SpongeBob SquarePants was originally going to be named SpongeBoy, but the name was already trademarked. The creators chose SpongeBob to ensure audiences knew he was a sponge, not a piece of cheese!
Imagine a world where we had 'SpongeBoy SquarePants'—it just doesn't have the same ring to it! Good call on the name change though, because I could totally see people mistaking him for a block of cheese .