As the tech world’s most reliable source of ready-to-serve punchlines, it’s only fitting that Yahoo is called Yahoo. And the story of how it came to be known is just as entertaining
as the company’s endless string
of public gaffes.
Upon its inception, Yahoo actually had a different identity: “Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web.” Not surprisingly, that name didn’t
stick.
So Jerry and David — co-founders and appropriately titled “Chief Yahoos” Jerry Yang and David Filo — turned to the dictionary to find something
shorter. They say they selected the word “yahoo” because they liked its definition: “rude, unsophisticated, and uncouth.”
According to Merriam-Webster, “yahoo” also means “stupid” and is synonymous with “dimwit,” “doofus,” and “chucklehead.” Who could possibly
miss those prominent meanings, you might be wondering?
Why, only a real yahoo, of course.