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Tue, 21 Aug 2012 11:51:47 GMT | By Kim Peterson, MSN Money
How 12 top brands got their names

Coca-Cola's came from its ingredients, but what about Oreo? Here's how some companies and products came to be known by the names we all recognize.

Coca-Cola's came from its ingredients, but what about Oreo? Here's how some companies and products came to be known by the names we all recognize. (© Paul Sakuma/AP Photo; Joe Skipper/Reuters; Seth Perlman/File/AP Photo)
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  • Coca-Cola's came from its ingredients, but what about Oreo? Here's how some companies and products came to be known by the names we all recognize. (© Paul Sakuma/AP Photo; Joe Skipper/Reuters; Seth Perlman/File/AP Photo)
  • Betty James came up with the name 'Slinky' while looking through a dictionary in 1944. (© Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
  • Frank Mason Robinson is credited with coming up with Coca-Cola's name. (© Christian Hartmann/Reuters)
  • No one knows where the name 'Oreo' comes from. (© Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)
  • The original name for the Google search engine was 'BackRub'. (© Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)
  • The baking soda company known as Arm & Hammer only acquired its name 21 years after the company was started. (© Mario Beauregard/The Canadian Press Images)
  • Before changing its name to Nike, the sporting goods company was called Blue Ribbon Sports. (© Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)
  • Starbucks was almost named 'Cargo House', according to Gordon Bowker, one of the company's founders. (© Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Think naming a baby is tough? Try naming a cookie. Or a company.

Picking a brand name is an art form. The name must be memorable and "sticky." It has to be easy to pick up and hard to put down. And you might have to live with your choice a long time, because a successful name will make its place in history.

Several companies have done it right. "Google" became an iconic brand name of the 21st century. Old-timers hit the jackpot when they came up with "Oreo," "Slinky" and "Coca-Cola."

Where did these names come from? As it turns out, each name on this list has an interesting story of creativity, resourcefulness and just plain luck.

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