Brand Name Pivot Stories: Companies That Changed Names and Won

Renaming Can Work — When It's Strategic

Changing your brand name feels terrifying. You're abandoning whatever equity you've built. But sometimes a name change is exactly what a company needs to unlock growth. These stories prove it.

Famous Name Pivots

Google (Originally: BackRub)

Larry Page and Sergey Brin's search engine was originally called "BackRub" — a reference to analyzing backlinks. They renamed it "Google," a play on "googol" (the number 1 followed by 100 zeros), to represent the vast amount of information the engine could search.

Why it worked: "Google" is short, fun to say, and suggests enormous scale without explaining the technology. "BackRub" sounds like a massage service. The name change happened before the public launch, making it painless.

Lesson: Name before you're known. If your name isn't right, change it while your audience is small.

Nike (Originally: Blue Ribbon Sports)

Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman started as "Blue Ribbon Sports" in 1964, importing Japanese running shoes. They renamed to "Nike" in 1971 after the Greek goddess of victory.

Why it worked: "Nike" is short, mythological, and carries victory associations. "Blue Ribbon Sports" was descriptive but forgettable and limiting. The new name supported the brand's evolution from shoe distributor to global athletic icon.

Lesson: A name that supports your ambition can enable growth that a descriptive name limits.

Shopify (Originally: Snowdevil)

Tobias Lütke built an online store to sell snowboards and named it "Snowdevil." When he realized the e-commerce platform was more valuable than the snowboard business, he renamed it "Shopify."

Why it worked: "Shopify" clearly communicates what the platform does while being distinctive enough to own. "Snowdevil" would have limited the platform to winter sports associations forever.

Lesson: When your business pivots, your name must pivot too. A product-specific name on a platform company creates permanent confusion.

Instagram (Originally: Burbn)

Kevin Systrom's original app "Burbn" was a location-based check-in app. When the team noticed users only cared about the photo-sharing feature, they stripped everything else and renamed it "Instagram" — a portmanteau of "instant camera" and "telegram."

Why it worked: "Instagram" perfectly describes the product's core function (instant photo sharing) while being catchy and memorable. "Burbn" was obscure and unrelated to photography.

Lesson: Your name should describe what your product actually does, not what you originally planned for it to do.

PayPal (Originally: Confinity)

The company that became PayPal was originally called "Confinity," a combination of "confidence" and "infinity." After merging with Elon Musk's X.com, the combined entity chose "PayPal" as the consumer-facing brand.

Why it worked: "PayPal" is brilliantly simple — it tells you exactly what it does (pay) and how it feels (like a pal, a friend). "Confinity" was abstract and corporate. "X.com" was vague.

Lesson: Simple, descriptive names that communicate both function and feeling outperform clever abstractions.

Stripe (Originally: /dev/payments)

Patrick and John Collison's payment processing company was originally called "/dev/payments" — a reference to the Unix file system that only developers would understand.

Why it worked: "Stripe" is short, visual, and suggests the stripe on a credit card without being literal. "/dev/payments" would have limited them to developer-only perception.

Lesson: Inside jokes and technical references don't scale as brand names. Choose names that work for your broadest future audience.

When to Consider a Name Change

You've Pivoted

If your product or market has fundamentally changed, your original name may be anchoring you to an old identity.

You Can't Expand

If your name limits you to one geography, product, or audience and you're ready to grow beyond it, a new name can unlock that growth.

There's a Legal Problem

Trademark conflicts, cease-and-desist letters, or confusingly similar competitors may force a change.

The Name Is Actively Hurting You

If customers mispronounce, misspell, or misunderstand your name consistently, the friction is costing you real revenue.

How to Pivot Successfully

1. Get the Timing Right

Change your name when your audience is small enough that the disruption is manageable but large enough that you have some market feedback.

2. Prepare the New Name Thoroughly

Validate the new name even more carefully than the original. You don't want to pivot twice.

3. Communicate the Change

Tell your existing customers why you're changing. A thoughtful announcement turns a disruption into a story.

4. Redirect Everything

Set up 301 redirects, update all profiles, and run both names in parallel during the transition.

5. Commit Fully

Half-measures create confusion. Once you've decided, execute completely and quickly.

Validate Before You Pivot

A name change is disruptive — make sure the new name is worth the disruption. Check availability across all platforms before committing.

Use BrandScout to validate your new brand name across domains, social media, and trademarks before making the switch.