I, too, looked up Coeur d'Alene's meaning as a late teen, and was also disappointed at the true meaning (my original guess had been "heart of the lake"). The Google says that their reasoning for naming is such is as follows: "They were first encountered by French fur traders in the late 18th and early 19th century, who referred to them as Cœur d'Alêne, meaning "heart of an awl", reflecting their experience of the tribal traders as tough businessmen, "sharp-hearted" or "shrewd". "
I, too, looked up Coeur d'Alene's meaning as a late teen, and was also disappointed at the true meaning (my original guess had been "heart of the lake"). The Google says that their reasoning for naming is such is as follows: "They were first encountered by French fur traders in the late 18th and early 19th century, who referred to them as Cœur d'Alêne, meaning "heart of an awl", reflecting their experience of the tribal traders as tough businessmen, "sharp-hearted" or "shrewd". "