HOW THE NAME ETHEREUM CAME ABOUT?
The name Ethereum was coined by its co-founder, Vitalik Buterin.
He revealed that he came up with the name after Browse a list of fictional elements on Wikipedia. He was specifically drawn to the word "ether" (also sometimes spelled "aether").
The concept of "ether" (or luminiferous aether) was a hypothetical medium that scientists in the 19th century believed permeated all of space and was responsible for the transmission of light waves. Although this scientific theory was later disproved by Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, Buterin appreciated the idea of an invisible, ubiquitous, and fundamental medium.
He wanted his platform to be a similar underlying, imperceptible medium that would permeate the digital universe and serve as the foundation for decentralized applications. He felt the word "ether" beautifully captured this vision. He then added the "-eum" suffix to create "Ethereum" for the platform itself, while "Ether" (ETH) became the name for its native cryptocurrency, which acts as the "fuel" for the network.
So, in essence, the name Ethereum is rooted in the idea of a universal, underlying medium that powers a new decentralized internet.