15 majors. 82 PGA Tour wins. The longest run at World No. 1. And so much more. Everyone knows all these Tiger Woods records. No doubt, the majority of the golf world knows almost everything about him thanks to his illustrious 26-year career. In fact, anyone who is even mildly aware of the sport will associate it with him. But there may be one unknown.

While we all know him as Tiger Woods, the origin of his name might still be a mystery to some. Yes, that’s right, the beloved legend’s name isn’t ‘Tiger’. The golfer, at birth, was named ‘Eldrick Tont Woods’ by his mother, Kultida, who wanted to ensure that his name started with the same letter as that of his father—Earl Woods. ‘Tont,’ notably, is a traditional Thai name that translates to ‘beginning’. And boy, was it right for the golfer! He did, after all, ‘begin’ an entirely new era for golf.

Coming to the name, we all know him by now. Why ‘Tiger’? And how did it come to be? Tiger is actually Woods’s nickname, one that his father gave him that just stuck. Earl Woods had a very close friend, and a Vietnamese soldier, Colonel Vuong Dang Phong. Now Phong was called ‘Tiger’ by his close associates, and in his honor began calling little Woods ‘Tiger’.

In an interview for ESPN, Earl said, “I knew instinctively that my son was going to have fame. Some day my old friend would see him on television read about him in a newspaper or magazine, and say, ‘That must be Woody’s kid’, and we’d find each other again.”

During a separate interview for Golf Digest, Earl Woods sadly revealed that Colonel Vuong Dang Phong had passed away before he could connect the dots. Speaking about how his friend would have reacted had learned about it, he said, “Phong would be totally flabbergasted by Tiger, completely blown away. He would view him as his own son. He wouldn’t know a damned thing about golf, but it wouldn’t be necessary.”

Tiger Woods has embraced his name in full

Even though Phong never got to witness his friend’s adoration for him, Earl still gave the rest of the world something big. Like his father predicted, Woods definitely became more than famous, and he’s embraced the ‘Tiger’ name.

Think about his “roaring” celebrations. It may not have had the same impact had Woods chosen to turn pro under his birth name. Eldrick Tont no matter how meaningful, does not have the same ring to it. Then there’s also the way the name Tiger has had an impact on his career. Think back to those caps when he was with Nike. ‘TW’ was the logo. And what about his golf course design company? TGR Designs? Even his latest venture, his apparel company, Sun Day Red—is linked to his name with the Tiger as an emblem!

It’s clear Eldrick Tont Woods has been Tiger Woods for a while!