Have you ever wondered how some cars get their names? Most of the time, a car is named after the CEO of an automaker, like Honda, while some actual cars are named after people, as in Lotus Elise. But what about the more expensive cars? Like the Lamborghini Aventador – how did that name come about?

What does “Aventador” mean?

The Lamborghini Aventador is the brand’s halo car and one of the most popular models in its history. As cool as it looks, many fans may wonder how the Aventador got its unique name. It’s Spanish, right? So it must have something to do with Spain.

If that’s what you guessed, then you would be partially right. According to Lamborghini of Palm Beach, the Aventador is named after a bull that fought in the 1993 Zaragoza bullfight. Apparently, the bull fought valiantly but ended up meeting its demise on a fateful day in October of that year. One thing is for sure; its legacy lives on through one of the baddest supercars of all time. That’s all most of us could ever hope for.

Is every Lamborghini named after a bull?

Although models like the Lamborghini Aventador, Diablo, and Huracan are all named after famous fighting bulls, most of the other models in the Italian brand’s line are not. For example, “Espada” (1968-1978) is the Spanish word for the sword that bullfighters use, and Jarama (1970-76) was named after a famous Spanish bullfighting region.

Otherwise, every other Lamborghini model — like Murcielago, Gallardo, and Reventon – is named after actual Spanish bulls that fought at one point. There are some outliers like the Jalpa and Urraco, both of which are named after bull breeds.

Furthermore, other Lamborghini models in the lineup history received numeric nameplates – like the 350 GT, 400 GT, and LM002. Additionally, the Countach and the Silhouette have no ties to bulls or bullfighting in general.

Where does the Lamborghini name come from?

The Lamborghini brand name comes from the founder’s surname – Ferrucio Lamborghini. He was Italian by birth, and in 1962, he visited a ranch in Seville, Spain, and became infatuated with the Spanish fighting bulls. After that time period, he started naming most of the models his car company built after Spanish bulls or their breeds.

Although these names are interesting, what makes the Lamborghini brand so unique is a passion for building some of the fastest and most attractive cars in the market. Admittedly, you can’t watch a Lambo pass by and not turn your head. Especially if it happens to be painted green, yellow, or orange.

Although it might seem weird that an Italian car company named its cars after Spanish bulls, we think it’s far better than some of the names that have been in the market for decades. Then again, what’s in a name, anyway?

It’s all about the engineering and design that the car has to back it up. In Lamborghini’s case, its models have everything to back up their interesting nameplates.