People are only just realising the real meaning behind Nike’s name – and you’ve been saying it wrong this whole time
MOST of us have have owned a pair of Nike trainers in our lives – but have you ever wondered what the popular brand name means?
The origins of the name Nike are older than you might think.
The company is in fact named after the Greek Goddess of victory and dates back thousands of years.
The brand started out as Blue Ribbon Sports, and was founded by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight in 1964.
By 1971 the company needed a new name – and came up with Nike.
Greek Goddess Nike is often depicted with famous athletes, symbolising their victories, making it a suitable name for a sportswear brand.
Olympic Games medals bear her image today.
Nike sponsors many high profile athletes and the trademark ‘swoosh’ logo represents the wing of the Greek goddess Nike.
But Alexander Meddings, postgraduate in Roman History, hints that there is another meaning attached to Nike’s wing – “that victory is fleeting, and just as it can fall quickly at your feet so too can it disappear in an instant.”
It turns out we’ve all been saying the word wrong too.
The Greek Goddess Nike is pronounced with emphasis on the ‘e’.
One Twitter user said: “We should all say NIKE to rhyme with “spikey” because Nike was the Greek goddess of victory and they pronounced the “e”, just like we say Penelope with the “e” sound because it’s Greek”
Another said: “Nike is pronounced Ny-Kee because it is named after the Greek Goddess of Victory.”
This comes after a major change to Nike was announced after outcry from celebs including David Beckham.
People also recently discovered the meaning of the word Turquoise, and the true flavour of the green haribo.