Brand names: These are the meanings behind Obi, Edeka, Nike and Co.

2021-03-30T12:34:43.129Z

We encounter brands everywhere: in everyday life, in the supermarket, on the street. We checked the meanings of the names.

We encounter brands everywhere: in everyday life, in the supermarket, on the street.

We checked the meanings of the names.

Munich - abbreviated name, fantasy name or pun.

Behind the names of the best-known brands there are often idiosyncratic and curious lines of thought that are supposed to make the product recognizable.

In our overview we reveal the secret behind the most famous brand names.

Tape

Tesa SE is a subsidiary of the Hamburg-based Beiersdorfer Group.

According to surveys, Tesa is one of the best-known brand names in Germany; the brand name is often used as a generic word for adhesive strips.

But where does the name come from?

The secretary Elsa Tesmer worked from April 1903 to the end of October 1908 as an office clerk and head of the office for the Beiersdorf company.

She created the brand name from the last two letters of her first name and the first letter of her last name.

Thus, from El

sa

Te

smer "Tesa".

Lego

In 1932, the Danish master carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen founded a company that initially specialized in the manufacture of wooden toys.

In the following year he invented the company name “Lego” as an abbreviation for “leg godt”, Danish for “play well”.

Samsung

The Samsung group of companies found its way into everyday life primarily in the form of TV sets and cell phones.

Translated from Korean, the company name means "three stars".

The number “three” is associated with positive things in Korea.

Over 280,000 people work for the company worldwide.

Bifi

The salami sausage for on the go called “Bifi” goes back to an English word: beefy.

It means “meaty” in German and is related to the word “beef” - “beef” in German.

PEZ

These candies have already passed their heyday.

But nostalgic people like to think back to the sweet mini candies from the pocket dispensers, which are usually decorated with the heads of cartoon characters or animals.

Although the sweets mostly had a fruit flavor, as in the picture, the brand name Pez goes back to the word peppermint.

Haribo

Like so many brand names, Haribo is made up of the first letters of several words.

In this case the first and last name as well as the place of birth of the company founder:

egel from

nn.

SAP

SAP is the largest software company in Europe; in a global comparison, the company from Walldorf in Baden-Württemberg ranks third.

At the top of the big player since 2019: CEO Christian Klein (pictured).

In contrast to the multi-faceted business areas, the company name is kept quite simple.

SAP stands for

ysteme,

pplications,

roducts.

Milupa

The manufacturer of infant and baby food is based in Frankfurt am Main.

The company was founded by the baker and confectioner Emil Louis Pauly in 1921. The brand name "Milupa" is an in-house creation, which is largely made up of the name of the founder.

However, he rearranged the letters “A” and “U” and dispensed with the “E” and repositioned the “P”.

The result was "Milupa".

Häagen Dazs

Häagen-Dasz sounds like a surname or a Scandinavian word, the ice cream probably comes from Sweden or Denmark - that's what most people think of the American brand.

In fact, the name was chosen to give exactly that impression.

It is neither a name nor a term with meaning.

Häagen-Dasz is a fantasy word.

Obi

The popular DIY chain Obi was founded in 1970 by Emil Lux, Manfred Maus and Klaus Birker.

Maus allegedly bought the naming rights for the equivalent of 460 euros from French businessmen who ran a hardware store of the same name.

The company name came from the French pronunciation for the word "hobby".

Nike

The "Nike Swoosh" is one of the most famous company logos in the world.

The striking motif is emblazoned with millions of sneakers, T-shirts and pullovers.

The origin of the company name, on the other hand, is less known - and there are some mysteries surrounding it.

Allegedly, the employee Jeff Johnson suggested the name in the early 1970s - the idea came to him in his sleep.

The name is also based on that of the Greek goddess of victory of the same name.

Hanuta

That Hanuta?

The Hanuta?

In fact, it should be called "The Hanuta".

For the word Hanuta represents nothing less than "

sel

fel".

The word is made up of the first two letters of each of the three parts of the word.

DHL

The parcel and letter express shipping DHL belongs to Deutsche Post.

Founded

in 1969 in San Francisco, the company name consists of the first letters of the founders: Adrian

alsey, Larry

illblom and Robert

ynn.

According to its own information, the logistics service provider is one of the global market leaders in the industry.

