In 1971, T.S. Huang published a paper in IEEE Computer, May-June, pp.15, called *How the Fast Fourier Transform Got its Name*, available [here](http://www.computer.org/csdl/mags/co/1971/03/01641423-abs.html). 


At the bottom of the paper, he wrotes: "The Chinese emperor's name was Fast, so the method was called the Fast Fourier Transform" :-)


The question is: there is another version for FFT's name? First time the word *FAST* was used?



How the Fast Fourier Transform got its name
I think the Gentleman-Sande paper [Fast Fourier Transforms--for Fun and Profit](http://cis.rit.edu/class/simg716/FFT_Fun_Profit.pdf) (1966) is the first where the term appears *in writing*. A strong hint is that they put it in quotes the first few times, and then drop the quotes. But that also hints at the term having already been used *orally* before.


On p. 565 they clearly state the obvious reason for the name: "The total number of operations is now proportional to $AB(A+B)$ rather than $(AB)^2$ as it would be for a direct implementation of the definition, **hence the name "Fast Fourier Transform"**."


