- Can you guess which of the world’s biggest companies has an accidental typo in its name?
“What’s in a name?” asked Juliet. Quite a bit if you’re trying to do good business. Even if you have an amazing product, an unmarketable name can mean no one will ever buy it.
How you arrive at the name of your company, however, can often be a story in itself. Many of the world’s biggest firms have fascinating, funny, or just plain weird tales behind their names.
Here are 13 strange stories of how today’s major corporations got their names.
1. 3M
The manufacturer of Post-It notes, Scotch tape, and various tools didn’t start as an adhesives company. Instead, it originated as a mining company called Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co.
Their mining operation, however, was a spectacular failure. Strapped for cash, the firm started grasping at straws to sell something, anything, and eventually landed on tape. At that point, though, their name was hilariously out of place, so they shortened it to 3M after the original title’s initials.
2. Amazon
Amazon obviously refers to the Amazon River, and you could wax poetic about how books and other goods flow through the company. Originally, though, Jeff Bezos wanted to name the company Cadabra from the phrase “abracadabra.”
His lawyer, however, kept thinking Bezos was saying “cadaver,” so he decided he needed another name. So, he picked Amazon because it started with A, putting it at the top of company listings. He also envisioned Amazon becoming the biggest company in the world, so he chose to name it after the biggest river in the world.
Subtle.
3. Apple
Steve Jobs was always kind of a hippie, and in the ‘70s, he followed a fruitarian diet (eating only fruit). When trying to come up with a name for his and Steve Wozniak’s new computer business, he had just returned from an apple farm tour.
With the experience in his mind, he suggested naming the company Apple, since “it sounded fun, spirited, and not intimidating.” As an added bonus, the name put Apple before their main competitor, Atari, in the phonebook.
4. Bluetooth
Did you know Bluetooth derives its name from a Viking king? Indeed, the technology and the company managing it are named after Harald Bluetooth. The Danish noble was known both for his ability as a great communicator and his infected, dead tooth that had turned blue.
In fact, even the Bluetooth logo harkens back to Harald. The symbol on the logo is made up of the Hagall and Bjarkan runes – essentially, Harald Bluetooth’s initials.
5. GoDaddy
GoDaddy is one of the most bizarre names in the tech industry. What on earth does this title have to do with registering and hosting web domains?
Well, the company was originally called Jomax Technologies, but the founders soon realized it was a really generic and boring tech firm name. They wanted something with more zazz – like “Big Daddy.”
Unfortunately, the domain name BigDaddy.com was already reserved. So, they started trying variations of the name until they found a free domain, that being GoDaddy.
6. Google
You’ve probably heard that Google is a reference to the number googol, or 1 followed by 100 zeros. The misspelling in the name, however, is not intentional.
That’s right. One of the biggest companies in the world has a name that’s accidentally misspelled.
It’s still better than what Google could’ve been. The founders originally wanted to name it Backrub, since their first indexing protocol followed backlinks to determine a site’s reliability.
7. Häagen-Dazs
You may have heard many theories about what the name of the ice cream maker Häagen-Dazs means in various languages. All of them are wrong.
The name doesn’t mean anything at all. Its components are not part of any language, and it’s complete nonsense.
The founders simply wanted a vaguely European-sounding name for their ice cream that would exude sophistication and luxury. I suppose they succeeded, considering how popular their products are.
8. Pepsi
Pepsi’s backstory is actually kind of gross. It was originally called Brad’s Drink after its inventor, Caleb Bradham.
However, he felt that the name made the product sound like a refreshment, while he envisioned it as a health tonic for dyspepsia, or indigestion. A common cure for indigestion in the late 19th century was pepsin, an enzyme extracted from the stomachs of pigs.
DysPEPSIa, PEPSIn… Bradham had just found a name for his totally medicinal product.
9. Reebok
Reebok is one of the biggest sports gear makers in the world, but its name is a bit weird. It doesn’t refer to victory or excellence, so what does it mean?
It actually comes from the name of the gray rhebok antelope in Afrikaans. When naming the company, its founders were simply flipping through dictionaries for words that sounded speedy.
Antelopes sure are fast, so “reebok” seemed fitting to them.
10. Starbucks
Starbucks has a mermaid on its logo, but that’s not the only nautical reference the company has. Its name comes from the novel Moby-Dick.
In the famous book, Starbuck is the first mate of the whaling ship Pequod. Ironically, though, he never drinks coffee in the novel and is portrayed as a tea drinker instead.
So why did Starbucks pick his name, then? There’s really no reason – the founders simply liked how it sounded.
11. SurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey is the biggest online platform for conducting surveys over the internet. It’s a niche market, but they’ve conquered it like no other.
But what’s with the name? What do monkeys have to do with online surveys?
Nothing at all. The company’s name is intentionally weird. Its founder, Ryan Finley, wanted a memorable name, and he reckoned a silly one like SurveyMonkey would stick with people.
12. Volkswagen
Volkswagen’s name is pretty self-explanatory, even if you don’t speak German. It means “people’s car.”
That name, however, was invented by the worst person possible: Adolf Hitler.
After the Nazis rose to power, they needed to show that they had the Average Johan on their mind. One way to do that was to produce automobiles that regular workers could afford.
So, Hitler promised he would deliver a people’s car, or a Volks Wagen, to Germany.
13. Zynga
The game developer Zynga isn’t as big as it used to be. But back in the day, everyone on Facebook was playing FarmVille, and Zynga still makes casual online games.
But Zynga’s name has nothing to do with gaming. Instead, it’s named after Zinga, the company founder’s bulldog.
Zinga has sadly crossed the rainbow bridge long ago, but his name lives on in the company name. What’s more, his silhouette is immortalized in the company’s logo.