How to Name a Business or Brand; your creative guide
You may have discovered that coming up with a name for your new business is challenging. We know from experience naming hundreds of businesses, brands and products that iteration is the key to successfully naming anything.
We strongly recommend multiple rounds of brainstorming to begin with and only start to narrow down your choices once you have a long list of potential names. To start, try a free business name generator to come up with a long list of potential catchy options that will work for you and your branding goals. This article covers the best tips for brainstorming, deciding on a business name, and registering yours.
Remember: Once you've nailed your business name, you will want to check the availability of both domain names and social handles to make sure what you want is also available. This could make you think twice about your domain name.You can always use these free domain checker on Squarespace to check for domain availability and this handy tool to check the availability of social handles all in one go.
Why is a business name important?
A good company name can influence how a customer perceives a brand.
As a result, a business name has practical implications as well: it can help protect your brand's reputation over time. According to a 2022 study, "fun" business names—those that used creative linguistics such as playful fonts, symbols, and unique spelling—protected against brand infringement.
The researchers demonstrated that "fun brand names create hedonic value for consumers by experimenting with language and inventing new brand names."
Types of business names
There are numerous types of business names, each intended to have a specific impact on customers. Choose one based on your target audience and brand identity.
Descriptive business names
Descriptive business names are functional and specific to the product or service offered. These names leave little room for interpretation and may be advantageous for a company entering a new market. They may also be more challenging to trademark or register because they contain generic words or phrases.
Examples:
Bank of America
The Weather Channel
Hotels.com
Abstract business names
Non-descriptive names are intriguing and inventive and capture the attention of customers right away. They have a distinct tone, whether it is playful, formal, motivating, optimistic, or humorous.
Examples:
Kodak
Venmo
Waze
Acronymic business names
These short and sweet company names are simple to remember and spell. Acronymic business names are commonly used by companies involved in science and technology. Customers are not moved by these names' emotions or creativity.
Examples:
HP
IBM
NASA
Geographical business names
Geographical names connect the business to its location, making it easier for local patrons to identify it or providing context for those who are not familiar with the area. However, these simple names can often make it difficult for businesses to expand beyond their immediate vicinity.
Examples:
California Pizza Kitchen
Brooklyn Brewery
American Vintage
Compound business names
Compound business names combine two different names or terms to form a new, more memorable and often friendlier word. They could include a descriptive and abstract word, two descriptive terms, and so on.
Examples:
PayPal
Netflix
FedEx
Founder business names
If you want to create a legacy and heritage for your brand, name it after its founders. This type of business name can also help customers connect emotionally with your brand. Law firms and accounting firms frequently use founder business names to convey professionalism and trust.
Examples:
Ben & Jerry's
The Walt Disney Company
Johnson & Johnson
How to name a business
First, research your industry and competitors to determine which type of business name is most effective in your market; then, use the steps below to generate a list of potential business names.
1. Use a business name generator
A business name generator can assist you in streamlining your brainstorming. To begin, jot down three simple details: the type of business, a catchy word for the name, and how you would choose to describe your brand.
As you brainstorm descriptive terms, consider what your company's name should convey. Look for terms related to your product or service. Consider words like "green," "raw," "organic," or "fresh" if you're starting an online store selling natural products.
When you type in words, the tool generates a plethora of options. Perform market research to draw inspiration from the best company names among your competitors and narrow down your options even further.
2. Create a mash-up
Combining two existing terms or words can result in a unique, intriguing business name. Mash-ups (also known as portmanteaus) are good for business names because they can creatively communicate your company's larger mission. For example, Groupon combines "group" and "coupons," "instant camera," and "telegram" for Instagram.
To make your own, follow these steps:
Make a list of words that are associated with your brand.
If your company has two or more concepts, use a portmanteau to ensure that your name encompasses both.
Remove the last syllables of the first word and the first syllables of the second word.
Write down your frankenword and read it aloud.
"Is your newly invented word unkind, or does it have personality?"
Consider changing the spelling for a more polished name, such as Netflix (internet and flicks).
3. Appeal to your audience's interests
An effective name should generate interest in your company and its products. While your company's name does not have to convey an obvious meaning, it should elicit a specific interest, memory, or feeling in your target audience. Take, for example, Whole Foods. Its name implies health and wellness to its target market while remaining broad enough to appeal to all food shoppers.
Whole Foods launched its private label brand—365, sending a clear message to customers: fresh food and a unique shopping experience are available every day of the year. Whole Foods' senior vice president of global culinary, Jeff Turnas, stated: "We have built our company over the last 37 years by setting high quality standards and continuously innovating. We are now looking forward to the next step in our evolution, which will allow us to reach a broader audience while complementing our successful Whole Foods Market brand."
