Company Names

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20th Century Fox    was named after    William Fox

Abbott Laboratories    was named after    Wallace Calvin Abbott 1888

Abercrombie & Fitch Co.    was named after    David Abercrombie and Ezra Fitch

Abrams Air Craft    was named after    Talbert Abrams

Adam Opel AG    was named after    Adam Opel

Adidas    was named after    Adi Dassler

A.G. Edwards    was named after    Albert Gallatin Edwards

Akai    was named after    Masukichi Akai Founder

Alza    was named after    Alex Zaffaroni. Name of the founder

A&M Records    was named after    Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss

Amstrad    was named after    Alan Sugar Alan Michael Sugar Trading

Anheuser-Busch    was named after    Adolphus Busch & Lilly & Eberhard Anheuser

The Anschutz Corporation    was named after    Philip Anschutz

Archer Daniels    was named after    George A. Archer and John W. Daniels

Armani    was named after    Giorgio Armani

Aston Martin    was named after    Lionel Martin

Audi    was named after    August Horch Audi is Latin for horch which means listen in English

Avery Dennison Corporation    was named after    R. Stanton Avery

A&W Restaurants    was named after    Roy Allen & Frank Wright

Ayala Corporation    was named after    Zobel De Ayala Family

Baedeker's    was named after    Karl Baedeker

Baker International - Baker Hughes    was named after    Reuben C. Baker

Baldwin Locomotive Works    was named after    Matthias W. Baldwin

Ball Corp.    was named after    The Ball Brothers

Banta COrporation    was named after    George Banta, Sr.

Barnes & Noble    was named after    William Barnes & G. Clifford Noble

Bashas'    was named after    Eddie Basha, Sr.

Bausch and Lomb    was named after    John Jacob Bausch and Henry Lomb

Bayer    was named after    Friedrich Bayer

Beckman Coulter    was named after    Arnold O. Beckman

Beck's    was named after    Heinrich Beck 1873

Bell Aircraft    was named after    Lawrence Bell

Bell Telephone Company, Bell System    was named after    Alexander Graham Bell

Benetton Group    was named after    Luciano Benetton

Bennett Schneider    was named after    Bennett Bernard Schneider

Benz & Cie.    was named after    Karl Benz Later Daimler-Benz

BEA Systems    was named after    Bill Coleman, Ed Scott & Alfred Chuang. From the first initial of each of the company's three founders

Black & Decker    was named after    S. Duncan Black & Alonzo G. Decker

B&L MACHINE WORKS    was named after    Brad & Lemuel Dreher

Bloomberg L.P.    was named after    Michael Bloomberg

BMB Softech    was named after    Brij Mohan Bansal

Boeing    was named after    William Boeing

Bose Corporation    was named after    Amar Bose

B&Q    was named after    Block and Quayle From the initials of its founders

Brentano's    was named after    August Brentano

Briggs & Stratton    was named after    Stephen Foster Briggs & Harold M. Stratton

Brooks Locomotive Works    was named after    Horatio G. Brooks

Bugatti    was named after    Ettore Bugatti

Buick    was named after    David Dunbar Buick

Bulgari    was named after    Sotirios Bulgari

Cadbury    was named after    John Cadbury Opened his shop in 1824

Cadillac    was named after    Antoine Laumet De La Mothe, Sieur De Cadillac, Founder of Detroit, Michigan

Calvin Klein    was named after    Calvin Klein

Casio    was named after    Tadao Kashio

Charles Schwab Corporation    was named after    Charles R. Schwab

Chase National Bank    was named after    Salmon P. Chase To Chase Manhattan Bank & J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.

Chevrolet    was named after    Louis Chevrolet

Christie's    was named after    James Christie

Chrysler    was named after    Walter Chrysler To DaimlerChrysler

Citroën    was named after    André Citroën

CKE Restaurants    was named after    Carl Karcher Enterprises

Colgate-Palmolive    was named after    William Colgate

Collins Radio Company    was named after    Arthur A. Collins

Coors Brewing    was named after    Adolph Coors

Corel    was named after    Dr. Michael Cowpland. It stands for COwpland REsearch Laboratory.

