What's Behind the Name? - Company Etymologies

The list for today is as follows:

1. Maggi: this Old-Days food company was named after its founder Julius Maggi. Altough it was taken over by Nestle, the brand name is still in use today.

2. Mattel: Portmanteau of the names of the founders Harold Mattson and Elliot Handler with the 'Matt' coming from 'Mattson' and 'El' from 'Elliot'.

3. McDonald's: Named after the fonder brothers Dic and Mac McDonald.

4. Microsoft: This name was coined by Bill Gates to represent a company devoted to Microcomputer Software. The 'Micro' from Microcomputers and 'Soft' from Software.

5. Mitsubishi: The name Mitsubishi translates to 2 parts with 'Mitsu' meaning Three and 'Hishi' (Later changed to Bishi) meaning Diamond Shape (referring to the rhombus shape). Hence the Three Diamond Logo.

6. Nikon: The present day name is a Short Form of the original name of the company which was Nippon Kogaku meaning 'Japanese Opticals'. The 'Ni' comes from Nippon (Official name of Japan) and 'Kon' comes from Kogaku.

7. Nokia: The present day name cme into place after the Finnish City Nokia, where the company first started as a wood-pump mill.

8. Oracle: Formerly Relational Software Inc., the company changed it's name to Oracle, which was the codename of a CIA Project.

9. Pepsi: Named from the digestive enzyme Pepsin.

10. Pixar: A portmanteau of Pixel and The company's co-founder's name Alvy Ray Smith. The 'Pix' comes from Pixel and the 'Ar' comes from The initials A and R in 'Alvy Ray' respectively.