Ford Prefect's name is usually lost on younger fans or lost in translation. He's directly named after a popular car by the same name (produced from 1938-1961) that was really popular in Britain.
For reference, this is what it is.
The equivalent would be if he named himself Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, or Ford Puma.
I think in the movie, another detail is when Ford first got to Earth, he was hit by a blue Ford Prefect while trying to greet it.
Certain translations did change his name, however. I know French and Greek translations changed his name to Ford Escort. The Dutch one completely changed it to Amro Bank (largest commercial bank in the Netherlands, at the time)
His nickname in school was Ix, which means "boy who is not able to satisfactorily explain what a Hrung is, nor why it should choose to collapse on Betelgeuse Seven."
He doesn't know how to pronounce his birth name, which caused his father to die of shame.
He's so silly
