How to Name Your Business: A Founder's Guide to Creating a Memorable and Available Brand Name

Our client Ayoka we helped name as part of their Brand Identity Package.

Every great business starts with an idea. But every great brand starts with a name.

The name you choose for your business is the single most important branding decision you will ever make. It’s the cornerstone of your identity, the first word a customer speaks, and the anchor for your entire marketing strategy. A great name can be a powerful asset that builds recognition and captures the imagination. A bad name can be a constant uphill battle, creating confusion, limiting growth, and failing to connect with your audience.

For founders and entrepreneurs, the pressure to find the perfect name can be paralysing. You're looking for something that is clever but clear, unique but easy to remember, and, most challenging of all, actually available in a crowded digital world.

This is not a task to be taken lightly, and it's certainly not something to be outsourced to a cheap business name generator. This definitive guide will walk you through a strategic, step-by-step process for naming your business. We'll cover brainstorming techniques, the different types of brand names, a rigorous validation process, and the secrets to choosing a name that is not just a label, but the foundation of a legendary brand.

Part 1: The Foundation - Before You Brainstorm a Single Name

The biggest mistake founders make is jumping straight into brainstorming without laying the strategic groundwork. Before you open a thesaurus or start searching for available domains, you must get crystal clear on the foundation of your brand. A name cannot be effective if it doesn't represent something real and meaningful.

1. Define Your Core Brand Strategy

Your name should be a direct reflection of your brand strategy. Take the time to answer these fundamental questions:

• Mission: Why does your business exist? What is the core problem you are solving?

• Vision: What is the long-term future you are trying to create?

• Values: What are the non-negotiable principles that guide your company’s actions and culture?

• Brand Personality: If your brand were a person, what would it be like? Energetic and playful? Sophisticated and wise? Rugged and dependable? List 3-5 core personality traits.

2. Understand Your Target Audience

Who are you trying to connect with? A name that resonates with Gen Z tech founders might alienate corporate executives. You must understand the language, culture, and preferences of your ideal customer.

• Create a simple customer persona. What are their demographics? More importantly, what are their aspirations, challenges, and values?

• Consider the "vibe." Are they looking for something that sounds trustworthy and traditional, or something that sounds disruptive and modern?

3. Analyse Your Competitors

Make a list of your top 5-10 competitors. What naming conventions are common in your industry?

• Identify patterns. Are they all using descriptive, literal names? Or are they more abstract?

• Find the white space. Your goal is to stand out, not to fit in. If all your competitors have very corporate-sounding names, a more evocative or playful name could be a powerful differentiator. Conversely, if the market is full of trendy, made-up names, a simple, clear name could be a breath of fresh air.

With this strategic foundation in place, you are ready to start the creative process.

Part 2: The Creative Process - Brainstorming Techniques for Finding Brand Name Ideas

This is the divergent phase, where the goal is quantity over quality. You want to generate a massive list of potential names without judgment. Here are several effective techniques to get you started.

1. The Mind Map

Start with your core concept or product at the centre of a whiteboard or piece of paper. From there, branch out with related words and concepts.

• Core Concept: "High-Quality Coffee Beans"

• Branches:

  • Benefits: Freshness, Energy, Focus, Morning Ritual, Comfort

  • Origin: Mountain, Sun, Soil, Farm, Roast

  • Process: Grind, Brew, Press, Steam

  • Metaphors: Rocket Fuel, The Daily Grind, Sunrise, Kickstart

Don't filter yourself. Write down everything that comes to mind. This exercise will generate a rich pool of keywords and concepts to play with.

2. Explore Different Types of Brand Names

Not all names are created equal. Understanding the different categories can help you explore new creative directions.

• Descriptive Names: These names describe what the business does. Examples: The Carphone Warehouse, General Motors. They are clear and straightforward but can be less memorable and may limit future growth if the business pivots.

• Evocative Names: These names use metaphors to suggest a benefit or a feeling. Examples: Nike (the Greek goddess of victory), Amazon (vast and powerful), Patagonia (evokes a sense of adventure and rugged wilderness). They are highly memorable and emotionally resonant but require more marketing effort to connect the name to the product.

• Invented Names: These are made-up names. Examples: Kodak, Xerox, Zillow. They have the advantage of being completely unique and easy to trademark. The downside is that they have no intrinsic meaning and require a significant marketing budget to build brand recognition.

• Lexical Names (Wordplay): These names use puns, alliteration, or clever tweaks to existing words. Examples: Dunkin' Donuts, Kraken Rum, Faception. They can be highly memorable and playful.