4. Pick a scalable business name
As a new small business owner, you'll need to plan for the future while getting your company up and running. Although you can't predict how your company will look in the coming years, pick a name that won't stifle your entrepreneurial growth.
Imagine if the skateboarding shoe company Vans chose a name that focused solely on footwear, such as "Sneaks." It could have kept the company from becoming well-known for much more, such as clothing, fashion accessories, and backpacks.
As a result, avoid selecting a highly specific business name. For example, the hypothetical Nonna's Gnocchi small family business could easily offer other pasta; thus, the word "gnocchi" in the name may limit business growth. Similarly, geographical names may only work if you expand to other cities, countries, and continents.
5. Consider acronyms
Before you choose a business name, think about the acronym that will follow it, as well as how short and simple it will be. A short term formed from the first letter of each word in a phrase is known as an acronym. The public recognises several multibillion-dollar corporations by their acronyms rather than their full names, these include IBM (International Business Machines) & CVS (Consumer Value Stores).
Though you may not want to abbreviate your company name, customers or other businesses may refer to its initials in any case. To avoid an embarrassing indirect outcome, thoroughly research the meaning of your acronym before going to market.
6. Beware of trends
Businesses that have successfully morphed over time share one trait: they have avoided trends. Consider the "drop the vowel" trend, which gave rise to brands like Flickr, Grindr, and Scribd. While the names may have seemed hip or cool at the time, they are now dated and difficult to say, spell, or recognise all over the world.
You should also consider how your company name will appear visually in your logo, as this is critical to your brand identity. Create your own logo using the Squarespace logo creator to get ideas of what you do and don't like. However, we urge you to engage a professional logo designer such as Lithium Design to hone, refine and enhance your logo and brand.
7. Tell your story
Great storytelling elicits emotions and fosters personal connections. A good company name can do the same thing for its customers.
The global ice cream takeover by Ben & Jerry's is the epitome of a perfect brand story. Today, the name honours its founders' grassroots success, who never gave up on their dreams. "With a $5 correspondence course in ice cream making from Penn State and a $12,000 investment ($4,000 of which was borrowed," Ben and Jerry opened their very first ice cream scoop shop in a renovated pertol station in Burlington, Vermont, USA says the company website. While the company grew to become a larger corporation over time finally owned by Unilever, the name Ben & Jerry's evokes the hardworking story of its founders.
8. Make sure it flows
Take note of how your company's name sounds in conversation, video, and audio recordings. Begin by speaking it aloud as a practise exercise, then progress to using it in sentences and discussing it with your friends.
Does it sound good on the tongue? If a person finds it difficult to pronounce your company's name, they may avoid discussing it entirely.
9. Test it with an audience
Contact friends, family, partners, and investors for feedback and to validate your business name. These discussions may inspire you further or cause you to reconsider your name choice. During these discussions, inquire as to how the name makes you feel. Do you find spelling easy or difficult? Direct their attention to these points in order to receive more constructive feedback.
If you find yourself telling a long and complicated story about your name, consider it a sign that you need to go back to the drawing board. You want your company's name to be on everyone's lips, so it should be catchy, memorable, and stand on its own.
10. Check that it's available
Check to see if you can own your chosen business name and if it is still in use by another company. This will be useful when registering a business name.
Check out the following locations to do so:
The domain availability: You must maintain an online presence as a business owner. When creating a website, your domain name should be closely related to your company name. Use a tool to see if this domain is still available, such as a domain name search.
Search engines: Examine the results of a search for your name. Check for cultural references across countries if you do business internationally.
Social media platforms: Check social media to see if the name is available. Your Instagram handle, Facebook Business Page, and other social media branding elements can be just as important as your domain name for your business.
Your local business registration service: Check to see if anyone else has registered a business name similar to yours. Check Companies House if you live in the United Kingdom. If you are not located in the host country, visit the government website and become acquainted with the business registration process.
Register your business name: Finally, if you choose to register your business name, you must first file legal paperwork to establish yourself as a legal entity. You have the option of forming an LTD or a partnership. Your choosen entity name will be the legal name of your company. You must sign every official document under this name, as required by UK law.
Most importantly, allow the "new name" concept to marinate overnight or for a few weeks. Can you spot the name on a billboard or in the news? This will allow you to determine whether or not it is a good fit.
You can always choose operate as a DBA (doing business as) or Trading As before going, official. However, changing your official business name later in legal documents and branding assets may be more difficult and complex than doing so now, especially if you've already established brand recognition.
After all, is said and done, make sure you're personally happy with the business name you choose.
Good Luck ☘️
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