Business Names and Onomastics

Onomastics the study of names.

The company who wrote my will was ‘Godloves Solicitors’ it was not the start of a religious tract but a reference to the naming of a Leeds business now merged with other lawyers. Perhaps I should plead the fifth amendment and use the American Lawyers ‘Dewey, Cheatham, & Howe’.

A bête noire of mine is the way Barbers and Hairdressers have to find the worst puns to name their  businesses and here are just a short (back and sides) selection to get your hair to stand on end;

Ali Barber is pipped in my poll by Julius Scissor originally The Million Hairs
His and Hairs or Miss Tress have some potential to be The Mane Man
Cliptomania or Clip Joint make you want to Curl Up & Dye which is anything but A Cut Above
The Greatful Head or their vocal neighbour Hairway To Heaven is just Clippity Do Da
Hair of Respectability is now needed to be prepared for The Hair-After

Web site names are now a potential source of embarrassment and ‘punditry’ so take extra care when selecting your domain name. Pen Island a company selling pens on the web at  www.penisland.net.  Kids might look nice in their Childrens’ Wear, but remember www.ChildrenSwear.co.uk or Powergens Italian web site (apocryphally) was www.powergenitalia so watch out.

To save you having to look it up (as I had to do) Onomastics is the study of names.

This butcher hasn’t the ghost of a chance

The creator of this name should be carpeted.