There are so many products where the name of it is what the market calls it. You know like when you say I want a Kleenex. You actually want a Tissue but Kimberly-Clark did a great job getting us to call it Kleenex instead. Here’s a list of eponyms and examples of eponyms.
- Band-Aid : Bandage : Owned by Johnson & Johnson
- Coke : Delicious soda : Owned by Coca-Cola
- Escalator : Escalator : Owned by Otis Corporation
- FedEx : Overnight Mail : Owned by FedEx
- Google : Search : Owned by Google
- Jeep : Truck : Owned by Chrysler
- Jell-o : Gelatin : Owned by Kraft Foods
- Kleenex : Tissues : Owned by Kimberly-Clark
- Lazyboy : Recliner : Owned by La-z-boy
- Legos : Plastic blocks : Owned by Lego Group
- Netflix : DVDs by Mail : Owned by Netflix
- Polaroid : Instant Photos: Owned by Polaroid
- Post-it Notes : Sticky Paper : Owned by 3M
- Q-Tip : Cotton Swab : Owned by Kimberly-Clark
- Rollerblade : Roller skates : Owned by Rollerblade
- Saltines : Crackers : Owned by Nabisco
- Scotch Tape : Tape : Owned by 3M
- Sharpie : Marker : Owned by Sanford
- Taser : Electronic Shock Device : Owned by Taser
- Tivo : Digital Recorder : Owned by Tivo
- The Club : Anti-Theft Device : Owned by Winner
- Tobasco : Hot Sauce : Owned by Heinz
- Tylenol : Headaches / Acetaminophen : Owned by Johnson & Johnson
- Walkman : Tape Player : Owned by Sony
- Windex : Window Cleaner : SC Johnson
- Vaseline : Petroleum Jelly : Owned by Chesebrough-Pond’s
- Xerox : Copies : Owned by Xerox
- ChapStick : Lip Balm : Owned by Pfizer
- Velcro : Hook-And-Loop Fastner : Owned by Velcro
- Crock-Pot : Slow Cooker : Owned by Crock-Pot/SunBeam Products
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109 responses to “The Ultimate List of Eponyms Examples: Brands that OWN the Market”
In England we have Sellotape (Scotch Tape), and air horns are often referred to as Klaxon horns or just Klaxons.
Channel locks! I just learned this.