How Did Puma Get Its Name?

In the late 1940s, Rudolph Dassler created a shoe company with his brother, Adolph. The name of this company was Ruda, which was made up of the first letters of Rudi’s given last name. However, soon after, he discovered that his brother had chosen a catchier contraction, Adidas. Thus, he changed the name to Puma. The Puma name comes from a German word for a big cat without stripes, meaning “pudgy.”

The company began with a tiger-striped football shirt. This was in response to a boycott of soccer by the Nazis. It also served as a symbol for black power. In 1968, Tommie Smith, who won the 200-meter gold medal, decided to take a stand wearing Puma running shoes, displaying the ‘Cat’ logo in a Black Power salute. As a result, his Puma running shoes were exposed to the world.

In 1924, Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory was founded by Rudolf Dassler, who was an aspiring athlete himself. The company began in the laundry room of Dassler’s mother, and used pedal power from stationary bicycles to produce sports shoes. The company’s growth grew until it eventually occupied a separate building. Puma is now the third-largest sportswear manufacturer. It is also the supplier of Borussia Dortmund.