If you have to read the source code to understand the meaning of a variable name it is because that’s a bad name

Here is a list of best practices on namming variables, classes, functions / methods, interfaces and enums:

• Communicate your intent;
• Avoid disinformation;
• Pronounceable names;
• Avoid encodings (e.g. Hungarian notation);
• Classes, variables names should be nouns;
• Methods / functions should have verb names;
• Boolean methods should have names as predicates (e.g. isAuthenticated);
• Variables should have short names in small scopes and long names in large scopes;
• Functions should have long names in small scopes and short names in large scopes;
• Classes should have long names in private scopes and short names in public scopes;

Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand. (Martin Fowler, 2008)