# Banks - why such boring names? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 10, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402 "2003-05-10T23:30:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/1 "2003-05-10T23:30:11Z")
In the US at least, almost all banks seem to have very bland, forgettable names. Is it purely because they’re trying to project an image of stability, conservatism and constancy? Also, why do so many banks have “First” in the name? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/2 "2003-05-10T23:44:15Z")
**Darren**. What country has truly great, exciting names for their banks? Can you give some examples? I didn’t realize the US was down that far on the “exciting bank names” list. As to why “first” appears in many bank names, it would only be natural to call yourself “first” as a method of advertising your superiority in any business. It goes back to the 19th century in bank names. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/3 "2003-05-11T00:16:34Z")
Would you want to give your money to the OMG!!! WAY COOL BANK AND TRUST??? Neither would I… ---
**Author:** ![Inky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inky_1)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/4 "2003-05-11T00:22:09Z")
You can trust the financial expertise and sound investment planning you get here at **Tony Hawk’s XXX-treme Banking Blowout!** (sponsored by Powerade). ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/5 "2003-05-11T00:37:44Z")
Well, there’s [the Fifth Third Bank](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/020118.html) which isn’t what you’d call a run-of-the-mill name… Hmmm. I agree, what would be exciting for a bank name? “Run of the Mill Bank”? “Bucks R Us”? We don’t have a name yet, we’re the Blank Bank? The “Jane and Michael Banks” (esoteric reference)? ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/6 "2003-05-11T01:03:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samclem \* > \*\ ***Darren**. What country has truly great, exciting names for their banks? Can you give some examples? I didn’t realize the US was down that far on the “exciting bank names” list. \*\* Well, I don’t know if they qualify as great or exciting, but the big banks in Japan frequently have kind of poetic-sounding names, like Fuji, Sakura and Asahi (which has the added advantage of being known to Americans mainly as a brand of beer). Recently, though, there’s been a move to come up with names that didn’t sound quite so traditional. This is at least partly because the banking industry here is in a lot of trouble (mainly through their own actions), and a lot of people don’t put much faith in their competence. Two new names that resulted from mergers are Mizuho and Resona, neither of which carry any traditional meanings, and the latter of which sounds like a foreign name. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/7 "2003-05-11T01:24:28Z")
Am I the only one who’s excited by the name Well’s Fargo? ---
**Author:** ![FabianBlume](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@FabianBlume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FabianBlume)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/8 "2003-05-11T01:44:28Z")
Beer brands having their own banks sound appealing to me. I still wait for the Beck’s Bank. For now I have an account at Thai Farmers Bank. That’s a bank to give you some imagination. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/9 "2003-05-11T01:56:36Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, I don’t know if they qualify as great or exciting, but the big banks in Japan frequently have kind of poetic-sounding names, like Fuji, Sakura and Asahi (which has the added advantage of being known to Americans mainly as a brand of beer). Hey! I can get behind that kind of program. Let’s see. How about The First **National Bohemian** Bank. **Schlitz** Savings and Loan. > [@](#): > > Am I the only one who’s excited by the name Well’s Fargo? Mr. Wells was shocked when you referred to Mr. Well’s Fargo. He thought he had the only one. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/10 "2003-05-11T02:03:15Z")
Umm, err, ignore that apostrophe please. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/11 "2003-05-11T02:08:47Z")
Well, **Sublight** , there are always Chase, Fleet, BankOne, KeyBank. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/12 "2003-05-11T02:40:52Z")
Used to be in St. Louis you could deposit your money at Mark Twain Bank. In Florida there is (or was) Sun Trust Bank. There’s a town in Missouri called [Tightwad](http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?BFCat=&Pyt=Tmap&newFL=Use+Address+Below&addr=&csz=Tightwad%2C+MO&Country=us&Get%A0Map=Get+Map). There’s a bank there. There are more accounts at First Bank of Tightwad then there are people in the town, about ten times over. [Steve Martin] …because nobody’s going to want to put their money in… FRED’S BANK! [/Steve Martin] ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/13 "2003-05-11T03:01:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HeyHomie \* > \*\*[Steve Martin] > …because nobody’s going to want to put their money in… FRED’S BANK! > [/Steve Martin] \*\* Darn it **HeyHomie**. I had thought about this quote before I even opened the thread! Ya beat me to it!😉 ---
**Author:** ![TaxGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@TaxGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TaxGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/14 "2003-05-11T04:10:02Z")
Hijack! Anyone see that SNL commercial for the new web site launched by a bank? It starts out all sedate and normal, but the punchline is that the bank’s web address is www.clownpenis.fart because all of the other web addresses were taken. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/15 "2003-05-11T04:25:56Z")
There is a bank in central N.J. called the Magyar Savings Bank. There are two towns in N.J. called Long Branch and Red Bank. I have always thought that the latter should have a bank named after it, with a branch office in the former. It would then be the Long Branch branch of the Red Bank Bank. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/16 "2003-05-11T04:31:05Z")
“The “Jane and Michael Banks” (esoteric reference)?” ckdh…you should be proud! hh ---
**Author:** ![msgotrocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8edcca/32.png) [@msgotrocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msgotrocks)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/17 "2003-05-11T08:16:28Z")
In western Europe most of the banks have pretty dull names, though I don’t know of any of them claiming to be “First”. I have one account at Sparkasse, translation: Savings Bank. Woo-hoo! Hold me back, Baby! ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/18 "2003-05-11T10:45:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by msgotrocks \* > **In western Europe most of the banks have pretty dull names, though I don’t know of any of them claiming to be “First”.** Guess you haven’t heard of [Erste Bank](http://www.erstebank.com/), then. (“Erste” is German for “first”.) ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/19 "2003-05-11T13:56:22Z")
Mrs. HeyHomie says… "Open a bank in Canada. Call it Canucks’ Bucks. Open a bank in Hannibal, Missouri. Call it Huck’s Bucks." ---
**Author:** ![bittersweet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@bittersweet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bittersweet)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402/20 "2003-05-11T14:08:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DarrenS \* > \*\*In the US at least, almost all banks seem to have very bland, forgettable names. Is it purely because they’re trying to project an image of stability, conservatism and constancy? Also, why do so many banks have “First” in the name? \*\* Money is not that exciting of a topic, and yes, banks want to project that image of stability you mentioned. I think they all have ‘first’ in the name because they want to seem the best and most established; it’s similar to most Baptist churches having ‘first’ in the name as well. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banks-why-such-boring-names/174402.md?page=2)