fame, as seen in the case of American basketball player LeBron Nash who was born in 1983.