List of companies named after people - Definition and Overview

This is a list of companies named after people. For other lists of eponyms (names derived from people) see Lists of etymologies.

• 20th Century Fox – William Fox
• A&M Records – Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss
• Abbott Laboratories – Dr. Wallace Calvin Abbott (1888)
• Adam Opel AG – Adam Opel
• adidas – Adi Dassler
• Alza – name of the founder Alex Zaffaroni.
• Aston Martin – Lionel Martin
• Audi – founder August Horch (audi is Latin for horch which means listen in English)
• Avery Dennison – R. Stanton Avery
• B&Q – from the initials of its founders, Block and Quayle
• Baedeker's – Karl Baedeker
• Baldwin Locomotive Works – founded by Matthias W. Baldwin
• BEA Systems – from the first initial of each of the company's three founders: Bill Coleman, Ed Scott and Alfred Chuang.
• Beck's – co-founder Heinrich Beck (1873)
• Bell Labs – Alexander Graham Bell
  • Also: BellSouth
• Benz & Cie. (later Daimler-Benz) – Carl Benz
• Bose Corporation – Amar Bose
• Brooks Locomotive Works – founded by Horatio G. Brooks
• Cadbury – John Cadbury opened his shop in 1824
• Casio – Tadao Kashio
• Chrysler – Walter Chrysler
• Citroën – André Citroën
• Corel – from the founder's name Dr. Michael Cowpland. It stands for COwpland REsearch Laboratory.
• Cray Research – Seymour Cray
• Daimler-Benz (later DaimlerChrysler) – Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz
• DaimlerChrysler – Gottlieb Daimler and Walter Chrysler
• Dassault Group – Marcel Dassault
• De Lorean – John De Lorean
• Debian – project founder Ian Murdock named it after himself and his girlfriend, Debra.
• Dell – Michael Dell
• The Dow Chemical Company – Herbert Dow
• Dow Jones & Company – Charles Dow and Edward Jones
• DuPont – Eleuthère Irénée du Pont
• Edison Records – Thomas Edison
• Eli Lilly and Company – Eli Lilly
• Ericsson – Lars Magnus Ericsson
• Ferrari – Enzo Ferrari, founder
• Ford Motor Company – Henry Ford
• Gartner – Gideon Gartner
• Ghirardelli Chocolate Company – Domingo Ghirardelli
• Glock – Gaston Glock
• Goldwyn Picture Corporation (later merged into MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)) – a combination of the names of Samuel Goldfish (he later adopted the name Samuel Goldwyn), Edgar and Archibald Selwyn
• H. K. Porter, Inc – railroad locomotive manufacturer founded by Henry Kirke Porter
• Hanna-Barbera Productions – William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
• Harley-Davidson – William Harley and Arthur Davidson
• Harvey Norman – Gerald Harvey and Ian Norman
• Hewlett-Packard – William Hewlett and David Packard
• Honda – Soichiro Honda
• Honeywell – Mark Honeywell
• Horlicks – James Horlick and William Horlick who founded the company in Chicago in 1873
• IKEA – from an acronym using the initials of the founder Ingvar Kamprad, who was from a family farm called Elmtaryd, which was near the village of Agunnaryd.
• JCPenney – J.C. Penney
• Kawasaki Heavy Industries – Shozo Kawasaki
• Lamborghini – Ferruccio Lamborghini
• Levi Strauss & Co. – Levi Strauss
• Louis B. Mayer Pictures (later merged into MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)) – Louis B. Mayer (original name Eliezer Meir)
• Mattel – from founders Harold "Matt" Matson and Elliot Handler
• Mazda – Jujiro Matsuda, also possibly inspired by Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda.
• McDonald's Corporation – Dick McDonald and Mac McDonald
• MGM or Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer – after the last names of Samuel Goldfish and Edgar and Archibald Selwyn and Louis B. Mayer
• Mitel – from Mike and Terry's Lawnmowers after the founders Michael Cowpland and Terry Matthews
• Nestlé – Henri Nestlé who created the milk-based food in 1867
• Peugeot – Armand Peugeot who founded the company in 1882
• Philips – Gerard Philips, who founded the company in 1891
• Porsche – Ferry Porsche
• Procter & Gamble – William Procter and James Gamble
• Robert Bosch GmbH – Robert Bosch, who founded the company in 1886
• Renault – Louis Renault
• Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works – founded by Thomas Rogers
• Rolls-Royce – Charles Rolls and Henry Royce
• RSA Security – from the first letters of the last names of founders Ronald Rivest, Adi Shamir and Len Adleman.
• Sears – Richard Sears
  • Formerly Sears, Roebuck – Sears and Alvah Roebuck
• Siemens AG – Werner von Siemens
• Singer Corporation – Issac Merritt Singer, inventor, improvements in the design of the sewing machine
• Stewart-Warner – John K. Stewart and Arthur P. Warner
• Suzuki – Michio Suzuki
• Tata – Jamshetji Tata
• Tesco – from T. E. Stockwell
• Thomas Cook Travel, Thomas Cook Airlines, Thomas Cook
• Thomson – Elihu Thomson
• THX – from the name of the technology's inventor and the audio technology of a 'crossover' amplifier: Tomlinson Holman
• Toyota – Sakichi Toyoda
• Trump Air Shuttle, airline, named after owner Donald Trump
• TVR – from the first name of the company founder TreVoR Wilkinson
• Waitrose – named after founders: Wallace Waite and Arthur Rose
• The Walt Disney Company – Walt Disney
• Wal-Mart – Sam Walton
• Warner Bros – the brothers Jack Warner, Sam Warner, Harold Warner and Albert Warner
• Yamaha Corporation – Torakusu Yamaha

Also see

• List of companies
• List of company name etymologies