Why is Old Navy called 'Old Navy'?

(NEXSTAR) – With a name like “Old Navy,” an unfamiliar shopper might reasonably expect the stores to be filled with clothing and apparel that takes its inspiration from the rich maritime traditions of the U.S. military.

Such is not the case.

Old Navy, which is owned by Gap, Inc., currently offers several varieties of jeans, fleece sweatshirts and PowerSoft leggings — but not a single captain’s hat or cutlass. The reasoning for this is simple: The name “Old Navy” was not inspired by any country’s navy, but rather by a Parisian bar called “Old Navy,” according to the company’s history.

“Gap Inc.’s CEO at the time, Micky Drexler, saw the bar’s name during a trip and pitched it as a name for a new store concept that later became our Old Navy brand,” a spokesperson for the company further explained to Nexstar.

Drexler, in an October interview on a podcast called “Big Shot,” added that he spotted the bar’s neon sign from the back seat of a car, while riding to the airport.

“I said, ‘Oh my god … There it is. There’s the name,’” he told the podcast’s cohosts.

The board of directors at the Gap “didn’t like it” at first, he admitted, and forced him to meet with a consulting firm which offered up “Blue Indigo” instead. (A spokesperson for Gap, Inc., confirmed to Nexstar that “Forklift” and “Monorail” were also in the running during early meetings.) But since “Blue Indigo” was already trademarked, Drexler said he eventually got the go-ahead to use Old Navy from Gap founder Don Fisher.

“Don was great,” Drexler said. “He was willing to bet on a lot of things.”

The concept for Old Navy never included nautical-themed clothing, either. During development, the then-unnamed company was envisioned as a “value brand” to complement The Gap, which had opened its first location decades before. The prototype for this store was called “Gap Warehouse,” but was renamed Old Navy during its wider rollout in 1994.

Old Navy has since become the leader in sales for all Gap-owned brands (Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta), even despite any potential confusion surrounding its nautical-sounding name.

“I knew it was the right name,” Drexler said in October’s podcast appearance. “And if you feel it, it is.”