Famous Companies Name Origins (15 pics)

1

This company was once known as ‘Kwanon’, which is a goddess in Buddhism. However, the name was changed to ‘Canon’ in an attempt to be more ‘appealing to the masses’ in 1935.

IKEA

2

The name ‘IKEA’ is simply a combination of initials. The ‘IK’ comes from ‘Ingvar Kamprad’, the founder of the company, and the ‘EA’ comes from Elmtaryd’ and ‘Agunnaryd’, the farm and village he grew up in.

LEGO

3

‘LEGO’ is a combination of the words ‘Leg got,’ or ‘Play well’ in Danish.

SONY

4

The name of this now-incredibly-popular company derives from a Latin word: “Sonus” which means “sound.”

It also is a play on the word “Sonny” which was a slang expression used in 1950’s Japan to describe a “Smart & Presentable young man.”

Haagen-Dazs

5

This particular name really utilized strategy, as it was named so because the creators of the company wanted to convey an aura of “old world craftsmanship.” The name was meant to sound Danish, but it has zero meaning in the language.

WD-40

6

The story goes that this product was successfully developed after 39 failed attempts in the lab. “Water Displacement achieved on the 40th try.”

Yahoo!

7

The name of this popular search engine is actually an acronym for “Yet Another Hierarchal Officious Oracle.”

Pepsi

8

Originally known as ‘Brad’s Drink’ thanks to inventor Caleb Bradham, Pepsi was eventually dubbed ‘Pepsi-Cola’ in 1898. This comes form the word “dyspepsia” which means indigestion.

Google

9

Google takes its name from “Googol,” the mathematical term for 1 followed by 100 zeros.

Virgin

10

This company got its name after Richard Branson apparently quipped “We’re compete virgins at business.”

Blackberry

11

The keypads on a Blackberry vaguely resemble the drupelets of an actual Blackberry.

Spotify

12

While brainstorming names, Daniel Ek misheard Martin Lorentzon thinking he suggested “Spotify” as a name. They now joke that the name is a combination of the words “Spot” and “Identify.”

Starbucks

13

Starbucks got its name from the first mate in “Moby Dick.” They used it in an attempt to evoke “The romance of the high seas and the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders.”

Reebok

14

Reebok is an alternative spelling for “Rhebok” which is an Afrikaans-Dutch word for a type of antelope. They chose this name to represent speed and grace.

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