Who founded the LEGO company in 1932?

Ole Kirk Christiansen founded the LEGO company in 1932.

Christiansen was a Danish carpenter from Billund who began by making wooden household items and toys. The business initially operated under the name Billund Woodworking and Toy Factory. Its early products included wooden animals, vehicles, and yo-yos.

The company adopted the name LEGO in 1934, several years after its founding. The name came from the Danish phrase “leg godt,” meaning “play well.” A later coincidence was that “lego” also means “I put together” in Latin, although that was not the original inspiration.

Christiansen’s son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, later helped transform the business from a wooden-toy maker into the world’s best-known plastic construction-toy company. Ole Kirk’s grandson, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, eventually became LEGO’s president and chief executive. The family connection is why several similar-sounding names appear in LEGO’s history, but the original founder was Ole Kirk Christiansen.