Tales behind goodies

What does "Doritos" mean? The naming of our favourite snacks

Image: Nelly Antoniadou

Doritos, Kit Kats, Oreos… We don’t think twice about the names of these products when we pick them up. It feels like those words have been in our vocabulary forever –and, indeed, the history of some of these brands exceeds our lifetimes! Today, we want to look into the motives and creative associations that gave birth to the names of the world’s favourite snacks.

Image: DENİZ ÇAĞLUSU

The name Doritos is thought to come from the Spanish doradito, meaning "little golden thing". A fitting description for the bright, fried tortilla chips, don’t you think?

Their story begins in the 1960s at Disneyland, where a restaurant run by Frito-Lay began repurposing leftover tortillas by cutting and frying them instead of tossing them.

Image: Obi

Launched by Nabisco in 1934, Ritz crackers were named to conjure an image of luxury in the middle of the Great Depression.

"Ritz" evoked the glamour of the Ritz hotels, offering people a small "bite of the good life" during hard times.

Image: Justin

Kit Kat snacks were born as "Rowntree’s Chocolate Crisp" in the UK. Not very catchy.

However, they were eventually rebranded with a name inspired by London’s 18th-century "Kit-Cat Club," a gathering spot for political and literary figures. And "Kit Kat" was certainly easier to market globally!

Image: No Revisions

Nabisco trademarked Oreo in 1912, but they never explained the true meaning of their cookie’s name. Theories abound: some say it comes from the French or ("gold"), others suggest the Greek oreo ("mountain"), or that it was simply a short, punchy word chosen to be memorable.

Image: Shyam Mishra

When Mars introduced this nougat, caramel, and peanut bar, they named it after the family’s favorite horse, Snickers.

The bar went on to become one of the best-selling candies in the world, though in the UK it was marketed for decades as "Marathon" before aligning with the global name.

Image: Midas Hofstra

Another favourite treat launched in the UK! Twix got its name as a clever contraction of "twin sticks," referring to the two cookie-and-caramel bars packaged side by side.

It was important for the name to indicate the bar’s unique double format, which would set it apart from single-stick competitors like Mars or Milky Way.

Image: Oksana Zub

The two "Ms" derive from Forrest Mars and Bruce Murrie, the unlikely business partners who brought the candy.

Mars had the recipe for chocolate coated in a hard shell (inspired by similar treats eaten by Spanish soldiers), while Murrie, son of Hershey’s president, secured access to wartime chocolate supplies.

Image: Giorgio Trovato

Originally styled as "Chee-tos," the name was meant to be playful, quirky, and easy for kids to say. And, of course, to remind them of cheese!

The brand took off nationally after partnering with Frito-Lay, and later introduced the mascot Chester Cheetah, which became a snack-world cultural icon.

Image: Zoshua Colah

Lay’s logo and bright colors are a signature aesthetic, but the origin of their name is quite straightforward: The brand was founded by Herman W. Lay.

This chip company was one of the first to successfully market packaged potato chips nationwide in the US.

Image: Michelle Riach

The bite-sized chocolate drops earned the name "Kisses" from their smooch-like shape and possibly the gentle kissing sound made by early machines. Today, Kisses remain one of the company’s signature products.

Image: Zoshua Colah

The name of Kellogg’s toaster pastry was a pun on the trendy Pop Art movement of the era, the 60s. Funnily enough, nowadays, some people might struggle to define pop art, but they can certainly describe the snack!

Image: Nikolaos Kofidis

Did you know that Ferrero’s famous spread began as a wartime improvisation? Scarce cocoa was mixed with hazelnuts, and it soon became the crowd’s favourite.

It first appeared as Giandujot, then Supercrema, before Michele Ferrero rebranded it, combining the English word "nut" with the friendly Italian-sounding suffix "-ella."

Image: Safwan C K

Created in Switzerland by Theodor Tobler, the bar fused his family name with torrone, the Italian word for nougat. Its triangular shape was a nod to Alpine peaks that are also a trademark of their packaging. It remains one of the most iconic Swiss exports.

