Company and product names - where do they come from?
There are thousands of ways you can use to come up with a name, not least as regards products and services.
People often adopt a slightly more serious approach when it comes to company names. How you end up with the right solution in the end isn’t always particularly important, but there are times when a name can be even more valuable if there’s a good story behind it. Something that gives the company or the product the right flair, feeling or clout, or whatever it is that is important to that particular industry. Let’s have a look at some of the many places where you can find names.
Part 1. Alphabet soup and alphabet cookies
Abbreviations
NSB. NHO. NKL. Quite understandably, lots of Norwegian abbreviations begin with N, just like lots of Swedish ones begin with S. It’s more tempting to say NRK in place of Norsk Rikskringkasting, after all. Ironically enough, some companies have chosen to extend abbreviations. Just look at SLT (Sveriges Litografiska Tryckerier), for example – they changed their name to ESSELTE. ESSO is derived from Standard Oil (SO), although legal subtleties have now resulted in the company being known as EXXON in its country of origin, the US.
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Acronyms
An acronym is an abbreviation where the letters are put together and can be read as a word. IKEA, which stands for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd (founder + geographical region), is a good example of an acronym. Running shoe supplier ASICS derived its name from the Latin Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, or, as we’d say in English: a healthy soul in a healthy body. But AHSIAHB doesn’t sound quite the same.
Syllables
Another way of abbreviating names is to take the first syllable in several words. The hotel, restaurant and catering industry is referred to as HORECA. One of our customers, BAMA Storkjøkken, is very active in this sector The name BAMA is derived from the first syllables in the words Banan-Matthiesen. TOMRA is a kind of hybrid name and comes from the word TOMflaskeReturAutomat, or empty bottle return machine.
Mergers and acquisitions
There are times when two companies that have merged come up with the simplest solution. Hydro + Texaco became HydroTexaco. Yoplait, a French company battling for the yoghurt market in countries such as Norway, was the result of a merger of the two companies Yola and Coplait. When staffing agencies Adia and Ecco from Switzerland and France respectively underwent a merger, they created Adecco. DnB got its abbreviated name when Den norske Creditbank and Bergen Bank merged.
Ingredients can also be combined to form a product name. Coca-Cola is derived from coca leaves and cola nuts. Pepsi used to be known as Pepsi-Cola, but the company abbreviated the name in 1961. Their name is derived from the enzyme pepsin. It’s also common to merge two completely different words to make something new. Pinterest is a name made up from pin and interest, and gives people a good idea of what goes on at pinterest.com. Beat + beetles = Beatles. Swiss + watch = Swatch.
Many languages are good Latin
DA range of languages have contributed to lots of well-known companies and products. The Latin word veritas (truth) and the English (originally Greek) word horizon were combined to makeVerizon. Volvo is derived from the Latin word volvere and means “I roll”. Nike is the name of the Greek goddess of victory. Canon is derived from the Japanese word kannon, which is based on a Buddhist figure representing compassion. To name but a few.
To be continued. Part 2 is coming soon: Geography and wit .
