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Bluetooth technology has become ubiquitous since it was developed in the late 1990s, and its brand name is now synonymous with the product itself: It's a wireless method of pairing two different technologies using a short-range radio signal, such as linking a headset with a cellular phone. The product's etymology has been the stuff of modern legend. The most enduring story is that Bluetooth company name was taken from the nickname of a Viking king who ruled during the 10th century and is credited with originally uniting Scandinavia. It's enduring because it's true. Engineer Jim Kardach came up with the name in 1997: As Gizmodo reported in 2014: In Kardach's own words, the idea was developed during a while out drinking with colleague Sven Mattisson, where they were unsuccessfully pitching tech companies on the product: That unity made Bluetooth an appealing working name, since it securely builds networks (thereby unifying them) and playd to Kardach's love of history. The name stuck. King Harald Blåtand Gormsson, also known as King Harald I, is remembered for unifying Denmark, converting the Danes to Christianity, and conquering Norway: It is thought that his nickname was Blåtand (Blátǫnn in Old Norse), meaning Blue Tooth, because he had a dead tooth that had turned bluish. As Kardach wrote, the name was intended to just be a working title, but the alternatives were evidently forgettable (and in at least one case, cringe-inducing): The Viking era did not last long after King Harald, ending by the middle of the 11th century; Gormsson died around the year 986, reportedly during an uprising led by his own son, Sweyn. However, the original Bluetooth's legacy lives on every time devices are successfully paired. The name is worked into the logo, as well: in it, you can see the Nordic runes that form the letters H and B, which stand for Harald and Bluetooth.
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