Where Did the At Symbol Come From?

Where Did the At Symbol Come From?

From BrainStuff by iHeartPodcasts

June 1, 2026 · 9 min

About this episode

This episode explores the origins and history of the @ sign, tracing its use back to medieval merchants and a 1970s programmer.

The @ sign goes by many names today, but it's only so commonplace because of medieval merchants and one 1970s programmer. Learn more about the at sign (or arroba, Klammeraffe, strudel, grisehale, or gül) in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://people.howstuffworks.com/arroba.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Full Name

Topics covered

  • at sign
  • history
  • programming
  • medieval commerce
  • symbol origins

Keywords

  • at sign
  • arroba
  • Klammeraffe
  • strudel
  • symbol history
  • programming symbols
  • medieval merchants

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BrainStuff, iHeartPodcasts

Books & works: HowStuffWorks

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