A billionaire renames his yacht because the name backwards means something unpleasant for the owner of the ship. Unfortunate naming choices are not uncommon.
Who is it about exactly? Larry Ellison is known as the co-founder of Oracle, one of the largest software companies in the world. He is also listed according to Forbes as one of the richest people in the world and is currently ranked 5th with nearly 240 billion USD (as of January 16, 2026).
However, he had little luck with a yacht that he acquired with his money. At least regarding the naming. This is reported by the English-language magazine Futurism.com.
Billionaire buys a yacht, renames it shortly thereafter
What kind of yacht is it? Ellison bought a huge yacht measuring 191 feet (about 58 meters), which he named “Izanami”.
The name was allegedly inspired by a deity of the same name from Shinto mythology, the female creator of creation itself and of death. She is usually depicted with her brother Izanagi. The two are considered central deities in the Japanese creation myth.
However, billionaire Ellison had the name of the yacht changed shortly thereafter when he was pointed out a detail. Because when the name is read backwards, it usually means something quite unpleasant for the owner in English: “I’m a Nazi”.
Are there similar examples? Yes, other examples also show that one does not always have to have a good sense for naming. The most famous example in Germany is probably the luxury car Phaeton from VW.
VW explained at the time that they named their car after Greek mythology. However, this led to much ridicule and mockery, as Phaeton crashed his father’s sun chariot and was punished by Zeus with a lightning bolt so that he would not set the world on fire.
Significantly smaller, at 30 meters, is the yacht “History Supreme”, which, however, is said to be the most expensive yacht in the world. But the special thing is not the price, but the material it is said to be made of. However, no one knows if the yacht really exists, as no one has seen it in public: The most expensive yacht in the world does not belong to Bezos or Zuckerberg: It costs 4.8 billion and is made of gold and dinosaur bones
