Have you ever wondered where does the evergreen greeting “Hello” comes from? You have, but you probably haven’t cared enough to check. So lets investigate with the information we have:

• “Hello” was probably born somewhere around 1800s. Its origin comes from “Hallo” – a word used to incite hunting dogs.
• The moment when the word “Hello” received its widespread use is when the telephone became popular.
• There were two major suggestions about the word to be used in a phone call – “ahoy” (suggested by Alexander Bell himself) and “hello” (suggested by Thomas Edison).
• Ahoy was quickly replaced by “Hello”, because as Thomas Edison stated “hello was the more distinguishable word and could be easily understood from distance”.

There is another less popular theory about the origin of “Hello”. According to this theory, the origin of the word comes from the Old English phrase “Hale be thou”. The phrase was used to wish good health to someone and this is the main logic that ties the theory with the contemporary “Hello”. Whatever the real history is, for sure it’s related with positive vibes and goodness.

Because of the friendly nature of the word “Hello”, it is a good ground for brand naming. Example of that is “Hello Kitty!”, a popular brand which has always been connected with friendliness. We can add to that list “Hola!/Hello!” magazine, “Hello Curly” and many other. “Hello” might be used with various kinds of combinations of words and positions. However, if you’re not confident about how exactly to name your brand on the ground of such a popular greeting word and you’re afraid it might sound cheesy, you’d better ask for professional help. This is where the brand naming companies might be of great use.

You know of other popular “Hello” brands? Feel free to share in the comments.