Cheerios was originally called CheeriOats when General Mills introduced the cereal in 1941.
The name emphasized the cereal’s main ingredient, oats. General Mills changed the name to Cheerios in 1945 after a trademark dispute involving the word “oats.” The familiar toasted oat rings remained the product’s defining shape.
Cheerios is made primarily from whole-grain oats and is marketed as a breakfast cereal, although it is also commonly eaten as a snack. Honey Nut Cheerios, introduced in 1979, later became one of the brand’s best-known varieties.
A common mix-up is assuming the cereal was always called Cheerios. Its first four years of production used the CheeriOats name, making the change a notable part of the product’s history.