27 Famous American Brands That Have Different Names Abroad

1 | Cool Ranch Doritos (United States) = Cool American Doritos (Europe)

If you ask for Cool Ranch Doritos in most parts of Europe, you're going to be met with blank stares rather than a bag of chips. Since people outside of the U.S. don't really know what ranch dressing is, the chips that we know as Cool Ranch Doritos as sold as Cool American Doritos and sometimes even Cool Original Doritos across the pond.

2 | KFC (United States) = PFK (Quebec)

In most parts of the world, Kentucky Fried Chicken is Kentucky Fried Chicken. However, Quebec, Canada, is another story. In the predominantly French-speaking province, a charter requires that the names of all businesses be in French—and in order to abide with this law, KFC changed its name to PFK—or Poulet Frit Kentucky—when it opened franchises there.

3 | Lay's (United States) = Walkers (United Kingdom)

Walkers has long been a snack food favorite among crisp lovers in the United Kingdom. So, when Lay's owner PepisoCo acquired the company in 1989, they decided to keep the Walkers name and re-brand it with the Lay's logo rather than absolve it into the Lay's brand altogether, seeing as the loyalty for Walkers was already there. Aside from the names and flavor offerings, the two chips are essentially the same.

4 | Axe (United States) = Lynx (Australia)

Axe was originally launched by the Unilever company in France in 1983. When the company tried to expand its line of body products into other areas, however, it ran into some issues. Evidently, the name Axe was already trademarked in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and China, and so Unilever had to rebrand as Lynx in these areas in order to expand.

5 | Smarties (United States) = Rockets (Canada)

In Canada, the chalky candy we call Smarties is known as Rockets. Since Canada already has another Smarties, the Smarties Candy Company decided to change the name of its Canadian product so as to avoid confusion.

6 | TJ Maxx (United States) = TK Maxx (Europe)

TK Maxx is just TJ Maxx, but British. The discount store's parent company, TJX Companies, simply chose to change the name of its European stores so as to avoid being confused with British retailer T. J. Hughes.

7 | Mr. Clean (United States) = Meister Proper (Germany)

The all-purpose cleaner Mr. Clean doesn't have a different name in other countries, per se. Rather, Procter & Gamble sells the product in other countries with the name translated into the local language. In Germany, for instance, the cleaning product is called Meister Proper. And in Albania, Italy, and Malta, you'll find it under the name Mastro Lindo. The only places where this rule doesn't apply is in the UK and Ireland; in these countries, the name Mr. Clean was already trademarked and therefore the product is now known as Flash. And the next time you take a trip outside of the States, make sure to avoid accidentally partaking in The 30 Biggest Cultural Mistakes Americans Make Abroad.

8 | Dove (United States) = Galaxy (United Kingdom)

The fact that Dove chocolate is sold as Galaxy in the United Kingdom is, once again, because of brand recognition. When Dove's parent company Mars acquired the Galaxy brand in 1986, they chose to retain the well-known Galaxy name and slightly alter its packaging rather than convert it to Dove completely in an effort to hold on to a devout customer base.

9 | Burger King (United States) = Hungry Jack's (Australia)

When Burger King decided to expand into the Australian fast food market, it ran into a bit of a problem. Though the company had its iconic name trademarked in the States, the same can't be said about Australia, where another company owned the trademark to the name.

Since Burger King found itself unable to franchise under its own name in the country, it instead provided its Australian franchisee Jack Cowin with a list of possible alternative names that Burger King, and its then-parent company Pillsbury, did have trademarked from previous products. From that list, Cowin chose Hungry Jack, the name of the Pillsbury pancake mix, and Australian Burger Kings have been known as Hungry Jack's since.

10 | DiGiorno (United States) = Delissio (Canada)

It's not delivery, it's DiGiorno! Well, not in Canada. There, DiGiorno is actually called Delissio, and has been since the '90s.

11 | Cocoa Krispies (United States) = Coco Pops (United Kingdom)

What Americans know as Cocoa Krispies are known as Choco Krispis in Mexico and Costa Rica, Coco Pops in the United Kingdom and Denmark, and Choco Krispies in Portugal, Spain, and Germany. The cereal even has different mascots depending on where you are; while Snap, Crackle, and Pop adorn the American Cocoa Krispies boxes, you'll find Coco the Monkey and friends on cereal boxes everywhere else.

12 | Milky Way (United States) = Mars Bar (Everywhere Else)

Though you will find a Milky Way in stores outside of the United States, it's not the same chocolate bar that's sold in America. Rather, if you want to experience the sweet chocolatey taste of an American Milky Way abroad, you'll want to purchase a Mars bar. Though this version has no caramel topping and has a lighter nougat center, it's the closest thing to an American Milky Way that the rest of the world has.

13 | Olay (United States) = Olaz (Germany)

In most countries, you'll see Olay products marketed under the name Olay. However, in German-speaking countries as well as in the Netherlands, Italy, and Belgium, the brand goes by Olaz instead. And neither of these names are actually what company founder Graham Wulff had in mind; when he created the brand's very first pink serum, he purposefully marketed it under the name Oil of Olay.

