Y Combinator is named after a computer science concept - the "combinator," and more specifically, the "Y combinator" function. Paul Graham and Robert Morris (co-founders of the Y combinator company), both computer scientists themselves, likely chose the name as a nod to their background and the company's focus on technology startups. The Y combinator function is a higher-order function used in functional programming languages that allows for the creation of anonymous functions, which can be useful for creating new functions from existing ones. This aligns with the company's mission of helping startups to iterate quickly and efficiently.
Y Combinator is named after a computer science concept - the "combinator," and more specifically, the "Y combinator" function. Paul Graham and Robert Morris (co-founders of the Y combinator company), both computer scientists themselves, likely chose the name as a nod to their background and the company's focus on technology startups. The Y combinator function is a higher-order function used in functional programming languages that allows for the creation of anonymous functions, which can be useful for creating new functions from existing ones. This aligns with the company's mission of helping startups to iterate quickly and efficiently.
Also see: https://www.ycombinator.com/faq under `Why did you choose the name “Y Combinator?`