For millions of people, "DC Comics" has been a household name for their entire lives. And with good reason, now that the iconic comic book company has been in business for 85 years. In the process, making an impact on the world through thousands of comic books and an entertainment universe to match. But in spite of its esteem, the actual DC Comics name is... honestly, kind of silly.

While even comic book readers might not be able to say what the "D.C." stands for with confidence, it's a strange bit of history too good for anyone NOT to keep on hand. For those wondering, the "D.C" does technically stand for Detective Comics. So, why did one of the world's biggest comic publishers give themselves the name 'Detective Comics... Comics'? Allow us to explain.

Related: Superman's Origin Came From Batman's Secret Creator, Too

The company that would one day become DC began as National Allied Publications in 1934 when it was founded by Malcom Wheeler-Nicholson. Its first big title published was New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine and it released a second title, New Comics, soon after. Wheeler-Nicholson's debt began to accumulate after the second release but, thanks to the faith of company owner Harry Donefeld, another title was published in 1937: Detective Comics #1. And with it was born a separate partnership between Donefeld and Wheeler-Nicholson just for this series – a partnership called Detective Comics, Inc. Fans may know the hero eventually introduced to the world in Detective Comics #27, going by the name of Batman.

Detective Comics #27

Now, we're getting somewhere toward the modern title of the publication. This new partnership also introduced new co-owner Jack Liebowitz, who was Donefeld's accountant at the time. Wheeler-Nicholson sold his share to Donefeld soon after, as he was facing some serious debts (like many during and following the Great Depression of the 1930s). After his exit, the company published another series introducing Superman to the world in Action Comics. Eventually, Detective Comics, Inc. purchased the original National Allied Publications from Wheeler-Nicholson as well.

Now here's where things start to get awkward. Starting in 1940, comic book buyers could see a small seal on the front of Detective Comics, Inc. issues that read "A DC Publication," originally differentiating it from the National Allies brand. This quickly altered by 1941 when Superman became the frontrunner of their brand, so the seal changed to read "A Superman DC Publication." In 1946, the company officially merged all of the smaller companies (National Allied and All-American Publications) into one, noted in their issues printed that year. The cover seal became a little cramped, now reading "Superman DC National Comics."

Action Comics #1

Surprisingly, that seal wasn't simplified to just "DC" until the early 1970s. At this point, however, the "DC" had been present in all iterations of the seal since the beginning, so the issues had often been referred to as "DC Comics" informally. In 1977, they officially began referring to the company as DC Comics within the opening pages of the issues published that year.

And so, the little Frankenstein's Monster of several companies meshed together paid homage to the original series that let their publication take flight, keeping the "DC" abbreviation opposed to the full name, as its two letters had been consistently on the front cover of their issues since the very beginning. Though it might sound redundant, the title is a symbol of the company's history that almost fell all too soon in the face of debt.

Next: 10 Best Movies Based On DC Comics, According To Rotten Tomatoes