- Cato Institute is named after Cato's Letters, essays by British writers John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon, first published in the early 1700s under the pseudonym of Cato (also known as Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis, or Cato the Younger; 95-45 BC), the foe of Julius Caesar and a champion of republican principles.
- Mercatus Center, another libertarian think tank, gets its name from the Latin Word meaning "markets."
- Brookings Institution gets its name from its founder, Robert S. Brookings (1850-1932).
- Hudson Institute gets is name from the location it was founded, Croton-on-Hudson, New York.
- Aspen Institute also gets its name from the location where it was founded, Aspen, Colorado.
- Hoover Institution gets its name from former US President Herbert Hoover (1874-1964).
- Lexington Institute gets its name from Lexington Common, MA, the site of the opening shots of the American Revolution in 1775 during the Battle of Lexington.
- RAND Corporation stands for research and development.
