What Does H.E.B. Stand For, Anyway?

For most Texans, the letters "H.E. and B." go together like peas and carrots. Those letters in that order are so engrained into Texas vernacular that most of us have never stopped to think "What does H.E.B. stand for?"

Like a buddy of mine who thought What-a-burger was "Waterburger." For the first 25 years of his life, he'd been saying it incorrectly and never thought to give it a second thought. "Waterburger" makes absolutely no sense. He was devastated the night I explained to him that the only "e-r" in "What-A-Burger" comes at the very end of it.

We love HEB for its special Texas finds, but the San Antonio-based grocer is massive. It operates more than 380 stores throughout the U.S. state of Texas and Mexico. As of 2022, the company had a total revenue of US $38.9 billion.

But what does "H.E.B." stand for?

I'm glad you asked. After all, curiosity is a common trait of an intelligent mind. Intelligent people let themselves become fascinated by things others take for granted and we're both done with taking the name of our favorite grocery store for granted.

According to a great feature in Texas Monthly, the store was named after its founder's son, who eventually went on to take over the company.

Here's what was in the story, "The company was founded by Howard’s mother, Florence Butt, who came to Texas in 1905 fortified by the most basic of all motives—survival. Her husband, Charles C. Butt, was suffering from tuberculosis. On his doctor’s advice, she moved herself, him, and their three young boys from Memphis to the warmer climate of the Texas Hill Country. The family settled in Kerrville on the banks of the Guadalupe River." You can read the full story here.

There ya go. How many of you knew that H.E.B. were the initials of Howard E. Butts?