Ask.com was originally known by what butler-themed name?

Ask.com was originally known as Ask Jeeves.

The service was founded in 1996 by Garrett Gruener and David Warthen in Berkeley, California. It launched publicly as Ask Jeeves in 1997, presenting a butler named Jeeves who symbolised the site’s promise to answer questions in ordinary, conversational language. The name referenced Jeeves, the valet character in P. G. Wodehouse’s stories about Bertie Wooster.

Ask Jeeves stood out from early search engines by emphasising natural-language questions as well as traditional keyword searches. Users could ask for help with subjects such as vocabulary, mathematics, and unit conversions. The company later acquired Teoma, whose technology strengthened its search capabilities, and InterActiveCorp acquired Ask Jeeves in 2005.

In February 2006, the company dropped “Jeeves” and adopted the shorter Ask.com name, although the mascot and branding returned in some markets for periods afterward. “Ask Carson,” “Ask Watson,” and “Ask Alfred” may sound like plausible assistants, but none was the service’s original name.