Ever wondered how big brands get their unusual, and unique, names? While most brand names have become the norm to us owing to their popularity, many have hidden meanings behind their names as well as their logos.
Here is how nine of the world’s biggest technology companies got their names and what they mean:
1) Google
The company took its name from ‘googol’ a mathematical term for the numeral one followed by 100 zeros.
2) Yahoo
The term ‘Yahoo’ is an acronym for ‘Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle’ and as described in Jonathan Swift’s ‘Gulliver’s Travels,’ Yahoo is also a term given to an unrefined and often loud or disruptive person.
3) Amazon
The founder and CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos reportedly wanted a name that appeared at the top of an alphabetical list, consequently, a name that began with the letter ‘A.’ Thus Amazon, also the world’s largest river, became Bezos’s perfect choice for his company’s name.
4) Sony
Sony is derived from two separate words, ‘sonus,’ a Latin word for sound and ‘sonny’ which in 1950s Japan was used to describe “smart, presentable young men.”
5) Skype
Derived from the original name ‘Sky Peer-to-Peer,’ was changed to ‘Skyper’ from which the ‘r’ was eventually dropped to create the current name.
6) Blackberry
Expecting something creative? Sorry to disappoint you but this name came along in 1999 as the keys on the device resembled the drupelets on the fruit.
7) Oracle
Previously when the co-founders Larry Ellison and Bob Oats worked on a project for the CIA, the term ‘oracle’ was used as a code that was supposed to be able to answer a question about anything.
8) Canon
The company was originally called ‘Kwanon’ for a Buddhist goddess, however, in 1935 it was changed to Canon to appeal to a worldwide audience.
9) Spotify
Here’s why not everything in your life needs a logical reason. Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, co-founders of Spotify, a commercial music streaming, podcast and video service, were debating over names for the company when Ek misheard an idea as Spotify. In an attempt to cover up for the randomness, the duo claims the name comes from the words “spot” and “identify.”
