We see their logos every day. We use their products, wear their clothes, and eat their food. Brand names are so deeply embedded in our lives that we rarely stop to think about where they came from. But behind every famous name, there’s a story—and often, it’s a surprisingly simple, clever, or even accidental one.
These origin stories reveal a fascinating glimpse into the history and creativity that launched some of the world’s biggest companies.
Here are the surprising stories behind the names of five iconic brands.
1. NIKE – The Goddess of Victory
One of the most powerful and recognizable brand names in the world has its roots in ancient Greek mythology. In 1971, the company, then known as Blue Ribbon Sports, needed a new name as it prepared to launch its own line of shoes.
The founders, Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman, considered several options. One of the first employees, Jeff Johnson, had a dream one night about Nike, the winged Greek goddess of victory. In mythology, Nike was known for flying over battlefields and rewarding the victors. The name perfectly encapsulated the spirit of competition, athletics, and success. The famous “Swoosh” logo was designed to represent her wing.
2. LEGO – A Combination of Two Danish Words
The name of the beloved toy company is a clever combination of two Danish words: “LEg GOdt,” which means “play well.” It’s a simple and beautiful mission statement that has guided the company for decades.
What makes the name even more interesting is a coincidence of language. In Latin, the word “Lego” can be translated as “I put together” or “I assemble.” The founder, Ole Kirk Christiansen, was reportedly unaware of the Latin meaning when he created the name, making it a perfect and happy accident.
3. Amazon – More Than Just a River
When Jeff Bezos first started his online bookstore in 1994, he initially named it “Cadabra,” as in “abracadabra.” However, he quickly changed his mind after his lawyer misheard the name as “cadaver.”
Looking for a new name, Bezos wanted something that started with “A” so it would appear at the top of alphabetical lists. He began looking through a dictionary and landed on “Amazon.” He chose it for two reasons: first, it was the name of the largest river in the world, which suggested scale and a massive selection. Second, it conveyed his vision of creating the “Earth’s biggest bookstore,” and eventually, the world’s biggest everything store.
4. Google – A Typo That Became a Phenomenon
The name of the world’s most popular search engine is actually the result of a spelling mistake. In 1997, Stanford graduate students Larry Page and Sergey Brin were brainstorming names for their massive search project.
They settled on the name “Googol,” which is the mathematical term for the number 1 followed by 100 zeros. The name was meant to signify the immense amount of information they were indexing. According to company legend, when they went to register the domain name, they or a fellow student accidentally typed “google.com” instead of “googol.com.” The new name was available, they liked it, and it stuck.
5. Starbucks – A Nod to Classic Literature
The name of the world’s largest coffee chain has nothing to do with stars or bucks (money). It was inspired by a classic American novel.
In the 1970s, the founders were searching for a name that evoked the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders. They considered several names, including “Pequod,” the name of the whaling ship in Herman Melville’s novel Moby-Dick. They ultimately decided against it, but they liked the literary connection. Instead, they chose the name of the Pequod’s first mate: Starbuck. The name felt familiar and captured the romance of the high seas and the adventurous spirit of Seattle’s port city.