Common misconception but it's actually based on Saint Nukulus, the guy that puts uranium in your boots if you leave them out overnight.

Now, to be fair, nucleus it comes from the latin nuculus. It just that it sounds bad and feels bad to say

Nuculeus

nuculus*

Dubya said nucular, must be right.

Now go further back. Where does the latin word nucula come from?

Is that because we exist within a nut?

Or something like that, I don't know. I don't remember anything from the "the universe in a nutshell" book.

Did I ax you?