Hair clips take their name from what they look like or from the securing mechanism they use. For instance, a French barrette is called this way because it looks like a strap, or what the French call barrette. Snap clips do just that, they snap when you fix them in place. Perhaps the most obvious examples are the jaw or claw hair clips. When you press on the spring mechanism to open them up the two combs look like a gaping jaw or a claw. Bobby pins got their unusual name from the fact that they became quite popular after the first World War when they were used by ladies sporting a fashionable bob cut