What was Amazon's original company name before changing it?

Amazon’s original company name was Cadabra. Jeff Bezos incorporated the business as Cadabra, Inc. in 1994 while developing an online bookstore, before changing the name to Amazon.

The name Cadabra was inspired by the magic expression “abracadabra,” reflecting Bezos’s early vision of making an extraordinary transformation in retail. However, the name was not ideal in conversation: Bezos’s lawyer reportedly heard it as “cadaver,” a word associated with a dead body.

Bezos chose Amazon after looking through a dictionary for a stronger, more distinctive name. The Amazon River suggested immense scale, matching his ambition to build a very large online store. The company became Amazon.com, Inc.; “Abracadabra” was never the company’s actual original name, although it inspired Cadabra.