Category: Etymology
Adidas
Adidas is named after its founder Adolf Dassler, who was known to friends as Adi Dassler. Header image: Adidas by Phixxakh on Flickr.
The North Face
Refers to the north face of a mountain, which in the northern hemisphere is the coldest and most difficult to climb. Header image: The North Face by Andy on Flickr.
Nike
Named after the Greek goddess of victory, Nike, and pronounced nigh-kee. Definitely better than its original name, Blue Ribbon Sports.
TD Bank
The Toronto-Dominion Bank is known as TD Bank outside of Canada to make it sound more generic and less regional. Header image: TD Bank by Mike Mozart on Flickr.
LG
LG is abbreviation of Lucky Goldstar. Header image: LG at Mobile World Congress, Barcelona 2015 by Kārlis Dambrāns on Flickr.
Qantas
Rainman will happily tell you that the airline Qantas is an abbreviation for Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services. Header image: Airbus over Henson Park by Naparazzi on Flickr
Waitrose
Waitrose is a portmanteau of the surnames of two of its founders: WAITe and ROSE. Originally a grocery store founded in 1904 by Wallace Waite, Arthur Rose, and David Taylor. The latter left the...
Tesco
The Tesco name is short for Thomas Edwards Stockwell, and COhen. The name came about when Jack Cohen imported a shipment of tea from Thomas Edward Stockwell for his grocery store, and decided to...
ASDA
Stands for ASquith and DAiries. Formed by the merger of the Asquith family’s supermarkets, and Associated Diaries and Farm Stores Limited.