How do cars get their names? Art, science, and a legal process.
Car names are forever, and automakers have a system in place to make it count. The post How do cars get their names? Art, science, and a legal process. appeared first on Popular Science.
Some people stress about naming a pet, vacillating between Steve and Spot and Bark Twain. Naming a child is even more fraught because parents generally don’t want their offspring to carry a burdensome name, one that lends itself to taunt-prone nicknames, or initials that spell something heinous (use your imagination on that one).
Naming a car isn’t always a cakewalk, either. Case in point: The poor Chevrolet Nova has been mocked for decades as the urban legend spread that the name resulted in low sales in Spanish-speaking countries. The name “Nova” was said to translate to no va, or “doesn’t go.” However, as linguistics experts point out, that doesn’t jive with Spanish language rules anyway. The myth has persisted, but it’s not true.
Unless it’s a car made by Christian von Koenigsegg or Mate Rimac, the vast majority of vehicles on the market are named by committee, so there is more research and less pressure on one person to bear the blame. Some automakers take the easy way and give their cars alphanumeric soup monikers. For instance, Mercedes-Benz names its cars by class from A to S. The brand’s S-class stands for the German word “sonderklasse,” meaning “special class.” In between, there are three-letter names like the GLA, GLB, and so on. Here’s a name that seems like it’s as long as the number Pi: 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e 4Matic. The car is so fun to drive and it gets such excellent fuel efficiency, though, you can forget about the name and just focus on the ride.
Naming a car usually requires a process
Jessica Fini, the assistant vice president of Communications for American Honda, says the company holds brainstorming meetings with key product planning members and other marketing, communications, and sales executives a few years out from the launch of a new vehicle. In that set of meetings, team members share the overall concept of the vehicle and describe its overarching traits.
Once the list of brainstormed names are compiled, they take a vote and poll again with the top name choices. Then the top three names are handed over to the legal department for background checks, meaning they are tasked with making sure other brands don’t already use them or have them on reserve, and they check to ensure the word doesn’t mean something negative in another language.
“Usually when we submit three names, there are a couple we cannot use so one comes out the winner,” Fini explains. “If all three are rejected, we go back to the longer list and re-submit.”
Fini says Honda’s words generally tie to a meaning. The Prologue, for example, is the automaker’s first mass-market EV (a prologue, or introduction, to a bigger selection). The Passport SUV is an adventure car, and passports are tied to adventures. Honda does have a few acronyms, like the CR-V: Comfortable Runabout Vehicle.
Toyota also uses the acronym naming convention. RAV4 stands for Recreational Active Vehicle with four-wheel-drive. Lexus’ RX stands for “Radiant Crossover (X).” Personally, I prefer the Crown, named for the Japanese word kanmuri (also kamuri), meaning crown.
The etymology of car names
Hyundai’s performance-focused names like N Line and N models pay homage to Hyundai’s Namyang research and development center and the Nürburgring racetrack, emphasizing precision engineering. Meanwhile, models like the Elantra (from “elan,” meaning energy) and Sonata (inspired by musical harmony) convey their unique personalities through language, says Elijah Kim, Hyundai senior group manager for market sensing and research.
“Hyundai’s vehicle naming strategy is a carefully crafted blend of geography, symbolism, and innovation, designed to evoke an emotional connection with drivers,” Kim explains. “Many models draw inspiration from real-world locations, such as Santa Fe, Tucson, and Kona, each reflecting a sense of adventure and lifestyle.”
The Palisade, symbolizing strength and protection, reinforces its role as a spacious and family-friendly SUV. Merriam-Webster defines the word palisade as “a fence of stakes especially for defense, further elevating the sense of safety.” Kim says as Hyundai embraces electrification, the IONIQ series merges “ion” and “unique” to signify a forward-thinking approach to mobility.
“With each name, Hyundai isn’t just branding a car—it’s telling a story, shaping how drivers perceive and connect with their vehicles,” Kim says. “As the industry moves toward intelligent, electrified transportation, Hyundai’s naming strategy will continue evolving, blending science, technology, and imagination.”
No one knows that better than Lamborghini, which has created an entire product line named for bulls that fought for their lives in the arena. The Miura is a breed of Spanish fighting bulls, Murciélago was a bull that reportedly fought off 28 sword strokes. The newest model named for a fighting bull, the Temerario, means fierce and courageous, according to Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann.
This story is part of Popular Science’s Ask Us Anything series, where we answer your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the ordinary to the off-the-wall. Have something you’ve always wanted to know? Ask us.
The post How do cars get their names? Art, science, and a legal process. appeared first on Popular Science.
