Why is JavaScript called JavaScript, since it has nothing to do with Java?

JavaScript, was originally named Mocha, later it was renamed to LiveScript, and then to JavaScript. The LiveScript to JavaScript name change came because Netscape and Sun did a license agreement. The language was then submitted for standarization to the http://www.ecma-international.org/ Organization. By that time, Netscape didn't allow the use of the "JavaScript" name, so the standarized language is named http://www.ecmascript.org/. JavaScript isn't actually an open name. Now it's a http://www.sun.com/suntrademarks/#J of Sun (now Oracle). There still a lot of confusion, some people still think that JavaScript, JScript, and ECMAScript are three different languages. ECMAScript is the "standards" name for the language. JavaScript is technically a "dialect" of ECMAScript, the Mozilla Foundation can use "JavaScript" as the name of their implementations (currently present on the https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Rhino and https://developer.mozilla.org/en/SpiderMonkey engines). In the early days, Microsoft decided also to do what Netscape was doing on their own browser, and they developed http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hbxc2t98%28VS.85%29.aspx, which is also an ECMAScript dialect, but was named in this way to avoid trademark issues.

Java is to Javascript what Car is to Carpet. "The language's name is the result of a co-marketing deal between Netscape and Sun, in exchange for Netscape bundling Sun's Java runtime with their then-dominant browser." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JavaScript#History

It was originally called Mocha, renamed to LiveScript, and then renamed to JavaScript. JavaScript itself is a trademark of Sun Microsystems -- the official standard is just called ECMAScript. Further confusing the matter, Microsoft has decided to call their version JScript. JScript is not at all related to J++, a Microsoft-implemented Java whose name undoubtedly is designed to cause confusion with C++.

http://tim.oreilly.com/pub/a/javascript/2001/04/06/js_history.html.

The project was originally called Mocha, then renamed to LiveScript, and finally to JavaScript when Netscape and Sun did a license agreement. The idea at the time was to make it a scripting language complimentary to Java. http://www.infoworld.com/d/developer-world/javascript-creator-ponders-past-future-704.

Maybe this would help? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JavaScript#History

It was a marketing ploy cooked up by Netscape since Java was the big buzz word at the time. Originally it was called LiveScript. Which was probably a better name in hindsight.

We were obsessed with naming things after coffee in the 90's. I know... what were we thinking?!

The language has similarities to C-adjecents to which Java counts aswell. It was first named Mocha but later renamed to LiveScript and finally to JavaScript due to marketing reasons. To accomodate the Java trend during that time there was an interface between LiveScript and Java called LiveConnect. This connection was intented to be expressed with the new name "JavaScript".