Enterprise Rent-A-Car takes its name from a famous U.S. Navy aircraft carrier: the USS Enterprise. The connection began with company founder Jack Taylor, who served in the Navy during World War II. He named his car-leasing business after the ship that had shaped his military experience, choosing a name associated with service, resilience, and teamwork. The company began as Executive Leasing in 1957 and later adopted the Enterprise name as it expanded into car rentals.
The Short Answer: A Navy Aircraft Carrier Inspired the Name
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is named after the USS Enterprise (CV-6), the aircraft carrier on which founder Jack Taylor served during World War II. Taylor was a Navy pilot, and his time in the service left a lasting impression. When he built a business after the war, he drew on that experience to choose a name for the company.
The name was not originally part of the business. Taylor founded the company in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1957 as Executive Leasing. It started with a small fleet of cars leased to local customers. In 1969, as the business grew and moved into car rentals, it became Enterprise Leasing Company. The Enterprise name honored Taylor’s connection to the Navy ship.
In other words, Enterprise is not a reference to a general idea of enterprise, a television show, or a space vehicle. Its direct source is a specific U.S. Navy carrier and the founder’s personal history aboard it.
Who Was Jack Taylor?
Jack Taylor was a U.S. Navy pilot before becoming an entrepreneur. After World War II, he entered the car business, working for a Cadillac dealership in St. Louis. That experience helped him understand how cars were sold and how customers used them, but his later business took a different approach from conventional auto sales.
In 1957, Taylor established Executive Leasing with a small group of employees and a fleet of seven cars, according to company histories. Rather than focusing on selling vehicles, the business leased cars to customers and companies. Taylor’s decision to start small and build around customer needs became a lasting part of the company’s story.
His wartime service mattered to the brand because the USS Enterprise was more than a name from a history book. It was a place where Taylor had served and a symbol he associated with the people and experiences of his Navy years. Naming the business Enterprise gave the company a personal connection to its founder while offering a distinctive identity in the automotive market.
What Was the USS Enterprise?
The company’s namesake was the USS Enterprise (CV-6), a Yorktown-class aircraft carrier commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1938. It served in the Pacific during World War II and took part in many major naval operations. The carrier became well known for its extensive combat record and its role in the war against Japan.
The Navy has described CV-6 as one of its most decorated ships of World War II. Its history includes participation in key battles and campaigns across the Pacific. For a Navy pilot such as Taylor, service aboard a carrier involved a demanding environment built around flight operations, close coordination, and the ship’s crew.
The name Enterprise has appeared on several U.S. Navy vessels. Taylor’s connection, however, was to the World War II-era carrier, hull number CV-6—not the later nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65) or the current carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-80), which is under construction. The distinction matters because different ships have carried the same name across generations.
When Did the Company Adopt the Enterprise Name?
The business did not launch as Enterprise Rent-A-Car. It began in 1957 as Executive Leasing, reflecting its original focus on leasing vehicles. As the company broadened its services and developed a rental business, the Enterprise name became a better fit for a growing operation.
Company accounts place the name change in 1969, when Executive Leasing became Enterprise Leasing Company. The later name linked the business to Taylor’s Navy service and established the identity that customers would come to recognize. The Enterprise Rent-A-Car name became especially familiar as the rental operation expanded.
This timeline helps answer a common question: Enterprise was founded in 1957, but it was not called Enterprise from the start. The company’s history has two distinct stages: its beginnings as Executive Leasing and its later growth under the Enterprise name.
Why Choose the Name Enterprise?
For Taylor, Enterprise was a personal tribute to a ship connected to an important chapter of his life. But it also worked as a business name. It was short, memorable, and different from the more descriptive name Executive Leasing. Its associations with initiative and determination could also suit a company trying to establish itself in a competitive market.
It is difficult to separate the personal reason from the practical one. Founders often choose names that carry meaning for them while also giving customers a clear, recognizable identity. Enterprise did both: it honored Taylor’s Navy service and provided a name that could extend beyond a single type of vehicle or transaction.
The carrier’s reputation may add to the name’s resonance, but the company’s history presents the choice primarily as a tribute to Taylor’s service aboard the ship. The strongest explanation is therefore straightforward: Jack Taylor named the business after the USS Enterprise where he served as a Navy pilot.
How the Name Fits the Company’s Growth
Enterprise’s identity evolved alongside its services. What began as a small vehicle-leasing business grew into a major car-rental operation. The company later expanded into other forms of transportation and vehicle services, including truck rentals and fleet management. A name not tied to one location or one kind of customer gave the business room to grow.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car became known in the United States for its neighborhood rental locations and customer service approach. The company also developed a prominent role in replacement rentals, providing vehicles to people whose cars were being repaired or who needed temporary transportation. These activities helped make the brand familiar beyond airport rental counters.
Enterprise Holdings, the parent company, now includes multiple transportation brands. The scale of today’s organization is a long way from the seven-car fleet described in the company’s founding story. Yet the Enterprise name remains connected to the founder’s original choice and the history of the USS Enterprise.
Is Enterprise Named After Star Trek?
No. Enterprise Rent-A-Car is named after the Navy aircraft carrier, not the starship from Star Trek. The company’s founder had served aboard the USS Enterprise, and company histories identify that ship as the inspiration for the brand.
The timing sometimes causes confusion. The original Star Trek television series debuted in 1966, and the company adopted the Enterprise name in 1969. Because the events occurred close together, some people assume the show inspired the company’s name. The founder’s military connection provides the documented explanation instead.
The word “enterprise” has many meanings and associations, but the company’s name has a specific origin. It should not be confused with the fictional starship Enterprise, the later Navy carrier CVN-65, or other ships that have shared the name.
Enterprise’s Naming Story at a Glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What inspired the Enterprise name? | The USS Enterprise (CV-6), a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. |
| Who chose the name? | Founder Jack Taylor, who served as a Navy pilot during World War II. |
| What was the original company name? | Executive Leasing. |
| When was the business founded? | 1957, in St. Louis, Missouri. |
| When did it adopt the Enterprise name? | 1969, when it became Enterprise Leasing Company. |
| Was the name inspired by Star Trek? | No. The company traces the name to Taylor’s service aboard the aircraft carrier. |
Why the Origin Still Matters
A company name can be more than a marketing choice. In Enterprise’s case, it preserves a link between a transportation business and its founder’s military service. The story also explains why a company that began as Executive Leasing eventually became known by a name that does not explicitly mention rental cars.
Knowing the origin makes the brand’s history easier to follow: Taylor served aboard the USS Enterprise, started Executive Leasing after the war, and later named the expanding company Enterprise. That sequence is the reason Enterprise Rent-A-Car got its name.
Sources and Further Reading
- Enterprise Holdings: Company History — company background and milestones.
- Naval History and Heritage Command — historical information on U.S. Navy ships and operations.
- National Park Service — historical context for U.S. military service and World War II.
For ship-specific details, readers can search the Naval History and Heritage Command’s official historical records for USS Enterprise (CV-6). The company history and Navy records together explain the brand’s origin: a name chosen by Jack Taylor in tribute to the carrier on which he served.