There are several valuable car brands that have become household names around the world. Do you know how they came up with their names? A brand name is an important part of the marketing strategy for any brand out there.

Interestingly, many of these names have lasted the lifetime of the brand, while others have changed due to mergers or rebranding.

Jerry

explains various

car histories

to inform you where these automakers got their names from.

Many car companies adopted the names of their founders

According to

AAA Today

, several companies used the names of their founders, while others combined these names with events or locations. Aston Martin, James Bond’s favorite car, was founded by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin, both racing aficionados.

At one time, they built a vehicle that won the Aston Clinton Hill Climb racecourse, leading to the combination of the first name of the course and the last name of one of the founders to the brand title.

Mercedes-Benz came from a merger of two automakers after World War I. The first was Benz and Cie, which was formed by Karl Benz and his wife Bertha in 1883. The second was the moniker Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG).

DMG got the name Mercedes from the pseudonym used in racing cars. When both companies merged, they formed the Daimler AG company and included the names Mercedes and Benz in their new brand.

Car Throttle

writes that Alfa Romeo comes from two names with different meanings. Alfa was an acronym for Lombard Automobile Factory Company (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili). Romeo was the name of the first boss, Nicola Romeo, but the company was bought by Fiat (which stands for the name of the company Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino).

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Some car companies created names out of inspiration

Autocar

explains that Acura, Honda's luxury brand, got its name from the Latin word "cura," which means accuracy. To emphasize their attention to detail, the company has even stylized the letter A to look like a geometric compass.

Alpine was inspired by the 1954 Alpine Rally, won by a Renault dealer called Jean Redele. After the win, all his Renault-based cars used the name. When Renault bought the company, they retained the name for some of their models.

Cadillac was the second of the three motor businesses created by Henry Ford. He rebranded it in 1902 after Sieur de Cadillac, a French explorer known for creating a fort in Michigan where it is located.

MORE: Car History Legends: Internal Combustion Innovator Karl Benz

Do car companies use names to show value?

Yes. Several car companies have used names to show their core values or goals. The Hyundai brand was formed in 1967 from the Korean word "hyeondaeseong," which means modernity. The brand came to inject some modernity into the original car offering.

During World War I, US Army Mechanics coined the term "Jeep" to describe GP (General Purpose) vehicles. No wonder some of its models, such as the Cherokee Trailhawk, lead the way in making off-road vehicles.

The KIA motor brand is thought to have originated from a Korean name that means "from Asia." The company envisioned creating vehicles for use around the world from Asia, which it did.

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