It involves a 10th-century Viking king, a temporary codename, and a bit of a happy accident.

You’re sitting at a cafe, you pop in your wireless earbuds, and you tap the little symbol on your phone to connect them. It’s a daily ritual for millions of us. But have you ever stopped to think about that name? Bluetooth. It’s a bit… weird, right? It doesn’t sound very techy. It’s not an acronym or some futuristic-sounding word. I went down a rabbit hole on this recently, and it turns out the Bluetooth name origin is far cooler and more historic than I ever could have imagined. It’s a story that involves Vikings, kings, and a last-minute decision that stuck.

It all started back in 1996. A group of engineers from Intel, Ericsson, and Nokia were working together to create a new standard for short-range radio technology. Their goal was to unite different devices—like phones, laptops, and the newfangled accessories that were starting to appear—with a single wireless protocol. The problem was, they didn’t have a name for it yet.

The Surprising Bluetooth Name Origin

During a meeting, Jim Kardach from Intel and Sven Mattisson from Ericsson got to talking about history. Mattisson had just read a book about Vikings, and he started telling Kardach about a 10th-century king named Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson.

So, who was this guy, and why the strange nickname? History tells us he was the king who united the fiercely independent and often warring tribes of Denmark and parts of Norway into a single kingdom. The “Bluetooth” part is a bit of a historical mystery, but the prevailing theory is that he had a prominent dead tooth that was dark blue or black, earning him the moniker. It’s a little grim, but it stuck.

As Kardach listened, he had a lightbulb moment. They were trying to unite different communication protocols from competing companies, just like Harald Bluetooth had united the Scandinavian tribes. It was the perfect metaphor. He suggested they use “Bluetooth” as a temporary codename for the project until the marketing department could come up with something better.

From Viking King to Tech Icon: The Codename That Stuck

The name was only ever meant to be a placeholder. The group had a few official names ready for the launch, including “RadioWire” and “PAN” (Personal Area Networking). But as the launch date approached, they ran into a problem. “RadioWire” couldn’t be trademarked in time. “PAN” was already a massively used term online.

They were running out of time. With no other viable options, they decided to just go with the codename. “Bluetooth” was unique, memorable, and had a great story behind it. The temporary name became the permanent one, and it was officially adopted. You can read more about the standardization on the official Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) website, which is the organization that oversees the technology.

The Hidden Meaning in the Bluetooth Logo

The tribute to King Harald doesn’t stop with the name. Take a close look at the Bluetooth symbol. It’s not just a stylized “B.” It’s actually a combination of two ancient Norse letters, known as runes.

• ᚼ (Hagall): The rune for the letter “H.”
• ᛒ (Bjarkan): The rune for the letter “B.”

When you overlay these two runes, you get the familiar Bluetooth logo. They are the initials of Harald Bluetooth. It’s a brilliant little Easter egg hidden in plain sight, connecting our cutting-edge wireless technology directly to a Viking king who lived over a thousand years ago. For a deeper dive into his history, you can check out his entry on Britannica.

So, the next time you connect your headphones or sync your smartwatch, take a moment to appreciate the incredible journey behind that little blue light. It’s a reminder that great ideas—and great names—can come from the most unexpected places, even from the pages of a history book about a Danish king with a bad tooth. The Bluetooth name origin is a perfect example of how the past can shape the future in ways we never expect.