Do you think it was a play on the Stratoshere, playing on the previous named Telecaster, "To send a Far Distance", (Cast Far), and the sequel Stratocaster, to send through the Stratosphere?

or

A play on the most famous stringed instrument of all time, the Stradivarious, "Stra" "to" "caster"

DIF
(GAry)

He got it from Don Randall, who recently passed away.
He named most of the Fender products that came out from the Tele to when he left after CBS took over.

I believe it had more to do with Stratosphere. Remember the time it was first produced. It had a technology reference--which was big then.

_________________
It wasn't Willy-Nilly, it was at crows.

name attributed to Don Randall (R.I.P.)


In Paul Balmer's "The Fender Stratocaster Handbook" he says in the Introduction:

When Leo and his collegues designed the Stratocaster they were immersed in the first flush of the post war space age- literally reaching beyond 'telecasting' and aiming for the stratosphere (located a significant '8 miles high'). With a name attributed to Don Randall and probably inspired by the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress of 1954. They were 'Stratocasting' 20 years before the Concorde entered the stratosphere.


So can't really say it any better.