How Google's Nano Banana got its name

Nano Banana sounds like a joke. It wasn’t meant to last. Instead, it became the public identity of one of Google DeepMind’s most popular image models.

• The model: Nano Banana is the codename for Google DeepMind’s image editing model, technically named Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (now Nano Banana Pro).
• The scramble: In late July, the team needed a last-minute public codename to submit the model to LMArena, a platform for anonymous, crowd-sourced AI evaluations.
• The name: At 2:30 a.m., Product Manager Naina Raisinghani suggested “Nano Banana,” combining two of her personal nicknames. The team went with it.
• Why it worked: The playful name contrasted with the model’s serious capabilities, including advanced image editing, likeness preservation, and multi-image compositing.
• Viral moment: Users noticed both the performance and the name, driving social media attention and speculation about the model’s origin.
• The result: Nano Banana became the top-rated image editing model globally after launch.
• Global reach: Day-one availability worldwide helped fuel viral, culturally relevant use cases across markets like Thailand and India.
• Brand embrace: Google leaned into the name with banana-themed UI elements, emojis, and swag.
• What stuck: Although the technical name remained, Nano Banana became the public-facing brand — and evolved into Nano Banana Pro.

Link: http://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/gemini/how-nano-banana-got-its-name/