OpenWrt acquired its name in 2004, coinciding with its initial public release.

Here’s the precise historical context:

• The project began as a fork of the Linksys WRT54G firmware, which itself was based on the Linux kernel under the GPL.

• The name “OpenWrt” was coined to reflect the idea of an open firmware replacement for the WRT series of routers — particularly the WRT54G line.

• “WRT” was originally Linksys’s abbreviation for Wireless Router, so OpenWrt literally means Open Wireless Router.

Thus, the name was adopted at the project’s inception in 2004, not later as a rebranding.

The LEDE Project (short for Linux Embedded Development Environment) was created in May 2016 as a fork of OpenWrt, not a renaming.

Here’s what happened:

• Around 2015–2016, parts of the OpenWrt developer community became dissatisfied with how the project was being managed — citing poor communication, slow release cycles, and governance issues.

• As a result, a significant group of core contributors forked the codebase to form LEDE. Their goals were to:

  • Improve transparency in decision-making,

  • Use a more open development process,

  • Increase release frequency,

  • And modernize infrastructure (build systems, CI, etc.).

Reunification:
In January 2018, the LEDE and OpenWrt teams agreed to merge back under the OpenWrt name, using LEDE’s codebase as the foundation. From that point onward, “OpenWrt” referred to the unified project, and the LEDE name was formally retired.

In short:

• OpenWrt → 2004 (original project)

• LEDE → 2016 (fork due to governance issues)

• Reunified → 2018 (under the OpenWrt name, using LEDE’s modernized base)