Why Is It Called Bluetooth? | Smartest Year Ever (Apr 27, 2025)

Bluetooth: one of the most common wireless technologies today—but why is it named after a Viking king with a dead tooth? Gordy explores the quirky origin of the name, diving into the story of Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson, the 10th-century ruler who united Denmark and Norway... and inspired the name of a 1990s tech revolution.

Find out why engineers at Intel, Ericsson, and Nokia almost went with a bland name like PAN ("Personal Area Networking"), but instead left us with Viking runes in every wireless device we own.

And yes—that Bluetooth logo? It's a bind rune. You're literally pairing your devices with Viking letters.

So next time your headphones sync, thank a medieval warlord with questionable dental hygiene.

Sources

• Kardach, J. (2008). The Name Bluetooth. Intel Technology Journal. Retrieved from https://www.kardach.com/bluetooth/naming-bluetooth
  

• BBC News. (2015). Bluetooth: How a Viking king inspired wireless tech. BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30935850
  

• Norse Mythology for Smart People. (n.d.). Bind Runes and Bluetooth Logo. Retrieved from https://norse-mythology.org/
  

Music thanks to Zapsplat.

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