When 136th-ranked Telana rebranded from Ancoris in April 2025, it cemented an emerging naming convention among firms in Oxygen 250.
The Ronseal approach – stating exactly what you do on the tin – is no longer in fashion.
In the mid 2020s, it’s now a case of the more enigmatic the better (with 202nd-ranked Cyderes, 11th-ranked Nomia, 54th-ranked Acora, 132nd-ranked Espria, 161st-ranked Cybit and 162nd-ranked Kubus among the other recently re-christened brands in this report).
Tom Stephens, CEO of 234th-ranked Techary, revealed the reasoning behind his decision to rename his MSP from its original ‘Stephens IT’ moniker in 2020.
“The next Uber isn’t going to be called ‘London Minicabs’,” he said.
Although three-lettered abbreviations still rule the roost (SCC, XMA, CDW, DTP, MTI etc), the etymology of the longer-standing names in this report is a veritable tapestry. 130th-ranked Conscia comes from the Latin word for ‘being conscious’, while 215th-ranked Birchman is a portmanteau of the surnames of its two founders, Ian Wyrley-Birch and Niel Schoeman.
Wherever they got their handles, Oxygen 250 firms appear to have at least half an eye on the alphabet, with A, B and C all ranking among the four most common starting letter.
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