A Rose By Any Other Name...

There has to be some meaning
to this name, right?

"What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet" - Romeo & Juliet

I often think about names a great deal; why is this called this and why is that called that? Even in my IMC class, we discussed the importance of names and how names are used to help build your brand. But how does one come up with the name Pepsi? If names are so important, why do they appear so god damn random?

After listening to an episode from the Age Of Persuasion, I learned about the creation of the Kodak camera, more importantly, the story behinds its name. The inventor, George Eastman, chose its name because it was "terse, abrupt to the point of rudeness, literally bitten off by firm and unyielding consonants at both ends" and thus resembled the sound of a camera shutter.

On Princess street in Kingston there's a car shop called Midas. I'm sure we've all heard the jingle, "Trust the Midas touch." Though I admit, I never knew what it meant until my sister informed me. The shop shaped their name after King Midas, whose touch could turn everything to gold. What a clever marketing angle, eh?

So if I didn't think about names enough before, I certainly do now. Apparently not every name is random like I initially thought. But it makes me wonder, what other wacky names actually have meaning?