ISO: International Organization for Standardization
What ISO's name means: Because "International Organization for Standardization" would have different abbreviations in different languages ("IOS" in English, "OIN" in French for Organisation internationale de normalisation), it was decided at the outset to use a word derived from the Greek isos, meaning "equal". Therefore, whatever the country, whatever the language, the short form of the organization's name is always ISO.

Other links found on the above ISO link:
Why standards matter	Who ISO is	What ISO's name means
How it all started	What 'international standardization' means	How ISO standards benefit society
The hallmarks of the ISO brand	ISO and world trade	ISO and developing countries
How to recognize an ISO standard	The big, wide world of ISO standards	What makes ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 so special
What makes conformity assessment so important	Where to find information on standards	Who can join ISO
How the ISO system is managed	How the ISO system is financed	How ISO decides what standards to develop
Who develops ISO standards	How ISO standards are developed	When speed is of the essence
ISO's international partners	ISO's regional partners	Special products