# Eponym: what it is and how it works · Zorraquino
> An eponym is a person's name that gives its name to a place, product, phenomenon or other entity.
URL: https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/branding/eponym.html

# Eponym

An eponym is a person's name that gives its name to a place, product, phenomenon or other entity. In branding, this can occur when a brand uses its founder's surname

What it means, how it is used and where it comes up, with its related concepts.

[The whole glossary](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary)

## What it is and how it works

In [branding](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/branding/branding.html), that choice connects the identity to a personal reference but does not determine how it will be perceived. It should be distinguished from using a brand name as the common name for a category. Linguistic evolution and implications for legal protection are different matters; one does not automatically establish the other.

Also known as

genericised trade mark, proprietary eponym, genericide

Topics

[Brand and branding](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/category/marca-y-branding)

## Related concepts

- [Registered trade mark](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/branding/trademark.html)
- [Brand awareness](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/branding/brand-awareness.html)
- [Brand dilution](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/branding/brand-dilution.html)