As of: March 17, 2024, 9:06 a.m
By: Franziska Schuster
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We know them, but hardly anyone knows what they mean: Many famous brand names have abbreviations and meanings behind them.
Stuttgart - We come across brand names every day: a commercial on the radio, posters at the train station or simply on the supermarket shelf.
Advertising slogans have also become irrevocably burned into the minds of many people.
But very few people think about what the abbreviations of many brand names are all about.
The fact that there is an abbreviation behind many names only becomes apparent to most people when they hear their meaning.
Or would you have known that the textile discounter Kik stands for “Customer is King”?
Clever abbreviations, funny combinations or clever translations – that's what lies behind 14 well-known brand names.
1. Milka: milk cocoa
Many people associate Milka with the color purple and the Milka cow.
However, hardly anyone knows what the name stands for.
© IPA Photo/Imago
The brand name Milka is made up of two words: “milk” and “cocoa”.
The name Milka is intended to symbolize the brand's main ingredients.
The brand was first introduced in 1901 by Swiss chocolatier Philippe Suchard.
It was originally produced and sold in Switzerland before later becoming known in other countries.
Today, Milka is one of the best-known chocolate brands in the world and belongs to the US food company Mondelēz International.
2. Hanuta: hazelnut table
The name Hanuta contains the main ingredient and the type of product: hazelnut and table.
© IMAGO / Lem
Hanuta is made up of the words “hazelnut” and “table”.
The chocolate specialty from Ferrero was first brought onto the market in Germany in 1962.
Hanuta consists of a crispy wafer filled with hazelnut cream, which is covered in a layer of chocolate and hazelnut pieces.
The name Hanuta is therefore intended to represent the main ingredient and the type of product.
Today Hanuta is one of the best-known chocolate brands in Germany and is also sold in many other countries.
3. Nutella: “little nuts”
The Nutella brand belongs to the Italian company Ferrero.
© IMAGO
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Nutella is a must on most breakfast tables in Germany.
The brand name Nutella stands for “nut” and “ella”, a short form of “cioccolata” (Italian for chocolate).
The chocolate hazelnut cream is produced by the Italian company Ferrero.
The product was first developed in the 1940s when there was a hazelnut shortage in Italy and Ferrero came up with the idea of producing a sweet spread alternative.
Today Nutella is one of Ferrero's best-known brands and is sold in many countries around the world.
However, the spread recently performed poorly in the eco-test.
4. Edeka
Edeka is one of the oldest and best-known supermarkets in Germany.
© Schöning/Imago
The name Edeka is an abbreviation and stands for “Purchasing Cooperative of Colonial Goods Dealers in the Halleschen Gate District in Berlin” (also called “Colonial Goods Dealers Association”).
The company was founded in Berlin in 1907 and was originally a cooperative of retailers who came together to buy and sell their goods together.
Today Edeka is one of the largest food retailers in Germany and operates a large number of supermarkets and branches in many European countries.
The name Edeka has now become a brand and is often used as a synonym for supermarkets and grocery stores.
5. Rewe
Rewe is one of the leading food retailers in Germany.
© Michael Gstettenbauer/Imago
Similar to Edeka, the full name of Rewe would be difficult to remember, because REWE is the abbreviation for “Revisionsverband der Westkauf-Genossenschafts”.
The short version is much easier to say.
6. O.B
It has now become synonymous with tampon: OB © Federico Gambarini
Many people have probably never thought about this name, because many people also use the term OB as a synonym for a tampon.
There is actually an abbreviation behind the brand of the manufacturer Johnson & Johnson: The name OB stands for “without pad” and is intended to indicate that it is a tampon that does not require a pad.
7.NKD
Would you have known?
The name NKD refers to the retail chain's offering.
© dpa (symbol image)
The German retail chain NKD offers fashion and textiles at affordable prices.
This concept is also hidden behind the name: NKD stands for “Niedrig Calculated Discount”.
The chain was founded in 1962 and today operates more than 1,800 stores in Europe.
8. Vileda
The name Vileda is intended to be reminiscent of the cleaning brand's first product.
© Uwe Anspach/picture alliance/dpa
Whether it's a mop, broom or cleaning cloth: Vileda's product range is comprehensive.
The name Vileda is said to stand for “like leather” because the brand’s first product was a synthetic leather cleaner.
9. Haribo
In Germany, Haribo stocks over 200 different bag and piece items.
© IMAGO/mix1press
“Haribo makes children happy, and adults too” – this saying is burned into the minds of consumers in Germany.
Far fewer people know what the name Haribo stands for: The name Haribo stands for the company's founder, Hans Riegel, and for the company headquarters in Bonn.
10. Lego
A must in every child's room: Lego bricks.
© Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa
Fun for children, painful landmines for adults: Lego building blocks can probably be found in every German children's room.
The inventor, however, comes from Denmark.
The name Lego is an abbreviation of the Danish word “leg godt”, which means “play well”.
The toy has now not only achieved cult status, but has also become an investment.
Some Lego bricks are worth a lot of money.
11. Persil
“Persil.
“You know what you have” – this advertising slogan is permanently remembered by many consumers.
© monticello/Panthermedia/Imago
The Persil detergent brand is produced by the German company Henkel.
The name Persil is said to stand for “perborate” and “silicate,” the two main ingredients of the detergent.
12. Coca Cola
In 1886, John Stith Pemberton invented the formula for Coca-Cola in Atlanta, laying the foundation for a success story.
© DPA
The name Coca-Cola originally stood for the drink's main ingredients, namely coca leaves and cola nuts.
However, today the drink is no longer made from these ingredients, but from a secret formula of flavors and ingredients.
The caffeinated drink is still a complete success.
The fourth quarter of 2022 went better for the Atlanta-based beverage giant than initially expected.
13. Obi
The name of the hardware store company Obi comes from the French pronunciation of the word “hobby”.
© Hanno Bode/Imago
With 351 locations, the DIY store company OBI operated the most branches within Europe in its home market of Germany in 2021.
Co-founder Manfred Maus bought the company name Obi for 3,000 francs from businessmen who ran a hardware store with that name in France.
The name comes from the French pronunciation of the word “hobby”.
14th level
An experiment by Dr.
In 1911, Oskar Troplowitz worked on combining water and oils into a cream.
The result was the Nivea cream.
© dpa
In 1911, the German pharmacist Oscar Troplowitz worked on combining water and oils into a cream.
When he finally succeeded, the end result was a snow-white cream.
And that's exactly what the pharmacist named his invention: "Nivea" comes from the Latin word "nix, nivis", which translates as snow.