"The owner of the KA-BAR trademark, the Union Cutlery Co. of Olean, New York, began using the name on its knives and in its advertising in 1923[5] after receiving a testimonial letter by a fur trapper, who used the knife to kill a wounded bear that attacked him after his rifle jammed.[6] According to company records, the letter was only partially legible, with "ka bar" readable as fragments of the phrase "kill a bear".[7][8][9][6][10][11] In 1923, the company adopted the name KA-BAR from the "bear story" as their trademark."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ka-Bar