20 common items you didn’t realize were named after people

Pilates is an ultra-popular form of workout, but it didn’t exist until a man named Joseph Pilates invented it. He invented the exercises to help people gain strength and flexibility after injury. 

If you ever find yourself doing pilates in a leotard, think of Joseph Pilates and Jules Leotard. The latter was a French trapeze artist for whom the popular garment was named. 

We owe John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, so much. The earl created what we now know as the sandwich, and his legacy has become far more famous than the peerage for which the iconic food item was named. 

Say what you want about aristocracy, but you can’t deny its impact. The cardigan was also named for an earl, James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan. Legend has it that he invented the garment. Whether he did or not, the sweater variant will forever bear his name. 

Salisbury steaks are too specific an invention not to be named for a specific person. The food item is named after James H. Salisbury, the man who first shaped ground beef into the shape of a steak. 

A decibel is a unit used to measure sound. The final syllable in the word, bel, came from Alexander Graham Bell, the man who invented the telephone.

If you’ve ever thought that the word zamboni is strange, you should feel terrible, because that’s someone’s name. Just kidding, no need to feel bad. But the word does come from a name. The inventor of the ice machine was Frank J. Zamboni. 

The saxophone is a mighty popular instrument, but it has only existed since 1846. It was patented by a man named Adolphe Sax, and you can probably guess which part of his name was used for the instrument's name. Hint: It was not his first name. 

Bloomers aren’t as popular as they once were, but near the time of their invention, they were an absolute wardrobe must. The name came from Amelia Bloomer, a women’s rights activist who advocated for women to wear pants. 

Obviously, macadamia nuts weren’t invented, but they did get their name from someone. Dr. Ferdinand von Mueller named the macadamia tree after his friend John Macadam, hence the name of the nuts. 

Murphy beds are wild, though they do have their place. We have a man named William Lawrence Murphy, the former president of the Murphy Bed and Door Company, to thank for the invention. 

A man named Sylvester Graham invented Graham crackers. And who can blame him for naming them after himself? Wouldn’t everyone give their name to their invention if their invention were that delicious?

The next time you’re frustrated trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube, don’t curse the store that sold you the toy. Instead, curse Erno Rubik, the man who invented the maddening 3D puzzle. 

Another delicious invention, nachos, was created on a whim by a man named Ignacio Anaya Garcia. He felt the snack warranted a name, so he used nacho as that was his nickname. 

Guillotine isn’t just some crazy French word; it’s a crazy French name. Okay, the name isn’t that unbelievable, but it is a wild invention named for a man called Joseph-Ignace Guillotin. The contraption was first called the louisette after its inventor, Antoine Louis, but it was later renamed as Guillotin advocated for its use. 

Tupperware is one of those words like Kleenex or Band-Aid. They’re actually brand names that are used now as common nouns. Tupperware is a food-storage brand, but the name is used to refer to all food storage, brand-name or not. And Tupperware’s inventor? Earl Tupper. 

The jacuzzi is also a now common word that comes from a brand name. And that brand name comes from the Jacuzzi family, the company's founders. 

Quick: Guess which Caesar you think the salad was named after? Nope, you’re wrong. It was actually named after Caesar Cardini, the man who invented it. 

So many tasty foods have been named after people. Pavlova is one such food. The tasty dessert was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, though she did not invent it herself. 

If you’ve ever thought that naming a person Guy is sort of strange, consider this: the name came before the term. We only call guys "guy" because of Guy Fawkes. Crazy, right?