The most memorable brand names in the world didn't happen by accident. Each one has a story — and those stories reveal principles you can apply to your own naming process.
1. Amazon
Jeff Bezos originally called his company "Cadabra" (as in abracadabra). His lawyer misheard it as "Cadaver" and Bezos changed it immediately. He wanted a name starting with A (for alphabetical prominence) that felt vast and exotic. Amazon — the world's largest river — fit perfectly. The name allowed the company to expand well beyond books without any cognitive dissonance.
2. Google
Google is a misspelling of "googol" — the mathematical term for 10 to the power of 100. The founders chose this word to represent the enormous amount of information the search engine would organise. The accidental misspelling became one of the most recognisable brand names in history.
3. Nike
Named after Nike, the Greek goddess of victory — fitting for a sports brand. The name was chosen over founder Phil Knight's preference ("Dimension Six") at the last minute by employee Jeff Johnson, who claimed to have dreamed it. Short, strong, mythological.
4. Spotify
Founders Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon claim the name was chosen almost by accident — they were shouting ideas across a room and one of them heard "Spotify." They liked the sound, checked the domain, and the rest is history. It's a made-up word with no prior meaning, which gave them full control over what it came to mean.
5. Airbnb
Originally "Air Bed and Breakfast" — because the founders literally rented out air mattresses in their San Francisco apartment to afford rent. The abbreviated "Airbnb" retained the air/travel connotation while becoming something much larger.
Lessons from These Stories
- The perfect name often isn't obvious until someone says it out loud
- Made-up or meaningless words can become the most powerful names
- Names that allow for expansion are invaluable as companies grow
- Short, distinctive, and ownable beats long, descriptive, and generic
- The meaning of a name is built over time by the company — not embedded in the word itself