‘How Kodak got its Name - The Facts!’

Ever wondered about the origin of that most iconic name in photography - Kodak? 

Well it isn’t the name of a person, not even of a place. 

The truth is that the name was made up - by George Eastman, the Kodak founder, himself. 

 "I devised the name myself . . . The letter 'K' had been a favorite with me-it seems a strong, incisive sort of letter ... It became a question of trying out a great number of combinations of letters that made words starting and ending with 'K'. The word 'Kodak' is the result."

There were three principal criteria that he used in creating the name: it should be short, easy to pronounce, and not resemble any other name or be associated with anything else.

Of course it’s also true that the “o” could represent the lens of a camera, and the “dak” the sound of the shutter! But who knows!

More information here https://mcnygenealogy.com/book/kodak/kodak-name.pdf