The Root of the Matter
Approximately 30% of English words have an Old English root, 30% are French, and another 30% are Greek or Latin. The rest are derived from proper nouns, or adopted from other languages, mostly Arabic, Gaelic, or Norse. What do these roots say about your brand name?
French roots
Premium brands, like Agent Provocateur®, Le Creuset® and Victorinox® lean towards French roots, evoking a sense of luxury, craftsmanship, and sophistication.
Founded by Joseph Corré and Serena Rees, an Agent Provocateur is someone who entices someone else to act recklessly.
Founded in 1925, Le Creuset® means The Crucible, a container in which metals or other substances may be subjected to extremely high temperatures.
Victorinox® is a combination of the name of the founder's mother and inox, the French abbreviation for stainless steel.
Classic roots
Smart brands, say Intel® or Monzo® often have Greek or Latin roots. Classical languages are associated with knowledge, logic, and authority, making them a good strategic choice for brands that want to project a sense of technological prowess.
Founded in 1968 by Robert Noyce, co-inventor of the integrated circuit, and Gordon Moore. Intel® is short for integrated electronics.
Founded in 2015 as Mondo, US slang for remarkable. Following a trademark challenge, the bank held a competition to choose a new name. Six customers independently suggested Monzo®.
Old English roots
The most frequently used words in English conversation predominantly descend from Old English. Straight-forward brands, that appeal to a wide audience, like Axa® or Twiglets®, often have Old English roots.
After acquiring the Drouot Group in 1982, CEO Claude Bébéar rebranded to Axa®, a short name that and could be pronounced the same way in every language.
Twiglets® were invented in 1929 when brewer's yeast was added to leftover crispbread fragments. Rolled into sticks, the resultant cocktail snacks resemble small twigs.
Proper nouns
Most of us know Biro® and Hoover® are derived from the names of their inventors but who new Cadillac® and Stetson® were also originally proper nouns?
László Bíró introduced the ballpoint pen in Budapest in 1931. Marcel Bich bought the patent in 1945 and the Biro® soon became Bic®’s best selling product.
The first upright vacuum cleaner was invented in 1908 by James Spangler, a janitor who suspected the carpet sweeper he used at work was the cause of his asthma. He gave one of his Electric Suction Sweepers to his cousin Susan Hoover®. Her husband bought the patent.
Cadillac® is a division of General Motors, named after the French explorer Antoine Laumet de La Mothe Cadillac who founded Detroit in 1701.
When John Stetson® headed to Colorado in 1865 to pan for gold, he designed a hat with a wide brim to protect him from the sun.
Loan words
Maverick brands like Adobe® or Roblox® look further afield, in these cases to Arabic and Czech roots. Both are loan words, a word assimilated from one (the donor language) to another.
Founded by John Warnock in 1982, Adobe®is named after the creek that ran behind his house.
Initially called Dynablocks, the name was changed to Roblox®, a combinaton of robot and blocks, because the original name was too hard to remember.
Find out more
If you need advice on a name, or you'd like to find out more about our NameDek system, that reveals the secrets behind 100's of successful brand names, please get in touch.
