I've read many, many books about naming companies/products/people/places (etc) in my life. A rough count of books read gives me:

• "How-to" type books on naming: ~14
• Reference-type books on naming: ~30
• Scholarly articles or papers on naming: ~60+

Today I found what is perhaps the best-written and most informative book of them all. While it isn't exactly focused on company naming, it provides exceptional coverage of the issues in play across all types of naming. Anthroponyms, Toponyms, Acronyms, Brand Names, and Other Names are covered. Lists of Onomastics-related organizations, journals, and bibliographies are provided (current as of 1992.)

If you are interested in the study of names or in becoming a Thingnamer you'll want to know everything in this book.

Let me be clear - this isn't a how-to book. Rather than tell us how to name, Frank Nuessel educates us about the kinds of things that can be named, and how they have been named or classified. Seventy different sub-sections are covered in significant detail.

His quick aside about the syntax of acronyms alone is worth the price of the book. (Question: Do you use "the" before an acronym or not? Answer... It depends - but there are guidelines. Yes: Countries, Agencies, Parties, and Armies. No: Colleges, Businesses, Political Groups, and Radio Stations.) To me, exploring the reasons behind each would be fascinating, as would classifying the rest of the potential uses. (Like the unusual case where an individual might use "the" in front of their own - or someone else's - initials to connote a sense of importance, disconnection or humor - e.g. "The TJ is Hungry. Feed the TJ")

The Book? The Study of Names.

This is not an easy read. It contains high-level terms and references to everyone from Franz Kafka to Hopalong Cassidy. If you are serious about the field (or are a current practitioner) then buy the book. If you aren't - go buy something easier and come back when you're ready for the next step.

Note: The seven reference pages could keep an avid onomastician busy for years.

Happy reading!

Tate Linden Principal Consultant Stokefire Consulting Group 703-778-9925