By Denise K. Potter

　　This Sunday February 2nd, the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos will go head-to-head at Super Bowl XLVIII. And while the U.S.A. is in a complete football frenzy, loyal name nerds everywhere will be questioning which team wins—the name-game that is. Take a look at the 12 most enthralling names of Super Bowl XLVIII. Which is your MVP?

　　From Seattle

　　Byron Maxwell – The name of Seahawks’ cornerback is arguably the dreamiest of the league, with its romantic, windswept aura stemming from images of the poet Lord Byron.

　　Golden Tate – recognized as an All-American player for the University of Notre Dame, Golden H. Tate III was drafted for the NFL in 2010 and became the Seahawks’ wide receiver. With its shimmering metallic connotation, this unisex color name is almost too stunning for an ordinary boy.

　　Kam Chancellor — Kameron Darnel prefers to be called “Kam” when he’s running up and down the field. The Seahawks’ strong safety has a Scottish surname originally meaning “crooked nose,” but don’t let that fool you—in its traditional spelling, Cameron was ranked #54 in 2012.

　　Red Bryant –Joseph Anthony Bryant was nicknamed by his mother, who noticed a reddish tone to his skin as a baby. Now an NFL defensive end, he goes exclusively by “Red,” a fiery color-name that is used as a nickname for redheaded little boys and girls.

　　Russell Wilson – The Seahawks’ starting quarterback was born Russell Carrington long before he was voted the 2012 Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year. Beginning as a French nickname for a redhead, Russell now yields its own nicknames such as Russ, Rush, and Rusty.

　　Sidney Rice – After tearing his ACL in October, this Seahawk wide receiver will be benched for the Super Bowl. His name, however, sees a lot of action; it relates to Dionysius, the god of fertility and wine. Spelled Sydney, it becomes a Top 100 girls name.

　　From Denver

　　Britton Colquitt – a spelling variation of Britain transformed this place name into a first, which was given to Denver punter Britton Colquitt.

　　Brock Osweiler – The traditional name given to a badger in folk tales, Brock combines a rock-solid sound with preppy sophistication. Training behind Peyton Manning, the Broncos quarterback was quickly drafted as a starter.

　　Champ Bailey – Now here’s a name for a sportsman. Champ is actually Roland Bailey’s middle name, given to him long before he became the Denver cornerback and regarded as one of the best pass defenders in the NFL.

　　Julius Thompson – Denver’s tight end shares his name with the emperor Julius Caesar and Pope Julius I of Rome. This Latin name means “youthful, downy-bearded.”

　　Peyton Manning – The Broncos quarterback name which means “fighting-man’s estate” has actually become more popular for girls than boys at last count, at 68% female versus 32% male in the 2012 statistics. It ranked Number 53 for girls on 2012.

　　Von Miller  — the Norse name meaning “hope” was given to the Broncos linebacker as a short form of his birth name, Vonnie, which might be thought of as a nickname for…..Von.