Etymology of company names
The etymology of company names is the study of the linguistic origin of companies .
Up until 1998, the company of a company in Germany was not allowed to be a fantasy name (fantasy company), but had to be traceable either to the name of the company owner or a partner (name company) or to the area of activity or the product (property company). This was not changed until the 1998 Trade Reform Act. In order not to be too restricted in the choice, many means were used. Audi is z. B. the translation of the meaning of the name of the owner Horch into Latin . The use of acronyms was also frequently used . The name Haribo is an abbreviation of Hans Riegel Bonn . If such a shortening results in another meaningful word, you have an apronym . One example is the SPAR Group , which got its name from the fact that when the company was founded, the Dutch motto “Door Eendrachtig Samenwerken Profiteren Allen Regelmatig” (German: “We all benefit from acting together”) was the basis, and then became an apronym "DE SPAR" (Eng. "The fir") was shortened. Although this name denotatively denotes a fir tree in Dutch, it is connotatively understood in German as a term for inexpensive .
Brand names also sometimes use onomatopoeia to associate the sound of the name with a property of the product. In competition between different brands, imitations are also used. The Fruit Pops breakfast cereals are reminiscent of the originals Frooty Loops . Homophones that sound exactly the same as another brand despite a different spelling are not permitted under trademark law. The Microsoft vs. Mike Rowe Soft . If there is a disagreement with another brand, such as B. Vileda (cf. “like leather”), there are no legal restrictions.
Since the merger waves at the turn of the millennium, combinations of two companies are not uncommon. B. Daimler-Chrysler . Recently, so-called paronyms have become more common . Here, a regular concept of a language is made usable under trademark law through fantasy elements. In Almsana z. B. recognize the terms Alm and cream . Another method is to translate a term into another language, e.g. B. Pampers (cf. "to pamper" = pampering).
The last stage is the absolute imaginary name, without any reference to people, things, other brands, etc. But even if a company name has no intended etymology, a company should still check whether the imaginary name is an insult in other languages. In unfortunate cases, this can even be the name of the owner, as with the Fleischmarkt Fuck GmbH or the metal printing company Günter Sucker GmbH .