I picked 'Zaxo' as an IRC handle about six years ago, made up out of thin air. I've used it there, here, and several other places since. I've even used it in copyright declarations a few times.

It has no intrinsic meaning. I chose it for its brevity, the unlikeliness of nick collisions, and for its clownish tone. I wanted to avoid boastful, self-important, pompous kinds of words.

It does seem to evoke different things to different people, which I enjoy a lot. The other day, one French monk surprised me with a new one, that it's a phonetic anagram of h4X0rZ. It's often taken to be a household product (Europeans tend to think toothpaste; Americans, drain cleaner). A zax is a combination hatchet and pick used by slaters, but I've never used one. I have played both Zaxxon and saxophone.

I'm glad you asked this. I've enjoyed reading the answers.

After Compline,
Zaxo