Where did the word lollipop come from, and when was it first printed?
Research question: Where did the word "lollipop" come from, and when did it first appear in print?
The records show the word was first recorded around 1784, when it referred to a soft, treacle-based candy rather than a hard candy on a stick 3. The facts do not explain where the word itself came from or name a specific printed source, so that 1784 date is the closest available answer to when it first appeared in print 3. The Bradley Smith Company began producing its first 'Lolly Pops' in 1908 and is credited with applying the term to hard candy on a stick in the modern American sense 2. The name was registered as a trademark in 1931, but the facts disagree on who held it, crediting the Bradley Smith Company in one source and George Smith in another 14. The newest fact dates from 1931, so the evidence is about 95 years old as of October 2026 14.
Sources
"The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office registered the "Lolly Pop" name to the company on October 13, 1931, after a lengthy dispute over whether the term was already in use in English."Bradley Smith Company
"According to ConnecticutHistory.org, the company began producing its first "Lolly Pops" in 1908, and Smith was later credited as the first to apply the term to hard candy on a stick in the modern American sense."Bradley Smith Company
"According to Etymonline, which draws on historical dictionary research, the word is first recorded around 1784 — and back then it didn't even mean what we think of today."How Lollipops Got Their Name
"1931: George Smith trademarks the name "lollipop.""How Lollipops Got Their Name