The sportswear brand Nike was named after Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.
Nike, Inc. adopted the name in 1971, several years after the company began as Blue Ribbon Sports. The Greek figure Nike was associated with victory, speed and athletic success, making the name especially suitable for a company selling running shoes and other sports products.
The brand's famous Swoosh was designed by Carolyn Davidson, a graphic-design student, in 1971. It was intended to suggest movement and speed, while also evoking the wing of the goddess Nike. The company later grew from a specialist running-shoe business into a global sportswear corporation.
Nike is sometimes confused with Athena because both are prominent Greek goddesses and both appear in discussions of ancient Greek culture. Athena was associated with wisdom and strategic warfare, while Nike specifically represented victory. In ancient art, Nike was often shown as a winged figure, a visual association that helped explain the symbolism behind the modern logo.