why team rocket?

[Ganon]

why do team rocket call themselves team rocket?

[Iveechan]

Because they blast off at the speed of light

[jynx]

Because they want to call themselves Team Rocket

[tmbjr]

is this one of those questions that requires deep psychological analysis of Giovanni to find out why he named his band of pokémon theives after a long cylendrical space transportation device?

Or I could just say that it is what the people who created/dubbed Pokémon thought it sounded cool.

[Chairman Kaga]

*shrug* to know the original meaning, you'd have to ask the Japanese creators of the video games...I know in Japan they're Rocketto-Dan, but I'm guessing that still means "Team Rocket"...

Let us look at the actual team rocket motto (not the one used by Jessie and James) to see if there are any hints:

To infect the world with devastation
To blight all peoples in every nation
To denounce the goodness of truth and love
To extend our wrath to the stars above
(names of members saying motto announced, for example: Cassidy! Butch!)
We're Team Rocket, circling earth all day and night
Surrender to us now or you'll surely lose the fight

In this case, it would seem that they have so much desire to control the world they speak of themselves as above the world, or better than the world, and Team Rocket would signify that they are moving themselves to positions of higher and higher importance, and eventually to the levels of rulers of the world.

Let's then take a look at the Japanese Team Rocket motto to see what the original makers of the show intended:

Musashi: If you require to know who we are...
Kojiro: ...listen to us guys
Musashi: To guard against universal destruction
Kojiro: To keep the universal peace
Musashi: We carry out an evil of love and truth
Kojiro: We are loving and charming villians
Musashi: Jesse!
Kojiro: James!
Musashi: We Rocket dan travel any stars in the Galaxy and...
Kojiro: A white hall- A white future is waiting for us
Nysuuu: Right!

In this case, it shows a whole different side to TR. In Japan, it seems that the organization desires to keep order in the world instead of taking it over simply for power-related reasons...I think, from this, that in Japan their desire was to take over the world to keep order. Interesting, eh?

[Porygon]

Or maybe it's because they're absolute space cases ^.^

[Pikachu Fan38]

Good question on why Team Rocket is called Team Rocket.
Unfortunatly I don't know the answer

[Seoul]

how about because they didnt think anyone would ask why they are what they are?
Who cares. O.o..
they are spacey.. And its a kinda classicy type of name.. like Superman, or captain pilot!.. Unlike Phase-space.

[AJHalliwell]

Well, if i remember the episode where they got fired, and there was the girl, and the fruit smoothie correctly...
It was because team helicopter was taken and team airplane was just a bunch of snobs...
n.n lol...