The (Secret) onomastics
Behind Brand Names
Brett W. Miller
ENG 213
Betsey Wheeler
onomastics [anomæstIks]
(from the Greek onomastikós – to name)
(n): 1. the study of the origin, history, and
use of proper names.
brand [brænd]
(from the Old Norse brandr – to burn)
(n): 1. kind, grade, or make, as indicated
by a stamp, trademark, or the like
2. a mark made by burning or
otherwise, to indicate kind, grade,
make, ownership, etc.
ORIGINALLY, BRANDS WERE
SIMPLY NAMED AFTER THE
CREATORS OF THE
COMPANIES…
(after founder George Westinghouse)
(after founder Henry Ford)
(after founder William E. Boeing)
OR A LOFTY BRAND NAME
DENOTING THEIR
(AT LEAST FORMER)
MARKET DOMINANCE…
General Motors
United Airlines
United States (U.S.) Steel
BUT TODAY…
• Use of Greek or Latin-esque parts of words
may be used to allude to a company or
product’s qualities or benefits:
• Accuracy- should probably be a given
when making a car (note the measuring
caliper in the logo)
• Acuteness? Acuity?
• Obvious damage control within this
name of cigarette manufacturer
Philip Morris’ parent company
(“look how altruistic we are”)
FOUR ONOMASTIC METHODS
COMPANIES USE
TO NAME BRANDS
(AND SHAPE OUR PERCEPTION OF THEIR PRODUCTS)
• ORTHOGRAPHY
• PHONEMICS
• ABBREVIATIONS
• ACRONYMS
FOUR onomastic EXAMPLES
OF companY Name Brands
Unusual use of final “q” in name – moniker
may connote impression of “compact,”
“computer,” “compatibility,” “quality”
Lunar (pertaining to moon and nighttime)
+ Siesta (alluding to rest and relaxation)
= ZZZZZZZ
Abbreviation of Badische Anilin und Soda
Fabriken (Baden Aniline and Soda Factories) –
was originally an Baden, Germany-based
aniline dye and soda ash producer
A weapon named from an enduring juvenile
adventure series of books dating back to the early
20th century – name comprised of the first letters of
Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle (although, in the
books, Tom’s middle name was never revealed—
guess they had to “buy a vowel”…
ORTHOGRAPHY AND
PERCEPTION
(OR, HOW TO SPELL A SALE)
• Studies conducted by four Michigan State University
researchers showed that brand names beginning with the
consonants B,C,D,G,K,P,T were most easily
remembered
• Names beginning with B, C, and S were perceived by test
subjects as simpler:
• Names beginning with X were construed as being masculine:
ORTHOGRAPHY AND
PERCEPTION
(OR, HOW TO SPELL A SALE)
• Names beginning with L or V were construed as being
feminine:
• Names beginning with Q were thought of by the subjects in the
brand perception tests as innovative or “cutting edge”:
NO MATTER HOW UNUSUAL OR
OUTLANDISH THEY LOOK, AMERICAN
BRAND NAMES ALWAYS FOLLOW THE
LINGUISTIC RULES OF ENGLISH:
Zqihfaj
ORIGINS OF BRAND NAMES
• It’s not a cheer!
• “Yahoo” (meaning rude or uncouth) first coined by Gulliver’s
Travels author Jonathan Swift
• Web portal creators Jerry Yang and David Filo insist that site
so named because they were both “yahoos”
• Name widely understood as acronym for “Yet Another
Hierarchical Officious Oracle”
• Yahoo! still better than original name: “Jerry's Guide to the
World Wide Web”
ORIGINS OF BRAND NAMES
• It’s not a verb meaning “to gawk”!
• Actually intentional misspelling of the word googol,
popularized by mathematician Edward Kasner to describe a
very, very large number (10100 or 10 followed by 100 zeroes)
— descriptive of the large amount of information indexed by
the Web site
• Googol does not linguistically derive from any word—
created extemporaneously by Kasner’s nine-year-old
nephew
• Google, not Googol? Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin
tried, but Silicon Valley engineer Tim Beauchamp beat them
to the name googol.com
ORIGINS OF BRAND NAMES
• Swedish farm boy Ingvar Kamprad “strikes” it big selling
matches in village of Agunnaryd
• Business expands to Christmas ornaments, pens and . . .
fresh fish(!)
• Forms his own company, IKEA, at age 17
• Names company using the initials of his name:
Ingvar
Kamprad
the name of his family’s farm:
Elmtaryd
and his native village:
Agunnaryd
ORIGINS OF BRAND NAMES
• Founded by literary types Gordon Bowker, Jerry
Baldwin, and Zev Siegel (Bowker a writer, Baldwin
and Siegel, teachers)
• Starbuck, first mate and coffee lover on Ahab’s ship
in Melville’s Moby Dick was inspiration for ubiquitous
coffeehouse name
• Ahab’s ship’s name was also proposed as a name for
the establishment, but a business collaborator
countered, “No one’s going to drink a cup of
Pequod!”
