The Fascinating Origins of Famous Company Names

IKEA

Ingvar Kamprad, a 17-year-old Swede, founded the company in 1943 with money his father gave him for doing well in school. The teenage retail titan-to-be formed the name of his company—which originally sold pens, wallets, picture frames, table runners, watches, jewelry, and nylon stockings(чулки) at reduced prices—from his initials (I.K.), plus the first letters of Elmtaryd (E) and Agunnaryd (A), the farm and village where he grew up.

Lego

The toy company name combines the Danish words “leg got” or “play well,”

Pepsi-Cola

Invented in 1893 by drugstore(аптека) owner Caleb Davis Bradham, the beverage(напиток)—made from a mix of sugar, water, caramel, lemon oil, nutmeg(мускатный орех), and other natural ingredients—was originally called “Brad’s Drink,”. But because Bradham saw the drink less as a refreshment(освежающий напиток) and more as a healthy cola that could aid in digestion(помоч в пищеварении), he renamed it five years later, using the word “dyspepsia,” which means indigestion(несварение желудка), as its root.

Virgin

Richard Branson’s choice for his company name started as a bit of a joke. According to the company, there were a number of contenders(претенденты), including “Slipped Disc.” But then someone suggested(предложил) Virgin, as they were all virgins(девственники) at business. As the company tells it, they all laughed, but the name stuck(прилипло).

Twitter

Having rejected(отказавшись) the name Twitch for their social networking service, co-founder Jack Dorsey told the BBC: “We looked in the dictionary for words around it and came across the word ‘twitter,’ and it was just perfect. The definition was ‘a short burst of inconsequential information(вспышка несущественной информации)’ and ‘chirps from birds.(чириканье птиц)’ And that’s exactly what the product was.”