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The Ultimate List of Eponyms Examples: Brands that OWN the Market

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.

kleenex box
This list is incomplete. I want all of us to add to it. Leave comments and I will update.

  1. Band-Aid : Bandage : Owned by Johnson & Johnson
  2. Coke : Delicious soda : Owned by Coca-Cola
  3. Escalator : Escalator : Owned by Otis Corporation
  4. FedEx : Overnight Mail : Owned by FedEx
  5. Google : Search : Owned by Google
  6. Jeep : Truck : Owned by Chrysler
  7. Jell-o : Gelatin : Owned by Kraft Foods
  8. Kleenex : Tissues : Owned by Kimberly-Clark
  9. Lazyboy : Recliner : Owned by La-z-boy
  10. Legos : Plastic blocks : Owned by Lego Group
  11. Netflix : DVDs by Mail : Owned by Netflix
  12. Polaroid : Instant Photos: Owned by Polaroid
  13. Post-it Notes : Sticky Paper : Owned by 3M
  14. Q-Tip : Cotton Swab : Owned by Kimberly-Clark
  15. Rollerblade : Roller skates : Owned by Rollerblade
  16. Saltines : Crackers : Owned by Nabisco
  17. Scotch Tape : Tape : Owned by 3M
  18. Sharpie : Marker : Owned by Sanford
  19. Taser : Electronic Shock Device : Owned by Taser
  20. Tivo : Digital Recorder : Owned by Tivo
  21. The Club : Anti-Theft Device : Owned by Winner
  22. Tobasco : Hot Sauce : Owned by Heinz
  23. Tylenol : Headaches / Acetaminophen : Owned by Johnson & Johnson
  24. Walkman : Tape Player : Owned by Sony
  25. Windex : Window Cleaner : SC Johnson
  26. Vaseline : Petroleum Jelly : Owned by Chesebrough-Pond’s
  27. Xerox : Copies : Owned by Xerox
  28. ChapStick : Lip Balm : Owned by Pfizer
  29. Velcro : Hook-And-Loop Fastner : Owned by Velcro
  30. Crock-Pot : Slow Cooker : Owned by Crock-Pot/SunBeam Products

Eponym and Brand Family

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100 responses to “The Ultimate List of Eponyms Examples: Brands that OWN the Market”

Dave
June 26, 2023 at 9:38 am

Plexiglas is a brand of PMMA or acrylic glass. Most folks I know tend to label any clear acrylic pane as either plexi or plexiglass.

AMPS
March 17, 2023 at 5:52 pm

Please add tater tots, which is owned by Ore-Ida

Yui
February 27, 2023 at 5:57 am

Panadol = paracetamol/acetaminophen
Pampers = diapers
Clorox = bleach
Tupperware = containers
Thermos = flask
Dumpster = trash bin
Escalator = moving stairs by Otis elevator
Styrofoam = polystyrene foam
Taser = shock device

Bec
November 14, 2022 at 9:23 pm

Q~Tips

Isidore
September 11, 2022 at 4:12 pm

Wow

Julia
August 21, 2022 at 11:08 pm

Kotex

Julia
August 21, 2022 at 11:06 pm

Clorox

wealey
June 9, 2022 at 9:20 pm

apple

Jay
April 28, 2022 at 9:15 pm

Advil

Dan Egley
March 26, 2022 at 1:54 pm

PowerPoint : a projected visual aid : Owned by Microsoft

RC
December 1, 2021 at 6:32 pm

Popsicle!

RC
December 1, 2021 at 6:23 pm

Chapstick
Popsicle

Kiki
July 10, 2021 at 4:51 pm

Nice list. U have xerox twice

Alf
February 10, 2022 at 7:25 pm

Cuz it was xeroxed ?

Kyle
March 3, 2021 at 1:29 am

Sheetrock and Drywall : gypsum wall board

John
February 10, 2021 at 6:29 pm

X-Acto: Hobby Knife: Owned by Elmer’s Products, Inc.

Nilda
January 29, 2021 at 11:55 am

Kotex: Feminine pads

Preeti Mathur
October 8, 2020 at 10:14 am

Zoom for video conferencing or virtual communication

Preeti Mathur
October 8, 2020 at 10:15 am

oops–did not see someone already posted that.

Bill Martocci
September 16, 2020 at 2:57 pm

ShopVac

Sara
June 16, 2020 at 4:51 pm

FaceTime (video call by mobile phone)
Zoom (video conference call by computer)

Deryn
May 29, 2020 at 7:21 pm

Hoover. We are actually vacuuming when we say Hoovering.

Jeremiah Parry-Hill
May 19, 2020 at 4:49 pm

Dremel is eponymous with powered hand tools for fine work.

Laura
March 21, 2020 at 6:23 pm

Crockpot

Dante L Hunter
February 20, 2020 at 9:53 pm

Pampers = diapers owned by Pampers

Grace Gong
January 6, 2020 at 3:47 pm

Velcro

Carleen
October 16, 2019 at 4:35 pm

Chapstick

NK
August 30, 2019 at 2:49 pm

A1 (Steak) Sauce: Owned by Kraft Foods

Mel West
July 13, 2019 at 5:36 am

Formica – plastic laminate

DK Metcalf
August 29, 2019 at 9:05 pm

WWE for professional wrestling

Jon Martin
July 3, 2019 at 10:23 am

Depending on when you grew up, Nintendo might also be on this list. I know my parents (and many other people’s parents) referred to ANY game system as a “Nintendo” for a while.

Jared Grigg
May 10, 2019 at 8:39 am

“Tater-Tots” is a registered trademark of Ore-Ida (founded by my grandfather and his brother who invented the Tater-Tot) ~ I constantly see menus listing ‘Tater-Tots’ as an option but invariably find out they are not serving Ore-Ida. The “Tater-Tot” is at the top of my eponym ist 🙂

ftw
October 28, 2019 at 3:39 pm

gummie bears

Billy
March 19, 2019 at 12:07 pm

this was great 😉

Stine
December 12, 2018 at 10:56 pm

Velcro : hook and loop fasteners : Owned by Velcro BVBA

simon
November 20, 2018 at 12:41 am

more:

netflix, squatty potty, uber

Diane
August 18, 2018 at 9:44 am

Tupperware is missing

Niki
July 29, 2018 at 4:03 pm

You’re missing Koozie!

Ryan Gakeler
June 30, 2018 at 6:45 pm

Frisbee should be on the list. A flying disc made by Wham-O. Also, my father says so.

Batman2
June 22, 2018 at 7:00 pm

how about Caterpillar as eponymous for bulldozer?

David Mollen
June 19, 2018 at 1:22 pm

Zip loc bags

Avery
October 25, 2017 at 10:24 am

Ziplock bag, Tator Tots and TiVo. A few more to consider.

Avery
October 25, 2017 at 10:25 am

Ace Bandage and Frisbee.

Tanner
October 23, 2017 at 12:52 am

Photoshop : Digitally photo edit : Owned by Adobe

Troy
July 24, 2017 at 11:49 am

You forgot about Popsicle

Judy
May 27, 2017 at 12:24 pm

Vaseline crisco and Vicks

Luke
March 21, 2017 at 6:32 pm

Crock pot
Vespa

Heath
September 22, 2016 at 12:30 am

How did you all miss hook and loop fasteners? — Velcro

David Sica
August 4, 2014 at 6:55 pm

Frisbee, chap stick, frisbee

RC
December 1, 2021 at 6:35 pm

What about frisbee?

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