HIDDEN ONOMASTICS OF
PHARMACEUTICALS
• Perhaps not coincidentally, rhymes with “Niagara” – owing to either the
romantic connotation of the region or a reference to the expected “highflow” result of the product
• The initial phonemes /vi/ suggest “vitality,” “vigor” or “vim,” while the
remaining portion of the word is phonetically similar to “aggression,” thus
equating to force or power
• The brand taken as a whole has no genuine significance, but is loaded
with implication
• This drug has a similar /vi/ phonemic component to that of Viagra, only
this time appearing in the middle of the word
• Also has an allusion to “levitation,” thus hinting about the drug’s
“upstanding” benefits to its male consumers
HIDDEN ONOMASTICS OF
PHARMACEUTICALS
• Note the highlighted “A”s in the names of these antihypertensive (for
treatment of high blood pressure) drugs
• Both contain Angiotensin Antagonists—drugs that interfere with the
body’s ability to narrow blood vessels and thus raise blood pressure
• Note the “mab” suffix at the end of the generic names of these drugs
• Drugs with this suffix are monoclonal antibodies, which are used to treat
some cancers and autoimmune disorders by binding to the surfaces of
certain cells, thus blocking specific biological processes
AFFIX ANATOMY OF THE mab
DRUG CLASS
Infixes used in monoclonal antibody drugs serve to identify
two drug action characteristics: one for the origin or source
of the antibody, the other for the antibody’s target
ORIGIN / SOURCE
 If original antibody only produced in mice
(not usually used in humans due to adverse = infix of “o”
immune response or allergic reaction):
ORTHOCLONE
OKT®3 (muromonabCD3)
 If the antibody originates in humans:
= infix of “u”
AFFIX ANATOMY OF THE mab
DRUG CLASS
DRUG ORIGIN / SOURCE
 When parts of the animal antibody are
combined with human genetic sequences
= infix of “xi”
in an structure area common to both
animals (called chimeric”)
 When parts of the animal antibody that
are combined with human genetic
sequences are variable between both
animals (called “humanized”)
= infix of “zu”
AFFIX ANATOMY OF THE mab
DRUG CLASS
DRUG TARGET
 Construction of the infix for the target is usually
comprised of a consonant-vowel-consonant combination
 The final consonant is dropped off if the following infix of the
origin or source (e.g. -zu- or -ci-)
 The target infix is then abbreviated, as in -ci(r)- to denote the
circulatory system or -tu(m)- to designate tumors as the
intended targets
Cancer drug panitumumab
pani + tum + u + mab
Specific body target
Drug-specific prefix
(tumor)
Antibody of human origin
Monoclonal antibody
DRUG NAMING AND THE
UNITED STATES APPROVED NAMES COUNCIL
 The United States Pharmacopeia’s drug naming unit, the
United States Approved Names Council, approves the
generic names of new drugs in their USP Dictionary of USAN
and International Nonproprietary Names
 New name stems for drugs are created only in cases where an
existing stem does not accurately represent the compound,
its action, structure, use, or other compelling reason
 New 2008 stem examples and their descriptions include:
• -clomol for heat-shock protein inducers, bimoclomal type
• -luren for inducers of ribosomal readthrough of nonsense mutation
mRNA stop codons
In 2008, 95 new drug names
were adopted by the USAN . . .
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aflibercept
albaconazole
aleplasinin
alogliptin benzoate
apricoxib
ataluren
bafetinib
bederocin
blinatumomab
bupropion hydrobromide
canakinumab
carmegliptin
cetilistat
cixutumumab
coleneuramide
cositecan
dabigatran
dabigatran etexilate
dabigatran etexilate mesylate
dapagliflozin
davunetide
degarelix acetate
delafloxacin
delafloxacin meglumine
denenicokin
dirucotide
dirucotide acetate
droxidopa
dutogliptin
dutogliptin tartrate
efungumab
elagolix
elagolix sodium
elotuzumab
entinostat
epetirimod esylate
esomeprazole potassium
farletuzumab
fidaxomicin
figitumumab
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fosbretabulin disodium
fostamatinib disodium
gabapentin enacarbil
gantenerumab
hydroxyethyl starch /.
