From Jaquar to Lakme: How some of the biggest Indian brands got their names

Here are etymologies of some of the oldest and most popular homegrown brands in the country

Many brands are a staple in consumers’ lives, repeated so many times that one can forget the origins and inspirations behind these companies. Here are some etymologies of some of the oldest and most popular homegrown brands in the country.

Jaquar Group

Starting 1960s, the Jaquar Group now encompasses brands including Essco (value segment), Jaquar (premium segment), Artize (luxury segment), and Jaquar Lighting (complete LED lighting solutions).

The name ‘Jaquar’ came around officially, in 1986 and soon became the most well-known brand launched by Rajesh Mehra & family.

In 2020, Rajesh Mehra, the director and promoter of the Jaquar Group told Your Story that the brand is named after their grandmother, Jai Kaur.

Lakme

Lakme is a cosmetic brand in India, owned by Hindustan Unilever. It started in 1952 under Tata Oil Mills and was ideated, reportedly, by then Prime Minister Jawahalal Nehru who had noticed a trend of women purchasing foreign beauty products since there were no domestic options widely available in the market.

According to Tata’s central archives, the name Lakme was inspired by the French opera of the same name. The opera, Lakme, was written by Leo Delibes and was first performed in 1883. The opera is based in India during British rule and tells the story of Lakme, the daughter of a Brahmin priest. The name Lakme was the French derivation of the name of the Hindu goddess, Lakshmi.

Vicco Turmeric Cream
The home-born ayurvedic herbal hygiene and healthcare company was founded in 1952 by Keshav Vishnu Pendharkar under the brand name Vishnu Industrial Chemical Company. The name was abbreviated to Vicco, which is popularly known by now.

Chik

The shampoo brand has gone through many names. Initially founded in 1983 by C K Ranganathan, Chik India was renamed ‘Beauty Cosmetics’ in 1990 and then CavinKare Pvt Ltd in 1998.

In an interview with the Economic Times in 2012, founder Ranganathan stated that the name of the company and the product were after his father, Chinni Krishnan, who invented the sachet and recognised as the ‘Legend of Disruption’ at YourStory Disruptors Tamil Nadu 2018 for this feat.

Nykaa

One of the country’s largest cosmetic e-commerce brands was started by Falguni Nayar in 2012. The company boasts about its name being derived from the Sanskrit word, ‘Nayaka’ which means actress or one in the spotlight. This name goes in line with the platform’s mission which is about “celebrating the star in each woman” as they discover their unique style.  

Parle

Parle Products, best known for its Parle-G biscuits, is a multinational food processing company based in Mumbai. It was founded by the Chauhan family of Vile Parle in 1929. As the name is the same as the origins of the company, it is considered to be the inspiration for the name of the 94-year-old company.

Voltas

Voltas Ltd is a home appliance multinational company that specializes in air conditioning & Cooling technology. It was founded in 1954 as part of a collaboration between Tata Sons and Volkart Brothers. Recently the company has entered a joint venture with Ardutch, a Turkish company under the name of Voltas Beko.

The origins of the name Voltas is speculated to be a combination of Volkart and Tatas to represent the collaboration equally.

Ranbaxy Laboratories

Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd was a multinational Indian pharmaceutical company, founded in 1961. Daiichi Sankyo, a Japanese pharmaceutical company acquired controlling shares of the Indian brand in 2008. However, Sun Pharma acquired Ranbaxy in an all-stock deal in 2014.

The name of the company seems to be a blend of the founders’ names, Ranbir Singh and Gubax Singh. This has been a popular theory and seems highly likely, however, the origin of the name was never officially disclosed by the founders.

Havells

Havells is an Indian-origin, multinational electrical equipment company that was founded in 1985.

It is speculated that the name of the company comes from its founder’s name, Haveli Ram Gupta who later sold it to Qimat Rai Gupta in 1971. Neither founder had mentioned the origins or inspiration behind the name of the brand, however, the similarity to the first owner's name has drawn this theory in the media and among the public.

Mapro

Mapro is a food-processing company founded in Panchgani, near Mahabaleswar, in 1959. Started by pharmacist Kishore Vora, the region is considered to be the leading strawberry producer and is dubbed Maharashtra’s ‘Garden of Eden’, according to a 2006 report by the Telegraph.

The name origin is speculated to be a shortened version of Mahabaleswar Products but has not been confirmed by the founders.