When it comes to playing the name game, Ford is certainly a top contender in that regard. The company has iconic names like Mustang, Bronco, Explorer and others at its disposal and it’s certainly made up for occasions where the company dropped the ball.

The company is also taking a gamble on EVs but while the bulk of this gamble revolves around getting more customers to buy them (and reversing a skid in sales and demand) it appears Ford is now preparing to roll the dice on names with a new patent filing revealing the firm is looking at some unusual monikers for the next wave of EV offerings.

What’s in a name?

This is according to several patent filings the company has filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), The filings (revealed by a report from the folks at Ford Authority reveal Ford is trying to gain trademark over four unusual names

• Fathom
• Fuze
• Hive
• Mythic

Mercifully these names are not the latest entries in the seemingly endless alphabet soup of alphanumeric names that we have seen in the past few years but they are still pretty unusual when taken at face value.

Some of these names could also be used for trim levels instead with the U.S. side of the filings stating the names in question will be used for ‘Motor vehicles, namely, automobiles, trucks, vans, sport utility vehicles and structural parts therefor; Electric cars; Automobiles; Pick-up trucks; Electric vehicles, namely, electric passenger automobiles, pick-up trucks, vans, sport utility vehicles and their structural parts.’

Move comes as Ford reveals its looking for a naming expert

The timing of these patent filings is interesting when you consider Ford is currently looking for a “Nomenclature Strategist” (aka a name expert) who will be tasked with developing vehicle names that align with Ford’s “broader brand architecture.”

Some of these filed names could be good starting points for the new hire, with the person being picked for the role reporting directly to the Director of Global Nomenclature. These mass filings are also common practice in the industry with companies often trademarking several names at once to try and find one or two that have a shot at having a good shelf life on a vehicle.

It remains to be seen what Ford will choose to do next with these patented names but with a new EV pickup and several other EV models currently under development, it will be interesting to see what the company has up its sleeve over the next few years.