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How 10 Famous Companies Got Their Innovative Names

Coca cola cans

You see these prominent business names daily, but do you know what they mean?

Every company has tales about how it earned its name.

However, many of them are just rumors, so here are the real reasons the famous companies we hear about every day got their name.

Read More: Just Do It – The Story Behind Nike’s Famous Slogan Which Was Inspired By A Double Murderer

Audi

The founder of Audi, August Horch, translated his name to Latin which read, 'Hark,' 'Listen.'

Horch's name was already in use by his earlier car manufacturing business.

So, the four rings in the logo symbolize Audi's auto union with DKW, Wanderer, and Horch.

Ikea

The name came from a combination of the first letters of the founder's name, Ingvar Kamprad.

In addition to the first letters of the names of the house and village in which he grew up, Elmtaryd Agunnaryd.

Starbucks

The name came from a character in Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick, Starbuck.

Lego

LEGO is an abbreviation of two Danish words, "leg godt," which means "play well."

It also means 'put together in Latin, but the company says that's just a coincidence.

Read More: “Betcha Can’t Eat Just One” – Lay’s Iconic Potato Chip Slogan

Coca-Cola

The name was acquired from the kola nuts, and coca leaves used in the flavoring.

John S. Pemberton, the founder, changed the 'k' in kola to a 'C' to make the name look more attractive.

3M

3M came from the business's initial name; Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company.

It was changed to an abbreviation of the three 'Ms' in the original name when the business switched to more creative merchandise.

Amazon

CEO Jeff Bezos had the idea that the name of his company had to start with an 'A" so it would arise as one of the first names in the alphabetic order.

He browsed through the dictionary and decided on Amazon.

This is because it was the name of the world's largest river, which he intended his company would be like.

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Wendy's

The name came from the founder, Dave Thomas' daughter's name; Wendy.

Virgin

The name comes from a girl suggesting this name compared to their business industry knowledge.

Canon

The business's first-ever camera was called the 'Kwanon.'

'kwanon' originated from the Japanese name of the Buddhist Bodhisattva of Mercy.

Kwanon was changed to Canon in 1935 to be more accepted by people worldwide.

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