If you’ve bought an artsy-crafty item on the web lately, or if you read Fred Wilson’s blog A VC, then you’ve probably run into Etsy. Since launching in June 2005, this Brooklyn-based company has managed to build an extremely enthusiastic fan base and become the eBay of handmade goods.
Etsy is all about community. There’s a blog (of course) and a forum and a wiki and something called Etsy Labs, an actual physical space in Brooklyn where they give classes about how to make things. Pretty brilliant–building community and training their own suppliers!
And what about the name Etsy? Where does it come from? Ah, that is the mystery. There’s been a thread about that question for more than a year and a half on the Etsy forum. Etsy developer Rokali/Rob has done nothing to clear the mystery up, and has even cranked up his own fog machine. First he hinted that the name is somehow related to Federico Fellini’s film 8½. In a brief television spot on the company, he suggested that the name is from Latin et si ‘and if’. Another Etsy developer, RevolvingDork, cryptically mentioned the sentence “IT’S A SECRET TO EVERYBODY!” on the forum, and pointed to a screen capture from a video game (which has since been removed). Someone picked up on the clue and conjectured that Etsy is based on that sentence: ignore the article a, make an acronym, reverse the letters, and replace the i with a y. Simple.
Contributors to the forum have also come up with their own theories. One is that Etsy is based on the Unix directory /etc, pronounced “et-C”. The Name Inspector came up with his own crazy theory: if you write eBay as Ebay, the orthographic similarity to Etsy is striking, because the t in Etsy looks like a b missing part of its curve, and the s looks like a backwards a missing a line. Simple. Turns out someone on the forum already thought of that.
Does it really matter where Etsy comes from or what it means? What’s really interesting is the strength of the community’s conviction that Etsy must mean something. People crave meaning, and will look for it if it doesn’t walk up and say “hey”. The desire to figure out the “secret” of the name Etsy might matter more than any true story about its origin.
Of course, whatever the founders may have had in mind when they came up with it, the name Etsy has its own special character. It rhymes with the name Betsy, which makes it vaguely personified and friendly. Mostly it’s tiny. It evokes the phrase itsy-bitsy, and has all the right sound symbolism to match. The -y ending is unmistakeably diminutive sounding. The short and high-ish first vowel and the voiceless alveolar consonants in the middle all add to the smallness evoked by the sound. Also, when you say this name, you make tiny little gestures with the tip of your tongue.
So, why would a company want its name to seem small? Well, it’s cute, and a lot of the stuff sold on Etsy is cute (plush toys that are “shy” and need “lots of hugs”, crocheted anthropomorphic ice cream cones, Big Eye kitty patches, etc.). The cuteness also contributes to the friendly vibe on the website and in the forum.
Cuteness aside, the concept of smallness fits the company. It conveys the idea that the merchandise on the site is made in small quantities on a small scale (usually by individuals rather than companies), and Etsy itself is a small company. Also, smallness suggests precision and attention to minute detail, which is perfect for handmade goods.
The name Etsy projects the image of a small grass-roots start-up. If the company continues to live up to this image, it could be really big.
Tags: Etsy, the name Etsy, handmade, hand-crafted, crafts, artisans, eBay
Great article. Watchout, Etsy is addictive…
Yes, watch out because it is so addictive! Proud member since Nov 2005. I have to be careful to not spend all my profits on the fabulous stuff I see there.
When I first found the site, I didn’t think anything of the name, but nearly everyone I told about would say “what does Etsy mean?”. Once I became aware of the mystery, I was sure to pass that on. People love a mystery.
Funny I remember that thread, and I remember I said this about reversing the sentence “it’s a secret to everyone” and replacing the “i” with a “y” because etsi.com was already taken by another company, a telecommunication company or something….
cool…
nice article…
ASLAN
What a great article, I love the way you have picked apart the name in comparison with the site…thanks for a great read!
“…a lot of the stuff sold on Etsy is cute….”
Yes. yes it is. =) thanks!
Etsy is getting better everyday. Great article.
I think the last sentence sums it up nicely!
I have a shop on Etsy, and if anyone asks, I usually provide the “etc” meaning. However, I didn’t think anything of the name when I signed up :).
Wow. Major interestingness, great article.
I’m a pure Etsy addict.
My theory is that it doesn’t mean anything at all. It’s completely original, just like the site itself and the people/items found on it. Etsy is Etsy is Etsy, nothing more.
Everyone who works here knows its actually named after Rob’s childhood sweetheart, Elizabeth (Betsy) Asquith. When he was a kid, he had to wear so much orthopedic headgear that her name always came out “Ethsy” and thats what everyone called her. Yound love is so adorable.
Oops! I mean “young love”
I don’t know what Yound Love is.
This is awesome! yes, Etsy rocks, no matter what the name really means
Ahh Anda….more mud in the water.
Good article! I think I like the Fellini theory the best.
Thanks for clearing up the matter of pronunciation. I pronounce it Etsy, rhymes with Betsy, as you so kindly mentioned, but it’s nice to know! BTW, I love ETSY!
Regardless of it’s meaning…it looks like Etsy is becoming more and more of a household name!! Yeah for Etsy!
Oh, what a fabulous article! So nicely written! Signed, A Proud Etsy Addict
Go Etsy!
Yes indeed, it is addictive, but this is a healthy one, I THINK! I am new, absolutely in love and so happy that I am fortunate enough to have stumbled upon it. Word of mouth, as they say, works wonders, and though Rome wasn’t built in a day, this thing is going to be huge, already I’ve got two friends that are developing their ideas about their shops to be, and that is a wonderful thing. Props.
Great article.
HOORAY for etsy! Whatever the meaning….
What a fantastic article! I was wondering this just the other day - thanks for, er, giving me more to wonder about.
Hmmm, hasn’t anyone ever looked at the ‘about Etsy’ page?
I never really thought what it means but I like the mystery of it. And yes, I think it’s going to become a very big thing. Like Janetlyn, I have a friend who’s thinking about joining too and we both live in Belize, Central America.
ahh the mythology of etsy
This is awesome. So so fun.
I like amianda’s speculation ~
Etsy = Treasure for Everyone
My theory …
eBay totally sucks is the phrase… sub t and s for b and a, and voila, you have etsy.
It’s also quite convenient to use my free eBay USPS priority mail boxes, and just mark a t s over the b a on the logo with a black sharpie.
Good times.
Lynn
I teach sewing to high school students and we have been looking at the site. I told a student I didn’t know what the name meant- their answer - every thing sewn by you!
Kids say the darndest things…
pretty good reading!
Etsy is the greatest!!
I loved the article it was very interesting. And I enjoyed reading all the comments, they are Great. ETSY is Grrreat! I love it and it is addictive, look out!
very cool article, I still have no idea how Etsy got its name or what it means, but there’s obviously lots of theories and it’s a great name!
Yeah! I won. My husband said Eat See. I said Et See (to rhyme with Betsy). Meaning…who really cares?
No fellow Greek people around here!?
The moment I discovered that website, it was rather too clear to me what the name meant!
The sound ‘etsi’ in greek is an actual word, an adverb, meaning: so, thus, in this way.
What way? The handmade way, of course!
I’m no linguist, neither have any connections to the Etsy team, so I might be completely wrong… But I thought you might want to know my version of the story…!