"What do the initials BNC stand for?" Good question; there are several answers, possibly apocryphal. Webopedia.com gives the following answer: "British Naval Connector or Bayonet Nut Connector or Bayonet Neill Concelman" The Amphenol homepage has this convincing-sounding explanation: Developed in the late 1940s as a miniature version of the Type C connector, BNC stands for Bayonet Neill Concelman and is named after Amphenol engineer Carl Concelman. The BNC product line is a miniature quick connect/disconnect RF connector. It features two bayonet lugs on the female connector; mating is achieved with only a quarter turn of the coupling nut. BNCs are ideally suited for cable termination for miniature to subminiature coaxial cable