What does adidas stand for? Strictly speaking, nothing. The name is not an acronym. It is built from the name of the company's founder, Adolf "Adi" Dassler: his nickname Adi plus the first three letters of his surname, Das. Put together, Adi and Das make adidas.
The popular phrase "All Day I Dream About Sports" fits the letters neatly, but it is a backronym, a phrase made up later to match a word that already existed. It is not where the name came from.
Quick facts
Comes from
Adi Dassler, the founder (Adi + Das)Is it an acronym?
No, it is a blend of a namePopular backronym
All Day I Dream About Sports (not the origin)Founded
1949 in Herzogenaurach, GermanyHow to say it
uh DEE dus in the US; AH dee dahs in GermanSpelling
The company writes it in lowercase: adidas
What does adidas stand for, then?
The name splits into two pieces of one person's name:
| Part | Comes from | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Adi | Adolf Dassler's nickname | Short form of Adolf |
| das | First three letters of Dassler | The family surname |
| adidas | Adi + das | Registered as the company name in 1949 |
Building a company name from a founder's name is common in business. Here, the result just happens to look like a set of initials, which is why so many people search for an acronym meaning.
Where the company came from
Adi Dassler began making sports shoes in the 1920s in the small town of Herzogenaurach in southern Germany, working at first with his brother in a family shoe business. The brothers later split, and in 1949 Adi registered his own company under the new name. The three stripes on its shoes became its signature mark and are still its main symbol today.
The headquarters remains in Herzogenaurach. That is about as far as the story needs to go to answer the name question.
The backronym: All Day I Dream About Sports
A backronym starts with a word and then invents a phrase to fit its letters. A well known example is "All Day I Dream About Sports." It sounds like a company slogan, and many people believe it, but it came long after the name was chosen. A cruder joke version also circulates among teens online; it is just as untrue.
In a class quiz: "True or false: adidas stands for All Day I Dream About Sports." The correct answer is false. The name comes from Adi Dassler.
The site has more on how these after the fact phrases work in what is an acronym, and you can compare other famous examples on the SPAM and GOLF pages.
How to say and spell adidas
Americans usually say "uh DEE dus," with the stress in the middle. In Germany and much of Europe, people say "AH dee dahs," with the stress on the first syllable, which is closer to how Adi Dassler said his own name. Both are understood everywhere.
The company writes its name in all lowercase, adidas. In running text, many newspapers capitalize it like any other proper noun, Adidas. Either form is fine in everyday writing. It is not written in capitals like an acronym.
Is adidas an acronym? Quick facts
- Not an acronym: no letter stands for its own word.
- Not an initialism: you say it as a word, never letter by letter.
- A blend: two parts of a real name joined together.
- The sports slogan came later, as a backronym.
For other company names with surprising origins, browse the brand name acronyms section, which includes pages like LEGO and BMW.
Questions people ask
Does adidas stand for All Day I Dream About Sports?
No. That phrase is a backronym invented after the fact. The real name comes from founder Adi Dassler.
What is the adidas acronym?
There is no true acronym. The name joins Adi, the founder's nickname, with Das, the start of his surname Dassler.
Who founded adidas?
Adolf "Adi" Dassler, a shoemaker from Herzogenaurach, Germany. He registered the company under the adidas name in 1949.
Why is adidas written in lowercase?
The company styles its name in lowercase as part of its brand identity. Many publications still capitalize the first letter in normal sentences.
How do you pronounce adidas?
In the United States, most people say uh DEE dus. In Germany, it is AH dee dahs, with the stress at the start.