I happened to trip across this naming trivia site today that contains great anecdotal stories about how companies came up with their names. Many of these older legacy names were the result of happenstance or serendipity. Unfortunately, with so many trademarks and so many domain names taken, the luxury of picking your favorite fruit for a name is most likely gone forever. (Although, as of this writing, the domain name PurpleKumquat.com was available) Fortunately there are still ample naming and branding strategies that work. And unlike StarBucks, you don’t have to resort to a Herman Melville novel to get a name (which almost resulted in the company name being Pequod)

(Somehow it’s just difficult to imagine ordering a Pequod caramel latte grande.)