I didn't know the answers to a few of your questions about pickleball, so I checked Wikipedia and this is what I found on the HISTORY:

History
Pickleball was created during the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, near Seattle. According to co-inventors U.S. Congressman Joel Pritchard, William Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum, their intent was to create a fun new sport for the entire family.

The origin of the sport's name is not known. According to the USA Pickleball Association, or USAPA, the name came from a family dog named Pickles who would chase after balls and then hide them in the bushes. Pickle's Ball was later shortened to "pickleball." Initially, families played pickleball in their backyards on a hard surface, on driveways, and on residential dead-end streets. As the sport grew throughout the 1970s, it evolved from a family activity into a paddle court sport with formalized rules. Now, pickleball is played in school physical education programs and at parks and recreation centers, correctional facilities, camps, YMCAs and retirement communities. The sport is popular among active senior adults and at community centers.