14 | Vaseline (United States) = Vasenol (Spain)

In several languages, the word Vaseline is pretty much synonymous with petroleum jelly, even though it's actually a brand. However, if you ask someone in a Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking country for a tub of Vaseline, they might not know what exactly you're asking for. That's because in these areas, the Unilever product is called Vasenol, and "Vaseline" is simply a generic product.

15 | Good Humor (United States) = Wall's (United Kingdom)

Around the world, you can easily recognize the Heartbrand subsidiary of Unilever by its heart logo; rely on the sweet treat's name, however, and you're going to be out of luck. The brand has so many different names that, quite frankly, it's doubtful that its own CEO has them all memorized. In the United States, it's Good Humor; in Asia, it's Kwality Walls; in Bolivia, it's Breslers; in Mexico, it's Holanda; in England, it's Wall's; and in the Phillippines, it's Selecta. And to learn more about other recognizable logos, here are 30 Secret Messages Hidden in Popular Logos.

16 | Dannon (United States) = Danone (Everywhere Else)

Though Dannon is the brand that Americans know, it actually isn't the original name of the food products company famous for its creamy yogurts. Rather, the French company Dannon is known as Danone to most of the world; it simply made a decision to call itself Danon in America in order to avoid confusion over pronunciation. And since pronunciation is all too subjective, here are 30 Words That Are Pronounced Differently Across the Country.

17 | 3 Musketeers (United States) = Milky Way (Everywhere Else)

European candy is confusing. Though this chocolate bar is called a Milky Way, it's actually most similar to a 3 Musketeers bar—and for all intents and purposes, the Milky Way in the UK is the overseas equivalent of the 3 Musketeers bar in the States.

18 | Exxon (United States) = Esso (Everywhere Else)

Though Americans might know Exxon as the primary name of the gas station, that's not what the rest of the world calls it. Globally, the fueling station is actually known as either Esso or Mobil; it's only in America that you'll ever see a sign for an Exxon anywhere.

19 | Budweiser (North America) = Bud (Europe)

Budweiser Budvar and Anheuser-Busch InBev have been in a legal dispute over the rights to the name Budweiser for more than a century. As it stands, the former company currently holds the rights to the name in most of Europe while the latter has the rights to the name in North America. Because of this, the Budweiser beer found in North America is sold in most of Europe as Bud while the Budweiser found in Europe is sold in North America as Czechvar.

20 | Always (United States) = Whisper (Japan)

The Always brand isn't always sold under that name. Rather, it also goes by the names Whisper, Lines, Orkid, Evax, and Ausonia, depending on where in the world you're shopping for sanitary napkins.

21 | Downy (United States) = Lenor (Europe)

Though Downy did attempt to make itself known by its American name in the European market in the late '90s, it quickly ditched those efforts and ultimately chose to just keep using the name Lenor. Since Lenor was already a known name in cleaning supplies in Europe, it simply made more sense for the brand to keep the name in the continent while continuing its Downy efforts in the States.

22 | Hellmann's (United States) = Best Foods (Asia)

Hellmann's and Best Foods are different names for the same mayonnaise. In parts of the United States, the United Kingdom, Latin America, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, Canada, and South Africa, you'll find Hellmann's on supermarket shelves; in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of the United States, you'll find Best Foods in the condiments aisle. And for food shopping tips that will save you money, here are 15 Grocery Shopping Mistakes That Are Killing Your Wallet.

23 | Kraft Mac & Cheese (United States) = Kraft Dinner (Canada)

Once upon a time, Kraft Mac & Cheese was called Kraft Dinner worldwide. However, the easy mac eventually rebranded and became Kraft Mac & Cheese in the States and Cheesy Pasta in the UK, though it still remains Kraft Dinner in Canada.

24 | Dr. Oetker (United States) = Cameo (Italy)

The reason why Dr. Oetker goes by Cameo in Italy is quite simple, really. A few decades after the brand expanded into the country, it decided that it needed a more Italian name that more easily rolled off the tongue, and thus Cameo was born.

25 | Diet Coke (United States) = Coca-Cola Light ("Certain Countries")

In several places outside of the United States, you have to order a Coca-Cola Light if you want a Diet Coke. As the company describes on their site, it decided to make the nominal change when it realized that "in certain countries, the term 'diet' is not used to describe low-calorie foods and beverages."

26 | Starburst (United States) = Opal Fruits (United Kingdom)

When Starbursts were first created in the United Kingdom in 1960, they were sold under the name Opal Fruits. When the candy was brought over to the States in 1967, its name was changed to Starburst—and yet, it remained Opal Fruits in the UK and Ireland until 1998, when the company finally decided to give the juicy candy a singular name worldwide. And, as you already know, the name Starbursts won out.

27 | Toyota Highlander (United States) = Toyota Kluger (Japan)

The Toyota Highlander isn't called the Toyota Highlander in Australia and Japan. Since a Hyundai Highlander already existed in these countries, the crossover SUV was dubbed the Toyota Kluger, named after the German word for clever or wise. And for more fun facts about company monikers, here are 25 Hilarious First Names for Your Favorite Brands.

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