10 Indian Brand Names With The Strangest Origins

15 JUNE, 2023

Dristi Sharma

GIF: Unsplash

Recently a Twitter user, Vivek Raju, pointed out some brand name origins that left users shocked. These surprising name origins shed light on unexpected stories of our favourite brands. 

Today years old

Photo:  Jaquar Asia

Jaquar (no, not Jaguar) is a famous Indian manufacturer of sanitaryware. The name is derived from the name of founder Mehra Brothers' grandmother, Jai Kaur.

1.  Jaquar

Photo: Havells

The brand name Havells is derived from the name of its founder, Haveli Ram Gandhi. It is a prominent electrical equipment company in India.

2. Havells

Photo: India Today

A former famous Indian multinational pharmaceutical company, Ranbaxy, derives its name from the combination of the names of its founders, Ranbir and Gurbax Singh.

3. Ranbaxy

Photo: Lakme

Lakmé is a renowned Indian cosmetics brand. The name is derived from Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth.

4. Lakmé

Photo: Chik

Chik is a popular old brand of haircare products. The brand name Chik is derived from the name of the founder's father, Chinni Krishnan.

5. Chik

Photo:  Mapro

Mapro is famous for producing fruit-based products like jam. Mapro is an abbreviation of 'Mahabaleshwar Products', where they first sold their product.

6. Mapro

Video: Twitter/@lepanigeria

The brand name Parle is derived from the name of the suburb Ville Parle in Mumbai, India, where the company was originally established.

7. Parle

Photo: Nykaa

Nykaa, the famous e-commerce platform specialising in beauty and wellness products, derives its name from the Sanskrit word 'Nayaka', which means a leader or guide.

8. Nykaa

Photo: Vicco

The brand name Vicco Turmeric Cream is derived from the name of the company that produces it, Vishnu Industrial Chemical Company.

9. Vicco Turmeric Cream

Photo: Vicco

The brand name Voltas is a combination of the names of its two founding partners, Volkart and Tatas.  It is an Indian engineering company that specialises in ACs and refrigerators. 

10. Voltas