The Zebra brand has existed since 1914 and the story of the brand is that the founder Mr. Ishikawa wanted an internationally viable name. He opened a dictionary and started browsing from the back (Japanese layout) and fell for Zebra. After further reading that zebras are kind with a strong family instinct and those were factors he wanted in the company. The fact that zebras also look like they were painted with calligraphy pens was probably a contributing factor in choosing the name.