Originally, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos wanted to call his online bookstore “Cadabra,” according to biographer Ann Byers. When he pitched the name to his lawyer, however, his lawyer hesitated -- he thought Mr. Bezos had said “cadaver.” Obviously, Bezos didn’t want this to be a persistent mistake, so he decided to incorporate the company as Cadabra and then choose a new name later.
From there, he decided the company name would start with the letter “A,” to reference bookstore organization, so he pulled out the dictionary and started scanning his options. “Amazon,” in reference to the Amazon River in South America, quickly stood out as the best option as it was exotic, different, and by far the largest river in the world. He wanted the online store to be "different" and "bigger" than the competition. So, Cadaver — I mean, Cadabra — was replaced with Amazon.
