<P> While the two - piece swimsuit as a design existed in classical antiquity , the modern design first attracted public notice in Paris on July 5 , 1946 . French automotive engineer Louis Réard introduced a design he named the `` bikini '' , adopting the name from the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean , which was the colonial name the Germans gave to the atoll , transliterated from the Marshallese name for the island , Pikinni . </P>
<P> While the two - piece swimsuit as a design existed in classical antiquity , the modern design first attracted public notice in Paris on July 5 , 1946 . French automotive engineer Louis Réard introduced a design he named the `` bikini '' , adopting the name from the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean , which was the colonial name the Germans gave to the atoll , transliterated from the Marshallese name for the island , Pikinni . </P>
who coined the phrase bikini for the two piece swimsuit design in 1946
who coined the phrase bikini for the two piece swimsuit design in 1946
Louis Réard
Louis Réard