Name Origins Of The World's Most Famous Companies

#1 Company & Product Name Origins

If you've ever wondered just how a product or company decided to use their name, you're not alone. A lot of the products we use every day have a hidden meaning in their name, like Pepsi for example. Invented by Caleb Bradham, the soda was originally called Brad's Drink. In 1898, Bradham believed the cola could cure indigestion and stomach ailments, so he termed the word Pepsi from the word 'dyspepsia' which means indigestion.

#2 WD-40

They tried and tried to develop a water-displacing spray lubricant, but failed. After 39 attempts to perfect the product they nearly gave up. But, after trying for a fortieth time, the creation fell together, hence the name, which means "water displacement, forty."

#3 Legos

You might think that the name of this popular building block means something really strange, but it is actually a combination of two Danish words, 'let" and "got" that translate into "play well." Consumers have been doing so for decades. In Latin the word Lego also mean "to put together."

#4 IKEA

Not exactly something unique, but an odd combination of letters and meanings. The first to letters, I & K, represent the founder's initials, Invar Kamprad, while the last two letters stand for the place where he grew up, Elmtaryd, Agunnaryd.

#5 Google

If you don't feel like 'googling' where this name came from, we'll tell you. The name comes from the word "googol" which is the mathematical term for the number 1 followed by 100 zeros. For the reason why that is significant to the search engine, click on Google.

#6 Gatorade

The delicious flavored hydration beverage took its name from the University of Florida's football team, the Gators. It was originally called Gator-Aid but was changed when the company went global. It has since become synonymous with sports all over the world.

#7 Walmart

Everyone should know this. The giant department store chain and America's largest employer got its name from the founder of the company, Sam Walton, who opened his first Walton's 5 & 10 in 1962 in Arkansas.

#8 Blackberry

Product development at its finest. Oddly enough, the name was coined because the keys on the keyboard resembled the drupelets on a fruit. Really?

#9 Canon

The mega-camera company was named after a Buddhist Goddess and originally was known as 'Kwanon'. The company changed its name to the popular Canon in 1935 to appeal to a larger world audience.

#10 Haagen-Dass

The name has no real meaning and is a made up word created to sound Danish. Creators wanted to "convey an aura of old world tradition and craftmanship " so they invented their own product name.

#11 Adidas

Originally made in 1924 and sold under the name 'Dossler's,' the company changed its name in 1926. Adidas is a play on the creator of the company's name, Adolf Dossler. His nickname was "Adi" and he took the "Das" sound from his last name.

#12 Starbucks

In an effort to evoke the essence and tradition of old world sea travellers and coffee traders, the name Starbucks was created because it sounded "romantic and adventurous" at the same time and is the name of the first mate in Herman Melville's "Moby Dick".

#13 Yahoo!

Yahoo is both an acronym for "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle" and an imaginary species described as rude, noisy, and violent in Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels".

#14 7-Eleven

Originally named 'U-Tote-Em', the slurpy king convenience chain switched its name to 7-Eleven in 1946 to reflect it newly extended hour, from 7AM to 11PM. Though most outlets are now open 24 hours a day, the name is iconic.

#15 Coca-Cola

It was first known as Koka, and the cola drink contained small traces of cocaine. The drink was made from high-quality coca leaves and Kola nuts, so that was what creator John Pemberton called the new beverage. He later dropped the 'K' and changed it to 'C' to make the name look better on the bottles.

#16 Panera Bread

Other than being fresh and delicious, the name is pretty spot on. The word "Pan" means bread in Spanish. The owners added "era" at the end to literally convey that the age of bread is falling upon us. They didn't mention their amazing soup, however.

#17 SONY

The name is derived from "sonus" which is the Latin word for sound, and a slang expression "sonny boy", which in 1956, the Japanese founder described as someone "smart, presentable, and outgoing."

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