Complex sentence: The name comes from the French automobile firm of Hotchkiss, and dates to the earliest use of the system, although it is clear that other makers (such as Peerless) used similar systems before Hotchkiss.
Split into simpler sentences: The name comes from the French automobile firm of Hotchkiss and dates to the earliest use of the system. However, it is clear that other makers (such as Peerless) used similar systems before Hotchkiss.