IKEA

"Billy", "Hemnes" or "Pax".

At least one IKEA product can be found in almost every household.

The beginnings, however, were modest: the then 17-year-old founder Ingvar Kamprad opened a shop in 1943 selling household goods.

The name consists of the founder's initials, the first letter of the Elmtaryd farm on which he grew up and the nearby village of Agunnaryd.

Sony

Sony is best known for entertainment technology.

The Japanese electronics group employs over 100,000 people who generated sales of almost 68 billion euros in 2019.

The company name is based on the Latin word for sound ("sonus") and the buzz word "Sunnyboy".

Em-Eukal

Em-eukal stands for

enthol and

eucalyptus

oil.

So far so logical.

Only the E at the beginning of the word irritates.

The reason: Meukal sounded too medicinal.

So the founders simply put an E in front of them, similar to phonetic transcription.

HM

The Swedish fashion chain H&M was founded in Stockholm in 1947.

H&M stands for “Hennes and Mauritz”.

The names of the founders?

No.

At the beginning of the company's history was Erling Persson, who opened a shop called "Hennes".

Translated, this means "for them".

The name didn't fit anymore when he later took over the clothing retailer "Mauritz Widforss", which mainly sold men's fashion.

That is why “Mauritz” was added to the company title.

Coke

The dark brown drink was invented by the pharmacist Dr.

John S. Pemberton and his business partner Frank M. Robinson.

Originally, the liquid was supposed to fight headaches and at that time consisted of coca leaves and kola nuts.

The brand name is based on these ingredients.

Heinz ketchup

The HJ Heinz Company is world-famous for one product in particular: "Heinz Ketchup", which has been the company's most important sales item since 1876.

In 1869, the son of German emigrants Henry John Heinz founded the company in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, USA.

Starbucks

The coffee house chain is named after a character called "Starbucks" from the classic literary book "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville.

In 2019, the company had sales of $ 26.5 billion.

NKD

The textile retailer NKD has around 1850 branches across Europe.

Founded in Essen in 1962, is behind the three letters on the logo the company philosophy:

iedrig

alkuliert

iscount.

KiK

"Customer is king".

According to its own statements, the textile discounter has issued this credo as its corporate philosophy.

Since it was founded in 1994, the leitmotif has been abbreviated in the name "KiK".

Adidas

The second largest sporting goods manufacturer in the world after Nike: Adidas from the Franconian town of Herzogenaurach.

The brand with the three stripes was founded in 1949 by Adolf Dassler.

The name is made up of his (nick) name:

Adi Das

sler.

Ray Ban

Ray-Ban was founded in 1937 as a subsidiary of Bausch & Lomb and the United States Army Air Corps.

The company name describes the function of the glasses: The glasses are supposed to block the sun's rays (“Ray”) (“Ban”).

Edeka

The Edeka Group is one of those companies that would have had a hard time without the abbreviated brand names.

The retailer was originally called the “purchasing cooperative of the colonial goods traders in the Halle gate district of Berlin”.

The company has been providing food to customers since 1907, and Edeka now employs over 380,000 people.

Apple

The iPhone turned the cell phone market upside down in 2007.

The company's founders weren't so sure about this: Steve Jobs had suggested the name “Apple Computer Company”, and co-founder Steve Wozniak was not very enthusiastic.

The two set a deadline, had no better idea, and registered their company under the name mentioned above.

The rest is history.

Reebok

The third sporting goods manufacturer in this ranking has borrowed its company name from the animal kingdom.

In Afrikaans, "Rhebock" is the word for the African roe deer, which impresses with its speed and elegance.

These attributes are supposed to be carried over to those who wear Reebok clothing.

Rewe

In the highly competitive grocery retailer market, Rewe takes second place behind Edeka.

The company name is a derivation of "

vision joined the

stkauf cooperatives".

Melitta filter bags

Brew coffee using filter bags.

Melitta Bentz hit the headlines with this idea in 1908.

From then on, the practical filter bags found their way into kitchens - and with them the name of the founder.

SAVE

The company name of the Spar-Markt has nothing to do with "saving".

In fact, the markets are named after the fir tree (Dutch "Spar") that also adorns the logo.

Spar unites most of the retailers worldwide in a retail chain based on the franchise principle.