Crane & Co.    was named after    Stephen Crane

Cray Research    was named after    Seymour Cray

Cummins    was named after    Clessie Cummins

Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company    was named after    Glenn Curtiss To Curtiss-Wright

Daimler-Benz    was named after    Gottlieb Daimler Karl Benz To DaimlerChrysler

Danelectro    was named after    Nathan Daniel

Dassault Group    was named after    Marcel Dassault

Debian    was named after    Ian Murdock Named it after himself and his girlfriend, Debra.

Deere & Company    was named after    John Deere

Dean Guitars    was named after    Dean Zelinsky

Dell    was named after    Michael Dell

De Lorean Motor Company    was named after    John De Lorean

Dick's Sporting Goods    was named after    Dick Stack

Dillard's    was named after    William T. Dillard

Dolby Laboratories    was named after    Ray Dolby

Dolce & Gabbana    was named after    Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana

Douglas Aircraft Company    was named after    Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. To McDonnell Douglas

The Dow Chemical Company    was named after    Herbert Dow

Dow Jones & Company    was named after    Charles Dow & Edward Jones

Duke Energy    was named after    James Buchanan Duke

Dunlop    was named after    John Boyd Dunlop

Dunlop Manufacturing    was named after    Jim Dunlop

DuPont    was named after    Eleuthère Irénée Du Pont.

Eastman Kodak    was named after    George Eastman

Eatons    was named after    Timothy Eaton

Edison Records    was named after    Thomas Edison

Eli Lilly and Company    was named after    Eli Lilly

Ericsson    was named after    Lars Magnus Ericsson

Fender    was named after    Leo Fender

Fendi    was named after    Edoardo Fendi

Ferragamo    was named after    Salvatore Ferragamo

Ferrari    was named after    Enzo Ferrari,

Fisher-Price    was named after    Herman Fisher and Irving Price

Fitch Ratings    was named after    John Knowles Fitch

Ford Motor Company    was named after    Henry Ford

Fox    was named after    William Fox

FranklinCovey    was named after    Benjamin Franklin and Stephen Covey. The company was formed in a 1997 merger of FranklinQuest and the Covey Leadership Center. FranklinQuest was best known for selling personal management systems inspired by the writings of Benjamin Franklin.

Gannett Company    was named after    Frank Gannett

Garmin    was named after    Gary Burrell & Dr. Min Kao

Gartner    was named after    Gideon Gartner

Getty Images    was named after    Mark Getty

Getty Oil    was named after    John Paul Getty

Ghirardelli Chocolate Company    was named after    Domingo Ghirardelli

Gibson Guitar Corporation    was named after    Orville Gibson

Glenn L. Martin Company    was named after    Glenn Luther Martin To Lockheed Martin

Global Gillette    was named after    King C. Gillette

GLOCK GmbH    was named after    Gaston Glock

Godin    was named after    Robert Godin

Goldman Sachs    was named after    Marcus Goldman & Samuel Sachs

Goldwyn Picture Corporation    was named after    Samuel Goldfish (he later adopted the name Samuel Goldwyn), Edgar and Archibald Selwyn, (to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

Goodrich Corporation    was named after    Benjamin Goodrich

Gottlieb    was named after    David Gottlieb

Gretsch    was named after    Friedrich Gretsch

Gucci    was named after    Guccio Gucci

Halliburton    was named after    Erle P. Halliburton

Hammond Organ    was named after    Laurens Hammond

Hanna-Barbera Productions    was named after    William Hanna & Joseph Barbera

Harley-Davidson    was named after    William Harley & Arthur Davidson

Harman Kardon    was named after    Sidney Harman & Bernard Kardon

Harrah's Entertainment    was named after    William F. Harrah

Harvey Norman    was named after    Gerald Harvey & Ian Norman

Hasbro    was named after    The Hassenfeld Brothers

Hearst Corporation    was named after    William Randolph Hearst

The Hershey Company    was named after    Milton Hershey

Hewitt Associates    was named after    Ted Hewitt

Hewlett-Packard    was named after    William Hewlett & David Packard

Hill Audio    was named after    Malcolm Hill

Hilton Hotels    was named after    Conrad Hilton

H. J. Heinz Company    was named after    Henry John Heinz

H. K. Porter, Inc    was named after    Henry Kirke Porter

Honda    was named after    Soichiro Honda

Honeywell    was named after    Mark Honeywell

Horlicks    was named after    James Horlick & William Horlick

Hormel    was named after    George A. Hormel

Hovnanian Enterprises    was named after    Kevork Hovnanian

H&R Block    was named after    Henry W. Bloch & Richard Bloch

Hughes Aircraft, Hughes Tool Company Hughes Airwest    was named after    Howard Hughes

IKEA    was named after    Ingvar Kamprad, From an acronym using the initials of the founder who was from a family farm called Elmtaryd, which was near the village of Agunnaryd.

