21 Popular Brands That Are More Than 100 Years Old

If you were to stop people on the street, many of them might be unable to tell you how old their favorite popular brands are. It might even come as a surprise to learn that Amazon only launched in 1995 or Apple in 1976. Even more surprising might be Google not launching until 1998. 

On the other hand, you have businesses like Coca-Cola that are household names and well over 100 years old. Popular brands like Coke have weathered the Great Depression and multiple World Wars while still delivering to customers today. With this in mind, let’s take a look at 21 total popular brands that are more than 100 years old.

Coca-Cola

Founded in 1892 by John S. Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia, there is little question Coke remains an iconic brand. Even with the brand’s famous reworking of its formula in 1903, Coca-Cola is a soft drink industry staple. Of course, Coke has also expanded its presence by buying up popular brands like Sprite, Minute Maid, Powerade, and Dasani.

Colgate

There is a better-than-good chance at least some of you reading this use Colgate to brush your teeth. Founded in 1806 by William Colgate, the brand is well over 200 years old. However, the company started by selling candles, starch, and soap. It wasn’t until 1873 that it expanded into oral care products.

Johnson & Johnson

One of the most prominent brands in consumer goods, Johnson & Johnson was founded in 1886. Initially, the three brothers who built the brand focused on ready-to-use sterile dressings for doctors. Today, Johnson & Johnson has greatly expanded. Its product lineup includes popular brands like Aveeno, Listerine, Tylenol, Sudafed, Motrin, and Neutrogena.

Levi Strauss

Originally providing outfits to miners during the California Gold Rush, Levi Strauss is an eponymous name today. Founded in 1853, the company is well known for its denim jeans, which it has turned into a global brand. Levi’s are associated with the denim name just as Kleenex is to tissues or Google is to search.

Hershey’s

Everyone’s favorite chocolate company was originally established in 1894. Milton Hershey had a dream that began with a failed candy shop. Upon moving to Pennsylvania, Milton then established The Hershey Company and by 1900 he was selling the Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar. Hershey’s is now one of the largest chocolate brands in the world.

Heinz

Established in 1869 by Henry J. Heinz, the Heinz brand sells thousands of different food products on six different continents. However, the company originally started by selling horseradish only to discover ketchup was its big money maker. It’s believed that Heinz has a current ketchup market share of over 50%

L.L. Bean

One of the best places to shop for winter and outdoor gear, L.L. Bean is over 100 years old after being founded in 1912. As the story goes, Leon Leonwood Bean was unhappy that he couldn’t find waterproof boots. So he started a mail-order business selling waterproof boots through a catalog starting in 1912.

Harley-Davidson

As the oldest motorcycle brand in America, Harley-Davidson dates back to 1903. There is no doubt Harley-Davidson established not just a popular brand, but a way of life. Only a few brands can claim to have the level of devotion as Harley-Davidson does with its owners who will only buy its motorcycles.

Target

Founded by George Dayton in 1902, Target began operations under multiple names. It wouldn’t become the Target brand until 1962 after going by the Dayton name for almost 60 years. Fast forward to today, Target is one of the largest U.S. retail companies. Its popularity extends to clothing, groceries, electronics, toys, and more.

UPS

While the U.S. Postal Service is much older, UPS is still well over 100 years old. Beginning operations in 1907 as the American Messenger Company, UPS was started by two teenagers. After specializing in telegraphs for years, the United Parcel Service is one of the largest brands in the world for shipping.

Carhartt

Best known for its heavy-duty work coats, the Carhartt brand was established in 1889. This American apparel company is highly regarded for its coveralls, jeans, shirts, and fire-resistant clothing. It’s been said on more than one occasion that it’s the Carhartt brand that helped build America.

John Deere

The John Deere company is among the popular names in all of American agriculture. After setting up his business in 1837, Deere made a steel plow blade that could cut through dirt better than anything on the market. As a result, Deere’s innovative production would help grow it into one of the largest U.S. companies.

Wrigley Company

Founded in 1891, the Chicago-based Wrigley Company is well known for its gum brands. Founded by William Wrigley Jr., the company sells its goods in over 180 countries. In 2024, Wrigley is still the largest manufacturer of chewing gum in the world.

Nintendo

Originally built to sell playing cards in Japan, Nintendo is surprisingly older than most people think. Founded in 1889, it wouldn’t be until 1977 that it got into video games. Today, Nintendo is the brand responsible for video game success starting with the NES in 1985 and continuing until today with the Switch.

Whirlpool

As an appliance staple in many homes in America, the Whirlpool brand needs little introduction. However, most people don’t know Whirlpool was originally founded in 1911. Today, Whirlpool not only sells appliances under its namesake, but under the Amana, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, and Maytag names as well.

Brooks Brothers

The oldest clothing retailer in America, the Brooks Brothers brand began in 1818. Fast forward to 1849 and Brooks Brothers introduced the world’s first ready-made suit. Today, the Brooks Brothers name is still well-associated with the suit and the idea of looking well-dressed.

Ford

Established in 1903 by Henry Ford, the Ford brand is synonymous with the automobile industry in America. As one of the “big three” automobile brands in the U.S., Ford is a household name. The original Ford method for manufacturing cars through assembly lines would change vehicle production forever.

Chevrolet

Along with Ford, Chevrolet is another popular household name in the auto industry. Founded in 1911, Chevrolet has since been purchased by General Motors but still produces the most vehicles in the company. The Silverado is also the second best-selling pickup in the U.S.

JPMorgan Chase

Put together through a series of mergers, the history of JPMorgan Chase dates back to 1799. Founded by Aaron Burr (yes, that Aaron Burr), the company would merge with Chase National Bank in 1955. Today, JPMorgan Chase is the fifth-largest bank in the world and the largest in the U.S.

Crayola

It might surprise many people to learn that every kid’s favorite drawing toy is very old. The Crayola brand was founded in 1885 with the crayons first developed in 1903. The company has since expanded its lineup to include markers, paints, modeling clay, and colored pencils.

Budweiser

The largest beer company in the U.S., Budweiser began operations in 1876. Created by Carl Conrad & Co in St. Louis, Missouri, the Budweiser brand has since become part of the Anheuscer-Busch family. Between Super Bowl commercials, NASCAR sponsorships, and every bar in America, Budweiser is everywhere.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Kenneth C. Zirkel / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.