How Google and Nike got their names

Google got its name from googol - the number one followed by 100 zeroes which represents the amount of information the site was expected to cover, and Nikes name come from a Greek goddess, reveals a new book.

London, Nov 20 : Google got its name from googol - the number one followed by 100 zeroes which represents the amount of information the site was expected to cover, and Nike's name come from a Greek goddess, reveals a new book.

The book narrates the weird and wonderful ways some of the world's top firms got their names are revealed in a new book.

While many companies like Sainsbury's or Marks and Spencer are named after real people, others have bizarre beginnings, reports The Sun.

Google is a reworked form of googol, and tyre giant Bridgestone sounds English but is a translation of the founder's surname, Ishibashi - Japanese for stone bridge.

Nike is named after the Greek goddess of victory.

However, computer company Oracle does not have any connection with mythology. Instead it comes from a top secret CIA project that founders Larry Ellison, Ed Oates and Bob Milner were working on before they started the firm.

Ikea is a combination of the initials of founder Ingmar Kamprad and his home, a farm called Elmtaryd in the Swedish town Agunnaryd.

And Aldi is a cross between the Albrecht family who began the firm and the word discount.

The stories are revealed in the latest edition of The Economist book, World of Business.

ANI