Jackson Guitars    was named after    Grover Jackson

JCPenney    was named after    James Cash Penney

The Jim Henson Company    was named after    Jim Henson

J.J. Newberry    was named after    John Josiah Newberry

Johnson & Johnson    was named after    Robert Wood Johnson I, James Wood Johnson, and Edward Mead Johnson

Johnson Publishing    was named after    John H. Johnson

J. P. Morgan & Co.    was named after    J. P. Morgan

Kawasaki Heavy Industries    was named after    Shozo Kawasaki

Kellogg Company    was named after    John Harvey Kellogg

Kent H. Landsberg Company    was named after    Kent H. Landsberg

King Kullen Grocery Co.    was named after    Michael J. Cullen, He replaced the "C" with a "K" for marketing purposes.

Knight Ridder    was named after    John S. Knight (Knight Newspapers, Inc.) and Herman Ridder (Ridder Publications, Inc.)

Kohl's    was named after    Max Kohl

Kroger Co.    was named after    Bernard Henry Kroger

Lafarge    was named after    Joseph-Auguste Pavin De Lafarge

Laidlaw    was named after    Robert Laidlaw

Lamborghini    was named after    Ferruccio Lamborghini

Lancia    was named after    Vicenzo Lancia

Lazard    was named after    Alexandre Lazard, Simon Lazard, and Elie Lazard

Lee Enterprises    was named after    A. W. Lee

Lehman Brothers    was named after    Henry Lehman, Emanuel Lehman and Meyer Lehman

Leslie    was named after    Donald Leslie

Levi Strauss & Co.    was named after    Levi Strauss

Liz Claiborne, Inc.    was named after    Elisabeth Claiborne Ortenberg

Lockheed Corporation    was named after    Allan Haines Loughead and Malcolm Loughead To Lockheed Martin

Lorillard Tobacco Company    was named after    Pierre Lorillard IV

Louis B. Mayer Pictures    was named after    Louis B. Mayer To Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Macy's    was named after    Rowland Hussey Macy

Marriott Corporation    was named after    J. Willard Marriott Later split into Host Marriott and Marriott International

Marshall Amplification    was named after    Jim Marshall

Marsh & McLennan Companies    was named after    Henry W. Marsh and Donald R. McLennan

Mars, Incorporated    was named after    Frank C. Mars

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia    was named after    Martha Stewart

Maruri Publicidad    was named after    From Founder Jimmy Maruri

Mattel    was named after    Harold Matson and Elliot Handler Matt & EL

Maytag    was named after    F. L. Maytag

Mazda    was named after    Jujiro Matsuda, Also possibly inspired by Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda.

McAfee    was named after    John McAfee

McCaw Cellular    was named after    Craig McCaw

McDonald's    was named after    Dick and Mac McDonald

McDonnell Aircraft    was named after    James Smith McDonnell To McDonnell Douglas

McGraw-Hill    was named after    John A. Hill and James H. McGraw

McKesson    was named after    John McKesson

Mellon Financial Corporation    was named after    Thomas Mellon

Mercedes    was named after    Mércédès Jellinek An 1902 automobile model of Daimler Motor Company

Merrill Lynch    was named after    Charles E. Merrill and Edmund C. Lynch

MGM    was named after    Samuel Goldfish and Edgar and Archibald Selwyn and Louis B. Mayer. Or Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Miele    was named after    Carl Miele.

Mitel    was named after    FMichael Cowpland and Terry Matthews

Molson    was named after    John Molson

Moog Music    was named after    Dr. Robert Moog

Morgan Stanley    was named after    Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley

Nero AG    was named after    Nero

Nestlé    was named after    Henri Nestlé Who created the milk-based food in 1867

Nordstrom    was named after    John W. Nordstrom

Northrop    was named after    Jack Northrop

Oldsmobile    was named after    Ransom E. Olds

Olin Corporation    was named after    Franklin W. Olin

Orton Ceramic Foundation    was named after    Edward Orton, Jr.

