Ingvar Feodor Kamprad registered IKEA in 1943, using his initials and the names Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd.
The letters IKEA come from Ingvar Kamprad, Elmtaryd, the farm where he grew up, and Agunnaryd, his home parish in Småland, Sweden. Kamprad was a teenager when he registered the business, which initially sold goods such as pens, wallets and watches rather than furniture.
IKEA began selling furniture in the 1940s and introduced its self-assembly, flat-pack approach as a defining part of its retail model during the following decade. This question differs from the commonly cited fact that Kamprad founded the company at age 17: the precise registration year and the meaning of the four letters identify the company’s origin.