The other day we drove by a car dealer. They had a gleaming statue of a leaping jaguar in their frontyard. Jaguar denotes strength, speed, and beastly beauty - not a bad image for a car brand. I think that the best company names characterize the company: what they do, how they do it, and what benefits they offer. The name should differentiate the company. An excellent name also creates a compelling visual image.
Naming to a company is somehow similar to naming a baby. The name reflects the expectations and values of the parents. Whereas parents have a finite list of suitable first names companies have to come up with a unique one.
A good name should be easy to remember, pronounce, and write. Short names are categorically better than long ones. Sony, Nokia, Nikon, Bing - they are all technology brands that fulfill that requirement. Many Internet brands use two-syllable names, e.g. eBay, Dropbox, PayPal, and Twitter.
I once worked for a company that had a bit difficult Swedish name to spell (the founder's). The employees collected misspelled address tags in a folder. Eventually the folder became very thick.
Using the founder's name for a company would seem like a natural choice at first but can become a burden later on. The character and success of the firm and the founder become inseparable.
Many brands have evolved from local markets to global markets. The names have evolved accordingly. Take for example Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg that we today know as MAN, or Bayerische Motoren Werke - BMW. I got these examples from a list of company name etymologies that is available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_company_name_etymologies.
Photo: Aarni Heiskanen
