Chicago, Illinois: naming agency services for small businesses

Since this website page is about Chicago naming, it seems appropriate to talk about the naming of Chicago, Illinois itself.

Naming Chicago wasn’t some plum branding gig handed over to a big naming agency or freelance naming consultant. Of course not! To better understand Chicago naming, we simply take a brief look into the city’s history. Whereas most city names are rooted in their founding history, Chicago’s name is rooted in the ground. The name Chicago derives from the wild onion or garlic that grew abundantly in the area. There is a Native American word “shikaakwa” and then an Algonquian word “chigagou” that predate our current “Chicago,” a city that is sometimes referred to as “The Big Onion.” Today, if we’re naming Chicago claims-to-fame, one would need to include its reputation as “the windy city” (a political distinction, not a meteorological one), deep dish pizza, the Sears Tower, Magnificent Mile shopping… and the list goes on.