What does Bluetooth mean?

This wireless connectivity technology is named after a Viking king.

Bluetooth wireless connectivity technology is now quite familiar to smartphone users, especially when using accessories such as headphones and microphones that connect wirelessly to computers and phones.

However, not all users know the origin of this strange name 'Bluetooth' . Few people realize that this connection standard is named after a Scandinavian king from the 10th century.

Bluetooth wasn't the first name companies considered for this connection standard. (Image: Grapheine)

The origin of the name Bluetooth

In 1997, several major technology companies such as IBM, Intel, Ericsson, Nokia, and Toshiba planned to develop a new technology to connect devices. Of these, the two Nordic companies, Nokia and Ericsson, led the project.

According to a story presented at a conference by Intel, Ericsson, and Nokia, two engineers, Jim Kardash (of Intel) and Sven Mattisson (of Ericsson), were sitting around drinking and discussing a good name for this new technology.

During the conversation, Kardash mentioned a book he had recently read about the Vikings, which featured a remarkable king named Harald Bluetooth.

The Bluetooth logo is also formed from the first two letters of this king's name. (Image: Nordic Culture).

Both of them likened a king unifying territories to the close connection between PCs and mobile devices.

"Bluetooth king Harald is known for uniting Scandinavia, just as we are uniting PCs and phones to create a short-range wireless connection ," said Jim Kardash, an Intel representative.

This story was presented at a meeting between Intel, Ericsson, and Nokia. The companies subsequently decided to standardize the short-range wireless connectivity technology and named it Bluetooth.

Bluetooth became the original name of the project. A few months later, it was replaced with 'RadioWire' or 'PAN' (Personal Area Network).

"We held a meeting to gather opinions and elect an official name, and the winner was PAN with a 4-1 vote. At that time, everyone was using the name PAN, and we decided to agree to use this name for the launch event ," Kardash revealed.

However, the media team grasped the meaning behind the name 'Bluetooth' and kept it as the official name for the technology.

"And yet Bluetooth wasn't even included in the list of nominees ," he wrote in a personal blog post.

Bluetooth was officially launched in 1998, and Ericsson created the first Bluetooth phone in 1999. The technology remains widely used to this day.

Furthermore, the logo of this technology also alludes to the Danish king. Specifically, the symbol placed in the center of the logo is a combination of the two letters H (Harald – the king's name) and B (Blatand – blue teeth), both written in the ancient Norse alphabet.

Who is Harald Bluetooth?

Harald 'Bluetooth' Gormsson (in Danish: Harald Blåtand Gormsen) was king of Denmark and Norway from 958 to 985 , best known for unifying the two countries.

Many historians have praised him as a great warrior. Thanks to Harald, the conflicts between the three Scandinavian countries, corresponding to present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, were resolved.

Legend has it that Harald had a tooth that was 'corroded', appearing blue or black. This is reflected in his nickname, Harald 'Blatand' Gormsen, where 'bla' means blue and 'tand' means tooth.

Cartoon depicting King Harald Bluetooth holding a phone and a laptop. (Image: Intel).

This detail was first mentioned in the 'Rosskildense Chronicles' , a 12th-century book written in Latin describing Danish historical events. The author used the word 'Blatand' to describe King Harald.

William of A.E. Belholt, a French missionary who moved to Denmark, was the first to explain King Harald's blue tooth. In the genealogy of Danish kings, written in the latter half of the 12th century, William described Harald's tooth as a deep blue, almost black color.

Some people offer a different explanation for Harald's nickname. Scandinavians are very fond of blueberries, a wild fruit that grows commonly in the northern regions. It's possible that eating too many blueberries caused his teeth to turn this color.

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