One of the most difficult tasks the founders faced late in 1945 was the selection of a name for the company. They wanted a name that could be copyrighted which considerably restricted choices. Miles Tippery eventually came up with the name Tekrad, Inc. and this name was used on the articles of incorporation signed December 24, 1945.
However, a short time later they discovered the Technical Radio Company in California had registered a similar name spelled Techrad. To avoid confusion long-term they decided to change the name and the search began again. Miles Tippery came up with the name Tektronix, Inc. It was copyrightable, unique, and unlikely to be confused with other electronic companies. The name Tektronix, Inc. soon become synonymous with the highest quality and best performance in laboratory oscilloscopes and other related instruments. It also was often misspelled.
These are some of the more common misspellings. Obituaries seem to be a great source of misspellings. A more exhaustive list can be found on TellSpell (TellSpell website).
- Textronix
- Textronic
- Textronics
- Textronik
- Techtronic
- Techtronics
- Techtronix
- Techtronik
- Tecktronix
- Tektronic
- Tektronics
- Tektronik
- Tecktronics
- Tetionix
The mail room used to keep a list of mis-spellings also. Although we don't have that list, one retiree remembers the most humorous as being "Teeterbonics".
An individual recently signed up for the newsletter and got this email in reply. Even we misspell Tektronix from time to time.
