Garmin got its name because a rival threatened to sue over its first one, ProNav.
Gary Burrell and Min Kao founded ProNav in 1989, and its first product, the GPS 100, a $2,500 receiver for boaters, piled up 5,000 back orders. A rival, Magellan, which had sold a product whose name joined “Nav” and “Pro”, threatened to sue. Rather than go to court, the founders merged their first names.
Garmin on Brandseum