Mercedes-Benz is named after the first-ever Mercedes, which was sold in 1901 to Emil Jellinek. Jellinek was an Austrian businessman and automobile enthusiast who commissioned the car from Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, the founders of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG). Jellinek insisted that the car be named after his daughter Mercedes, who was just 10 years old at the time. The car was such a success that DMG decided to use the Mercedes name for all of its cars, and the company eventually became known as Mercedes-Benz.
So, the Mercedes in Mercedes-Benz is actually a person - the daughter of Emil Jellinek.
