What animal is the Reebok brand named after?

The Reebok brand is named after the rhebok, an African antelope.

The name was chosen in 1958 by brothers Jeff and Joe Foster, grandsons of running-shoe pioneer Joseph William Foster. They found “Reebok” in a dictionary that Joe had won in a sprint race as a boy. The word is associated with the Afrikaans name for the grey rhebok, a swift antelope native to southern Africa.

A common mix-up is with springbok, another well-known southern African antelope. The animals are related, but they are distinct species, so springbok is not the source of Reebok’s name. Oryx and gazelle are also antelopes, but neither supplied the brand name.

Reebok began in Bolton, England, as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons. Its animal-inspired name later became globally familiar as the company expanded into the United States during the late 1970s and rose rapidly during the 1980s fitness boom.