Originally Posted by
Dr. HFH
Exxon was, quite literally, a meaningless collection of letters that the Board of Directors thought sounded good when Standard Oil of New Jersey changed to it in the early 1970s. But everyone accepted it; and today nobody gives it a second thought.
Exxon was originally planned to be Exon, a derivation of SONJ's geographically-restricted trademarked brands of Esso and Enco. The second "x" was added to ensure uniqueness.