iclaprim
iclaprim mesylate
indeglitazar
ingenol mebutate
larazotide
levomefolate calcium
levomefolic acid
linaclotide
liprotamase
lonaprisan
mocetinostat dihydrobromide
nabiximols
naproxcinod
nomegestrol acetate
obeticholic acid
palifosfamide
palovarotene
pardoprunox
pardoprunox hydrochloride
pegloticase
pozanicline
pozanicline tartrate
radezolid
radezolid hydrochloride
ramucirumab
remogliflozin etabonate
retaspimycin
retaspimycin hydrochloride
serlopitant
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sobetirome
sofinicline
sofinicline benzenesulfonate
sotrastaurin acetate
spinosad
tecovirimat
telcagepant
telcagepant potassium
toceranib
toceranib phosphate
tozasertib
tozasertib lactate
turofexorate isopropyl
tylvalosin
tylvalosin tartrate
varespladib
varespladib methyl
vedolizumab
velneperit
voreloxin
zibotentan
HARMFUL LINGUISTICS:
how creative orthography can KILL
Diabetes drug
Alzheimer’s drug
Antifungal drug
OR
Epilepsy drug
Antihistamine
Schizophrenia drug
Pain killer
Antidepressant
Source:
http://www.chem.cornell.edu/jn96/images/Top%20200%20Brand%20Name%20Drugs%20by%20Retail%20Dollars%20in%202007.png
Top ten drug onomastics
1.
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9.
10.
Lipitor
Nexxium
Advair Diskus
Prevacid
Plavix
Singulair
Seroquel
Effexor XR
Lexapro
Actos
“lipid,” cholesterol
“next generation antacid”
“advanced airway opener” (disc shape)
“prevents acid”
“nixes plaques”
“singular” (exclusivity?) and “air”
“quells serotonin”
“effective” - XR is eXtended Release
“lexa-a linguistics term meaning a
relation word?” “promotes”
“active” perhaps “glucose?”
THE ONOMASTIC STORIES BEHIND
CAR BRANDS
 Name derives from the Japanese word
for the constellation known in English as
the Pleiades, or “the Seven Sisters”
 Count the stars in the logo! (Although
there are many more stars, these are
purportedly the stars most visible by
naked eye from Earth)
 Represents the company’s formation
from the merger of seven separate
companies
THE ONOMASTIC STORIES BEHIND
CAR BRANDS
Named for company co-founder
Louis Chevrolet
Chevrolet was a well-known
Swiss auto racer in the early
1900s
Originally a separate car
make, became part of GM in
1917
THE ONOMASTIC STORIES BEHIND
CAR BRANDS
 The name is Latin for “let it be
done” (also an English word
meaning “an authoritative
order or decree”)
Italian auto maker’s name
actually derives from the
acronym Fabbrica Italiana
Automobili Torino (Italian
Automobile Factory of Turin)
Car model Names
Volkswagen Touareg
• German pronunciation is like
"too," a quick "ah," then "reg“
[tuərɛg]
• Too hard for English speakers
to pronounce (we say [tʊrɛg])
• Named for the Tuareg, a
nomadic people of North
Africa
Car model Names
Toyota camry
• Name is phonetic
compression of kamuri, a
Japanese word meaning
“crown”
• Not the first of Toyota’s
“crowning” achievements:
• Toyota Crown
• Toyota Tiara
• Toyota Corona
• Toyota Corolla
Cars named for “wind”
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Volkswagen Scirocco (hot desert wind)
Mercury / Lincoln Zephyr (gentle breeze)
Volkswagen Passat (German for “trade wind”)
Plymouth Breeze
Dodge Hurricane
Mercury Cyclone
Renault Wind
Nissan Mistral (cold, dry, and often violent
wind in France)
onomastic nightmares on wheels:
Car names that shouldn’t have been
• Mazda Laputa – the car’s name, describing its
small or “Lilliputian” nature, is, unfortunately,
also Spanish for “the whore”
• Mitsubishi Pajero – another disaster en Español,
translates to “wanker” or “one who masturbates”
• Buick LaCrosse – slang amongst teenagers in
Quebec, see Pajero above
• Opel Ascona – in Spain and Portugal, strong
pejorative for the female reproductive anatomy
(rhymes with stunt)
• Honda Fitta – in Sweden and Norway, see Ascona
above
onomastic nightmares on wheels:
Car names that shouldn’t have been
• Daihatsu Charade – defined by the dictionary as
“a blatant pretense or deception” –
yeah, sounds like a good name for a car. . .
• AMC Gremlin – dictionary definition: a
mischievous invisible being, said by airplane
pilots in World War II to cause engine trouble and
mechanical difficulties – Enough. Said.
• Rolls-Royce Silver Mist – mist is German for dung
or manure, but at least it was a Rolls. . . and
silver!
• Ford Pinto – In America, means “spotted horse” in Brazil and Portugal, means “male reproductive
anatomy”
How NOT to make a brand name
memorable
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Works cited
"Starbucks." Wikipedia. 3 Dec. 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 5 Dec. 2008
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/starbucks>.
"Toyota Camry." Wikipedia. 5 Dec. 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 7 Dec. 2008
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/toyota_camry>.
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tuareg>.
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