Oztas    was named after    Habib Öztaş, Who founded the company in 1958

Pathé    was named after    Charles and Émile Pathé, Who founded the Société Pathé Frères in 1896

Peavey Electronics    was named after    Hartley Peavey

Penske Corporation    was named after    Roger Penske

PerkinElmer    was named after    Richard Scott Perkin and Charles Elmer

Perot Systems    was named after    H. Ross Perot, Jr.

Peugeot    was named after    Armand Peugeot Who founded the company in 1882

Pfizer    was named after    Charles Pfizer

Philips    was named after    Gerard Philips Who founded the company in 1891

Pontiac    was named after    Chief Pontiac Leader of Pontiac's Rebellion

Porsche    was named after    Ferdinand Porsche

Procter & Gamble    was named after    William Procter and James Gamble

PRS Guitars    was named after    Paul Reed Smith

Renault    was named after    Louis Renault

REO Motor Car Company    was named after    Ransom E. Olds

Reuters    was named after    Paul Reuter

Rickenbacker    was named after    Adolph Rickenbacher

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company    was named after    R. J. Reynolds

Robert Bosch GmbH    was named after    Robert Bosch

Rockwell International, North American Rockwell, Rockwell Semiconductor    was named after    Willard Rockwell

Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works    was named after    Thomas Rogers

Rolls-Royce Plc/Rolls-Royce Motor Cars    was named after    Charles Rolls and Henry Royce

RSA Security    was named after    Ronald Rivest, Adi Shamir and Len Adleman. From the first letters of the last names of founders

Ryanair    was named after    Tony Ryan

Sainsbury's    was named after    John James Sainsbury

Sam's Club    was named after    Sam Walton Same owner of Wal-Mart

S. C. Johnson & Son    was named after    Samuel Curtis Johnson, Sr.

Sears    was named after    Richard Sears Formerly Sears, Roebuck - Sears and Alvah Roebuck

Sherwin-Williams Company    was named after    Henry Sherwin and Edward Williams

Siemens AG    was named after    Werner Von Siemens

Singer Corporation    was named after    Issac Merritt Singer, Inventor, improvements in the design of the sewing machine

Sotheby's    was named after    John Sotheby

Stanley Works    was named after    Frederick Trent Stanley

Stewart-Warner    was named after    John K. Stewart and Arthur P. Warner

Stihl    was named after    Andreas Stihl

Suzuki    was named after    Michio Suzuki

Tata    was named after    Jamsetji Tata

Tesco    was named after    T. E. Stockwell and Jack Cohen Amalgamation of TES (from T. E. Stockwell) and CO (from Jack Cohen)

Thomas Cook Travel, Thomas Cook Airlines, Thomas Cook    was named after    Elihu Thomson

THX    was named after    Tomlinson Holman From the name of the technology's inventor and the audio technology of a 'crossover' amplifier: Tomlinson Holman

Tiffany & Co.    was named after    Charles Lewis Tiffany

Tim Hortons    was named after    Tim Horton

Timken Company    was named after    Henry Timken

Tommy Hilfiger Corporation    was named after    Thomas Jacob Hilfiger

Toyota Industries    was named after    Sakichi Toyoda

Toyota Motor    was named after    Kiichiro Toyoda

Trump Air Shuttle, Airline,    was named after    Donald Trump

TVR    was named after    Trevor Wilkinson From the first name of the company founder TreVoR Wilkinson

Waitrose    was named after    Wallace Waite and Arthur Rose

Walgreens    was named after    Charles Rudolph Walgreen

Wal-Mart    was named after    Sam Walton

The Walt Disney Company    was named after    Walt Disney

Wang Laboratories    was named after    An Wang

Warner Bros.    was named after    Jack Warner, Sam Warner, Harold Warner and Albert Warner

Wells Fargo    was named after    Henry Wells and William Fargo

Wendy's    was named after    Dave Thomas' Daughter Melinda "Wendy" Thomas

Westinghouse Electric    was named after    George Westinghouse

WHSmith    was named after    William Henry Smith

W. R. Grace and Company    was named after    William Russell Grace

Wright Company, Wright Aeronautical    was named after    Orville and Wilbur Wright To Wright-Martin

W. W. Norton    was named after    William Warder Norton

Yamaha Corporation    was named after    Torakusu Yamaha

Zend Technologies    was named after    Zeev Suraski & Andi Gutmans

Facts contributed by:

Nakul

Tushers