9 rare photos of people who are named after the world's biggest brands

Some famous brands have been working with us for over 100 years. Despite this, few people know who was the first person in the company, namely the founder. These are the ones we should thank for their hard work.

We enjoy a fascinating story, and this compilation is just that.

9 PHOTOS

1. You may have had a Barbie doll at some point in your life. Few know the real founder of Mattel, the doll company. Her name is Ruth Handler, she named the Barbie doll after her daughter Barbara Millicent Roberts. She invented the doll after seeing her daughter and friends play with different dolls.

2. If you like iced tea, then you have probably heard of the Lipton brand. Its founder was Thomas Johnston Lipton, who had a tea business in 1887.

3. Mercedez-Benz was founded by Emil Jellinek and Karl Benz. Part of the Mercedes company was actually named after Jellinek's daughter.

4. The famous Nike brand was inspired by a young Michael Jordan to co-create a new shoe line. The line would be called "Air Jordan" and in 1984 the first pair would be made exclusively for a basketball player. However, advertising them was not so easy. At that time, there was a strict ban on basketball players entering the court only in white sneakers. However, Nike paid a $5,000 fine each time Jordan wore them in a game. It worked and the first pairs were sold out immediately.

5. René Lacoste was one of the world's greatest tennis players. In fact, he was so cool that he got the nickname "crocodile". Lacoste liked his new nickname so much that he asked his friend to sew a crocodile onto one of his white jackets. And history has been made with that.

6. Starting in his mother's laundry in Germany, Adi Dassler dreamed of providing athletes with the best equipment. Therefore, in 1924 he founded the "Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik". The moment that made the brand skyrocket came in 1954 when Germany and Hungary went head-to-head and Germany won by wearing Dassler's shoes. Thus, the brand was given so much attention that Adidas became what we know it today.

7. Aston Martin was founded in 1913 by two car-loving friends in a small workshop in London. Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford took their passion to the next level by building cars themselves. The Aston Martin name we know today has a fascinating history. Lionel Martin entered the Aston Clinton Hill Climb in one of the cars they built and won. Thus, his last name "Martin" was placed next to the name of the race he won, which made their brand name.

8. The famous ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's was founded in 1978 by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. It all started with a small gas station that they converted into a store in Burlington, Vermont. The couple invested up to $12,000 to make their dream come true. Slowly but surely, they began to produce more and more ice cream and send it to different restaurant chains. In 1981, due to demand, the first specialty store opened in Shelburne, Vermont.

9. Ingvar Kamprad was the founder of IKEA. He started by selling matches, one of the most used items in the household, at a low price. From there, he gave free rein to his imagination.