Language, Culture & Business

Interesting Brand Names and the Stories Behind Them

A memorable brand name can come from mythology, literature, a clever linguistic blend or a happy accident. These names do more than label a product: they carry histories, associations, and sometimes stories that are more surprising than the products themselves.

Serendipity and Happy Accidents

Some familiar brand names grew out of invented words, unexpected suggestions, or spellings that took on a life of their own.

  • Etsy: Founder Rob Kalin wanted a distinctive, nonsensical name that could build its own identity. He later described being inspired by a phrase he heard while watching Federico Fellini’s film 8½. The exact phrase and its interpretation are often retold differently, but the unusual sound of “Etsy” stuck.
  • Virgin: Richard Branson has said the name came from a brainstorming session when the young team was new to business. Someone suggested “Virgin” because they were all newcomers to the business world.

Classical Mythology and Ancient Languages

Drawing on Greek, Latin, or ancient folklore gives a name historical associations and symbolic weight.

  • Nike: Named after the winged Greek goddess of victory. The company’s Swoosh is often associated with the speed and movement of Nike’s wings.
  • ASICS: An acronym of the Latin phrase Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, meaning “a sound mind in a sound body.”
  • Pandora: From Greek elements pan (“all”) and doron (“gift”), often understood as “all-gifted.” In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman, and the gods each bestowed a gift upon her.
  • Volvo: From the Latin verb volvere, “to roll.” The name can be translated as “I roll” and was first used for a ball-bearing business before becoming associated with cars.

Literary and Cultural Allusions

A name borrowed from a book, a city, or a historical image can make people feel there is a larger story behind the brand.

  • Starbucks: Named after Starbuck, the first mate aboard the Pequod in Herman Melville’s novel Moby-Dick. The founders considered Pequod before choosing a name that evoked the seafaring history of the coffee trade.
  • Palantir: Named for the seeing-stones in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. These spherical objects let characters communicate and see events at a distance.
  • Cisco: A shortened form of San Francisco. The company’s early logo depicted the Golden Gate Bridge.

Linguistic Blends and Invented Words

Combining sounds or ideas can create a name that feels entirely new while hinting at more than one meaning.

  • Spotify: The origin story commonly told by the founders is that the name emerged during a brainstorming session when one suggestion was misheard. They later connected it with “spot” and “identify.”
  • Lululemon: Founder Chip Wilson has described choosing a name with multiple Ls because he thought the sound would feel distinctly North American to Japanese customers. The story reflects his stated naming strategy, rather than a linguistic rule about Japanese pronunciation.
  • Bluetooth: Named after Harald Bluetooth, a tenth-century Scandinavian king credited with uniting parts of Denmark and Norway. The name was chosen as a metaphor for technology that brings different devices and communication standards together.

Mathematical and Scientific Ideas

Scientific terms and concepts can suggest clarity, scale, precision, or a glimpse into something complex.

  • Google: The name points to googol, the number 1 followed by 100 zeroes, reflecting the ambition to organize an immense amount of information. It is commonly said that “Google” began as a misspelling of googol, though accounts of exactly how the spelling was settled vary.
  • Sony: The name is associated with Latin sonus, meaning “sound,” and the English word sonny, once used for a bright young person. The combination was intended to suggest sound and youthful energy.
  • Lucid: From Latin lucidus, meaning “clear,” “bright,” or “shining.” The word also appears in the phrase “lucid dreaming,” linking it to clarity within a dream.

Invented Names and Unexpected Meanings

Some brand names are designed to sound as if they come from somewhere else, even when they have no literal meaning there.

  • Häagen-Dazs: The founders invented a name meant to sound European and artisanal. Despite its Scandinavian appearance, “Häagen-Dazs” has no meaning in Danish, and the umlaut is part of the name’s deliberately foreign-looking style.
  • Swarovski: Named after founder Daniel Swarovski. The surname reflects the founder’s Central European background; claims that it comes from a particular Slavic root are not a settled explanation of the brand name.