Google, the world’s most popular search engine, marks its 27th birthday on September 27. What started in a Menlo Park garage is now a tool billions rely on daily.
But few know that the name Google was actually a happy accident.
The Meaning Behind the Name
Google comes from the term Googol—the number 1 followed by 100 zeros—symbolizing the vast scale of information its founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, hoped to organize.
Back in 1997, while searching for a new name for their project (then called BackRub), a friend mistakenly typed Google instead of Googol during domain registration. The typo stuck, and google.com was born.
From Garage to Global Giant
Launched in 1998, Google grew rapidly and redefined how people use the internet. Though its official incorporation date is September 4, the company celebrates its birthday on September 27.
In 2015, Google became part of Alphabet Inc., with Sundar Pichai as CEO. Today, it’s more than a search engine—powering email, maps, cloud services, and cutting-edge AI.
Why It Matters
What began as a misspelling now stands as one of the world’s most recognized brands. The story of Google’s name reflects both its quirky origins and its mission: to make sense of an almost infinite universe of information.