1/ The name had to start with the letter "K" as Eastman liked that letter and felt that it was a strong letter.
2/ The name had to be able to be pronounced in any language throughout the world.
3/ The name was not allowed to be confused with any other trade name throughout the world.
4/ And most importantly it was not allowed to mean anything.
It is most difficult to come up with one name that meets all these criteria
but eventually Eastman came up with KODAK.
This name starts with Eastman's favorite letter, can be pronounced
in any language throughout the world, can not be confused with any other
trade name throughout the world and does not mean anything.
But how did George Eastman come up with this name?
One day, whilst sitting at his desk trying to think up a name for this
company, Eastman was absent mindedly pressing the shutter release button
on one of his early cameras. This was one of the models that had the complex
shutter, and as the shutter went round the sound that it made sounded like
KODAK, KODAK, and that is where George Eastman got the inspiration for
the name.
Eastman's organization never looked back from this point, continuing
to develop innovatory cameras and new film types based on the philosophy
of the first Kodak
camera sales slogan "You press the button, we do the rest."
In 1932, suffering from terminal cancer, and having settled all his
affairs, he shot himself through the heart, leaving a note: " To my friends:
My work is done. Why wait? G.E." The organization he left behind survived
the shock, and to the present day continues to develop new cameras and
film types for the mass market.