Brand naming
A framework for naming a business without going in circles
Four naming routes, the trade-off each one makes, and the three boring tests that decide whether a name is worth the money.
4 July 2026 · 7 min read
Naming a business stalls because the brief is usually 'something good'. Narrowing to one route first turns an endless argument into a short list you can actually judge.
The four routes
Descriptive names say what you do. They are instantly understood and nearly impossible to own, because your competitors can describe themselves the same way.
Invented names are fully ownable and start with no meaning at all. You are agreeing to spend marketing budget explaining them.
Metaphors borrow meaning from something concrete — a lantern, an anchor, a harvest. This is where most well-known brands sit, because it buys ownability without starting from zero.
Compounds join two real words. They are quick to understand and easy to register, but the space is crowded, so the pairing has to be genuinely unexpected.
The three tests
Can somebody spell it after hearing it once? Can they say it without pausing? Can they find it in a search without extra words?
A name that fails any of these leaks customers quietly for years, and no amount of design fixes it.
Then, and only then, check the law
Shortlist first, verify second. Trademark registers and domain availability change constantly, and no generator — including this one — can tell you what is free. Search the register for your class of goods, and check the domain and the main social handles at the same time.