• Acronyms: These are names formed from initials. Examples: KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), IBM (International Business Machines). They are often the result of a longer descriptive name being shortened over time. It's generally not advisable for a new business to start with an acronym.

• Founder Names: Using the founder's name. Examples: Ford, Ben & Jerry's, McKinsey & Company. This can build a sense of heritage and personal trust but can be difficult to sell later on.

3. Use Creative Prompts and Exercises

• The Verb + Noun Combination: Combine an action word with a noun. (e.g., Shopify, Dropbox)

• The "Misspelling": Take a common word and spell it differently to make it unique. (e.g., Lyft, Google from 'googol')

• Foreign Words: Look for words in other languages that capture the essence of your brand. (e.g., Atin, which is derived from the Yoruba words for "creative" (àtinúdá) and "heart" (atin); Samsung, which is Korean for "three stars")

• Compound Words: Mash two relevant words together. (e.g., Facebook, Salesforce)

Aim to generate a long list of at least 50-100 names before you move on to the next phase of filtering and validation.

Part 3: The Validation Process - From Long List to Shortlist

This is the convergent phase, where you rigorously test your long list of names against a set of objective criteria. This is how you separate the good ideas from the bad ones.

1. The "SMILE" and "SCRATCH" Test

This is a popular framework for evaluating brand names. A good name should pass the SMILE test, and a bad name will often fail the SCRATCH test.

SMILE (The 5 Qualities of a Strong Name):

• Simple: Is it easy to say and spell?

• Meaningful: Does it evoke a positive brand association?

• Imagery: Does it create a visual in the mind of your audience?

• Legs: Does it have room to grow as your business evolves? (e.g., Apple started with computers but the name was broad enough for phones, music, etc.)

• Emotional: Does it create an emotional connection?

SCRATCH (The 7 Deadly Sins of a Bad Name):

• Spelling-challenged: Is it hard to spell after hearing it spoken?

• Copycat: Is it too similar to a competitor's name?

• Restrictive: Does it limit future growth? (e.g., "London Laptop Repair")

• Annoying: Is it forced, cheesy, or hard to pronounce?

• Tame: Is it flat, boring, and uninspired?

• Curse of Knowledge: Does it only make sense to insiders?

• Hard to Pronounce: Does it require an explanation?

Run every name on your list through this filter. This will likely eliminate at least 80% of your initial ideas.

2. The Crucial Availability Checks

This is the most frustrating but most important part of the process. A great name is useless if you can't own it.

• Domain Name Availability: Check if the .com (or your primary country-level domain like .co.uk) is available. Use a domain registrar like GoDaddy or Namecheap to check. If your first choice is taken, don't just add a hyphen or a word like "get" or "app" to the end. This is a sign of a weak brand. A great name with an available domain is the goal.

• Social Media Handle Availability: Check if the name is available on the social media platforms that matter most to your business (e.g., Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X). Use a tool like Namechk to do this quickly.

• Trademark Search: This is a critical legal step. You must ensure your name is not already trademarked by another company in your industry.

  • In the UK: Conduct a search on the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) website.

  • In the US: Search the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) TESS database.

  • It is highly recommended to consult with a trademark lawyer to conduct a comprehensive search before you commit to a name.

This validation phase is where most names fail. Be prepared to go back to the brainstorming phase if your top contenders are not available.

Part 4: The Final Decision - Testing Your Shortlist

You should now have a shortlist of 3-5 names that have passed the strategic and availability tests. The final step is to test them with your target audience.

• Get Feedback: Share your shortlist with a small group of people who represent your ideal customer. Don't ask them, "Which name do you like best?" This will only give you subjective opinions.

• Ask Better Questions: Instead, ask questions that test for the key qualities of a good name:

  • "When you hear this name, what kind of company comes to mind?" (Tests for appropriateness)

  • "How would you spell this name after hearing it?" (Tests for simplicity)

  • "Which of these names is the most memorable?" (Tests for memorability)

Listen to the feedback, but remember that the final decision is yours. Choose the name that best aligns with your long-term vision and strategy.

Conclusion: A Name is the Start of Your Story

Choosing a company name is the first chapter in your brand’s story. It’s a decision that requires a blend of creativity, strategy, and rigorous diligence.

By moving beyond subjective taste and following a structured process - from laying the strategic foundation to brainstorming, validating, and testing - you can find a name that is not just available, but is a powerful asset for your business. This name will be the foundation for your logo design and your entire brand identity.

Once you have that perfect name, the next step is to bring it to life with a professional visual identity.

Ready to take that next step? Explore our startup branding packages to see how we can build a world-class brand around your new name.