22 Brand Acronyms and Initials You Wish You Knew

We see them everywhere. They're in our closets and drawers, on our streets, and on our shelves. Hiding in plain sight just waiting to be unfolded and spelled out. Here is a list of some of the most common acronyms and initials you see everyday but have no idea what they mean.


 1.BMW- BMW means Bayerische Motoren Werke or 'Bavarian Motor Works'
















2.CVS- Consumer Value Stores

























3.A&W- Roy Allen and Frank Wright























4.M&M's- Mars & Murries, a famous partnership between the candy creators
























5.3M- Minnesota Mining Manufacturing


















6.Kmart- After the founder Sebastian S. Kresge























7.JCPenney- James Cash Penney





















 8.L.L. Bean- Named after its founder Leon Leonwood Bean





















9.ZIP Code- ZIP or 'Zone Improvement Plan'
























10.Hunter S. Thompson- Hunter Stockton Thompson




















11.YKK- You'll find these familiar letters on nearly every zipper YKK stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikigaisha translating to 'Yoshida Manufacturing Corporation'















12.J.R.R. Tolkien-John Reuel Tolkien


























13.GEICO- Government Employees Insurance Company


















14.CC Sabathia- Carsten Charles Sabathia





















15.NECCO- New England Confectionary Company

16.F.A.O. Schwarz- Co-founder Frederick August Otto Schwarz




















17.ALF- Alien Life Form
























18.AT&T- American Telephone & Telegraph

19.DHL- Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillbolm and Robert Lynn



















20.IBM- International Business Machine






















21.TASER- Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle






















22.NASDAQ- National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System

So there it is. Twenty Two of the most common abbreviations around. Next time you see one can impress your friends with your giant knowledge filled brain. Just remember where you got that knowledge and keep coming back!