Inventor Caleb Bradham had originally wanted to be a doctor but started working in a pharmacy when he returned home to North Carolina. In 1893, he made up what he first called “Brad’s Drink,” a mix of water, sugar, caramel, lemon oil, nutmeg, and other flavors. Five years later, he renamed it Pepsi-Cola. He claimed the drink could help with digestion(Ïû»¯), or dyspepsia, the term from which Bradham adapted the name Pepsi.

This luxury car maker combined elements from the Ford and Oldsmobile companies when it was started in 1902 and later became known for its innovation and high quality. The company was named after the French explorer Antoine Laumet de la Mothe Cadillac, who founded the city of Detroit in 1701.

Company co-founder Gordon Bowker has said that while brainstorming names, someone brought out a map that featured the old mining town of Starbo. That may have led him to think of Starbuck, the first mate in Herman Melville’s famous novel, Moby Dick. Not only the company name but also the origin of its logo has aroused great curiosity.

The inventor of Rolex, Hans Wilsdorf, was looking to make an elegant, yet precise, wristwatch. He wanted a name that was easy to say, worked in different languages, and looked good on the watches. He settled on Rolex in 1908.