The Mercedes-Benz brand was created in 1926. It emerged when Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) merged with Benz & Cie. to form Daimler-Benz AG on June 28, 1926.
The name joined two pioneering automobile traditions: the Mercedes cars developed by DMG and the Benz name associated with Carl Benz, whose Patent-Motorwagen was patented in 1886. “Mercedes” itself had already been used by DMG since 1901, after automobile promoter Emil Jellinek named a car after his daughter, Mercédès Jellinek.
A common mix-up is confusing the brand’s 1926 creation with the earlier history of its predecessor companies. Mercedes cars existed before 1926, and the Mercedes name was trademarked in 1902, but “Mercedes-Benz” became the combined brand after the merger. The three-pointed star is also older than the Mercedes-Benz name, having been associated with Daimler before the merger.