Car brands get their names from a variety of sources, reflecting the history, values, and ambitions of the companies that founded them. The origins can be quite diverse and often have interesting stories behind them. Here are some of the main categories and examples:
Named After Founders
This is one of the most common ways for car companies to get their names. The founder’s name becomes the brand’s identity, a direct link to the person who started it all.
- Ford: Named after its founder, Henry Ford.
- Honda: Named after its founder, Soichiro Honda.
- Ferrari: Named after Enzo Ferrari.
- Porsche: Named after its founder, Ferdinand Porsche.
- Mercedes-Benz: A combination of the daughter’s name of one of the founders (Mercedes Jellinek, the daughter of Emil Jellinek) and the name of the other founder (Karl Benz).
Meaningful Words and Acronyms
Some brands choose names that are meaningful words, often from a different language, or are acronyms of the company’s full name.
- Audi: Founder August Horch had to leave his first company and was prohibited from using his own name again. A friend’s son suggested using the Latin translation of “Horch” which means “listen.” The Latin word is “Audi.”
- BMW: An acronym for “Bayerische Motoren Werke,” which translates to “Bavarian Motor Works” in English. This reflects the company’s roots in Bavaria and its early focus on engines.
- Volkswagen: A German name that means “the people’s car,” reflecting its original mission to create an affordable vehicle for the German populace.
- Volvo: From the Latin verb “volvere” which means “to roll.” The name was chosen to signify the company’s initial focus on ball bearings, and it was kept when they transitioned to cars.
Geographic and Mythological Inspirations
Brands may also draw inspiration from places or mythology to give their names a sense of grandeur, history, or purpose.
- Aston Martin: Named after the Aston Clinton Hill Climb race, where founder Lionel Martin was a successful driver.
- Cadillac: Named after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the French explorer who founded the city of Detroit.
- Mazda: Named after Ahura Mazda, the ancient Zoroastrian god of harmony, wisdom, and intelligence. The name also sounded similar to the founder’s surname, Jujiro Matsuda.
- Subaru: The Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster, which also means “unite,” representing the six companies that merged to form the brand.
Other Interesting Origins
- Jaguar: The company was originally named the “Swallow Sidecar Company” and later “SS Cars.” After World War II, the company was renamed to Jaguar to avoid any negative association with the Nazi SS.
- Toyota: The company was originally named “Toyoda” after its founder, Kiichiro Toyoda. The name was changed to “Toyota” because it required eight brush strokes to write in Japanese, which is a number considered lucky.
- Hyundai: A Korean word that roughly translates to “modernity.”
- Nissan: An abbreviation of the original company name, “Nihon Sangyo Co., Ltd.” which means “Japan Industries.”
