The original brand name Rudolf Dassler used before “Puma” was Ruda. The name was formed from “Ru” in Rudolf and “Da” in Dassler, creating a short label for his new company.
Rudolf Dassler established the business after splitting from his brother Adolf in 1948. The brothers had previously operated the Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Adolf later created Adidas from his nickname “Adi” and the first three letters of Dassler, while Rudolf initially chose Ruda.
The name did not last long. Rudolf changed the company name to Puma Schuhfabrik Rudolf Dassler, and the Puma brand was registered in 1948. The puma was chosen to suggest athletic qualities such as speed, strength, endurance and agility.
This history explains why “Gebrüder Dassler” is not the answer: that was the brothers’ earlier shared company, not Rudolf’s first independent brand. Adidas was Adolf’s post-split brand, while Ruda belonged to Rudolf’s side of the family business.