NAME ANCESTRY

14 Surprising Origin Stories Behind State Names In The USA

Image: Pin Adventure Map

Ever wondered where most US states’ names come from? From Native American roots to foreign or made-up words, the stories behind many of them are riddled with surprising historical references. Although the origin of some US states’ names is fairly obvious, many derive from unexpected people or places. The origin of names like Colorado, Montana, or Nevada are easy to infer —especially if you know a bit of Spanish— but many others have Native American origins with intriguing meanings. Some are even derived from fiction. If you ever wanted to know where names like Oregon, Connecticut, or Wisconsin come from, you are in the right place. Enjoy the surprising etymologies behind some of the names that make our country.

Image: Joshua Woroniecki

Interestingly, for a state whose main economic activity is agriculture, the word Alabama comes from the Choctaw language and can be translated as "plant-cutters" or "vegetation pickers", recalling the farming practices of the Native Americans that lived in this area.

Image: olio creative

Alaska is a corruption of an Aleut word that means "mainland", but can be translated literally as "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed". This is one of those names that manage to bring poetry into a word as simple and down-to-earth as land.

Image: Vital Sinkevich

This one comes from… a Spanish adventure novel! Bet you didn’t expect that. In Las Sergas de Esplandin by Garcia Ordez de Montalvo, a book from the 1500s, there is a fictional place called the "Island of California". Even when the modern state of California is clearly not an island, some die-hard fanatic of the novel decided to bring the name to life here in the U.S.

Image: Juliette Dickens

Derived from the Algonquian word quinnehtukqut, which can be translated as "besides the long tidal river", in reference to the river Connecticut. If you are wondering what the "tidal" part means exactly, this is because the Connecticut River's flow and level are effectively influenced by tides along much of its course. Certainly some amazing insight into the rigorous knowledge of local hydrology that Native Americans managed to accrue over the centuries.

Image: Luke McKeown

Although the origin of this name is disputed, there are two main theories. One suggests that the islands may have been named after Hawaii Loa, their traditional discoverer. However, others have speculated that it is actually derived from the ancient Polynesian word hawaiki, meaning "place of the gods".

Image: NEOM

Another crazy one. Although the name was first claimed to be derived from a Shoshone word that meant "Gem of the Mountains", it is highly likely that the word was fabricated by George M. Willing, and meant as a practical joke.

Image: Stéfano Girardelli

Quite literally, "land of Indians", using a Latin suffix. The word Indians originally referred to the ancient dwellers of the shores of the Indus River, in South and Central Asia.

Image: NOAA

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore!" said Dorothy, from The Wizard of Oz, right after a rampant tornado literally lifted her house in the air and took it to God knows where. Well, this US state’s fame for violent winds predates even the first settlers, since Kansas is a Native American word used by the Dakota, strongly related to the idea of "wind".

Image: Drew Beamer

This state owes its name to an Iroquoian word that means "land of tomorrow". Quite a blockbuster-worthy movie title, if you ask me.

Image: Mercedes Mehling

The origin story behind the name of "The Pine Tree State" is still disputed. However, there are some interesting theories. One states that it derives from "mainland", as a form of distinction from the many coastal islands in the vicinity. Other theories propose that it was named in honor of Henrietta Maria, queen of England, or after the province of Mayne in France.

Image: Anthony Cantin

To the Native Americans that lived in this region, Missouri meant "town of the large canoes", as the Missouri tribes were renowned for their skill in making dugout canoes.

Image: Ashley Levinson

A largely disputed one. Many suggest that the name has Spanish origins, being similar to other words like orejón (meaning "big ear") or orégano, in reference to a type of plant (similar to the Mediterranean oregano) that grows in the southern part of the state.

Image: Donnie Rosie

This is the only state that has a part of its founder’s name in it. It is widely believed that Pennsylvania means "Penn’s Woodland", and was named as such in honor of Sir William Penn, father of its founder William Penn.

Image: Brydon McCluskey

This is probably a French corruption of a native Miami word that meant "it lies red" or "river running through a red place", in reference to the bed of the river Wisconsin.

If our quick dive into the peculiar world of US state names wasn’t enough to quench your curiosity, stay around! We will keep uploading more content related to language and the weird stories and etymologies behind many English and foreign words.