What's in a name? For some, it's everything. Donald Trump, author and television personality, is best known for his real estate business, The Trump Organization. Considered by many a publicity hound and not known for shying away from the limelight, Trump plasters his name across all of his businesses and many of his real estate holdings: Trump Towers, Trump Plaza, etc.

Recently Trump sued Trump Entertainment Properties to have his name taken off two Atlantic City casinos that he no longer controls and says doesn't represent him at the quality and style to which his brand belongs. For Donald Trump, his name is his brand and critically important.

This is an example of a name being chosen because of the brand experience associated with it. On the other hand, Exxon is a name that came about from avoiding things rather than representing something. Created by its predecessor, Esso (Standard Oil of New Jersey) in the early 1970s, its name evolution included variations that were dismissed for different reasons: Enco because it was too similar to a Japanese slang term enko, meaning, "stalled car," perhaps not great for the name of an oil and gasoline company. Another variation was based solely on the original spelling, Exon, the same as the sitting governor of Nebraska, James Exon. Hence the second "X" was added.