BMW

BMW was founded in Munich in 1916.

Originally, the company mainly manufactured aircraft engines, which is why the propeller found its way into the logo.

White and blue symbolize the Bavarian national colors.

The company's regional ties are also evident in the company name: BMW stands for

ayeric

otor

orks.

Aldi

Karl and Theo Albrecht founded the Aldi retail chain in Essen in 1946.

In 1961 the company split into Aldi Süd and Aldi Nord.

Sales directly from boxes, a small range and cheap offers ensured the chain's success.

The company name is made up of the names of the founders and the sale concept:

brecht

scount.

Nutella

That or that Nutella?

This question causes discussion at the breakfast table, but there is no clear answer.

Nutella is a fantasy word that the inventor Pietro Ferrero probably formed from the terms "Nut" (English for nut) and the Italian feminine diminutive "

ella".

Fiat

The Italian car manufacturer Fiat forms its company name from the acronym "

abbrica

taliana

utomobili

orino".

Translated, the term means "Italian Automobile Factory Turin".

The company has existed since 1899.

tempo

Tempo is probably the best-known brand for paper handkerchiefs.

In the meantime, “tempo” as a generic word for the handkerchief has found its way into everyday language - probably also because the company has existed since 1929.

The product name "Tempo" is based on the fast-moving zeitgeist of the 1920s.

Audi

The history of the German car manufacturer Audi is closely linked to August Horch.

The engineer is considered a pioneer in vehicle construction by founding Horch & Cie in 1899.

With his company, he was soon building over 100 cars a year before breaking with the company's board of directors.

In 1909 he left the Horch-Motorenwerke and founded a new company.

The name is known worldwide today: Audi - the Latin translation of "horch!".

Vileda

Vileda was founded in 1948.

The company specialized in the manufacture of synthetic leather and was soon producing cleaning items.

At that time the most important sales item: a cloth for cleaning windows.

This consisted of non-woven fabric and rubber but should feel “like leather”.

The brand name "Vileda" goes back to this.

Katjes

Anyone who remembers the old Katjes logo can perhaps deduce it: A cat silhouette was there.

Katjes is the Dutch belittling of cats, it means "little kitten", so to speak.

It is no coincidence that so many products are based on the animal - paws, ears and the like.

Rama

In the 19th century, margarine was brought onto the market as an inexpensive substitute for butter.

The product also caught on in Germany, but there were many small, regional manufacturers of margarine.

In 1924 the margarine brands merged under the name "Rahma".

The name should probably evoke associations with “cream”.

In 1932 the “h” flew out of the product name, so that we can still find “Rama” in the refrigerated section to this day.

Amazon

The mail order company Amazon has become an integral part of everyday life.

Jeff Bezos founded the company in 1994 and built it into one of the world's most complete corporations.

Amazon is based on the longest river in the world, the Amazon.

Persil

Persil is a brand of the Düsseldorf-based Henkel Group.

In 1907 the company brought the "automatic detergent" onto the market, which was supposed to make annoying scrubbing superfluous through a chemical reaction.

The brand name "Persil" is composed of two main components: sodium

per

borate and sodium

sil

ikat.

Nivea

It is one of the classics in skin care: Nivea Creme.

In 1911 the pharmacist Oscar Troplowitz brought the cream onto the market, which soon enjoyed great popularity.

The name is derived from the Latin word "niveus" (to "nix", "nivis", snow).

Translated Nivea means "the snow-white".

if

The brand ob manufactures tampons in different designs;

the brand name alludes to it.

ob is the abbreviation for "without a bandage" - a discreet indication of the intended use of the product.

In the 1940s, the hygiene product was still being sold clandestinely.

Ritter Sport

The square chocolate from "Ritter Sport" is internationally known.

The fact that the cocoa product bears “sport” in its name is thanks to the way in which the chocolate is stored.

In 1932, Clara Ritter came up with the idea of selling the chocolate in a handy format so that it can be stowed in the inside of a sports jacket pocket.

Google

The company name "Google" is derived from the American pronunciation of the name "Googol".

This stands for a number with a one and a hundred zeros.

Google co-founder Larry Page thought the name was appropriate, it should represent the unimaginably large scope of the Internet.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-03-30