The U.S. alone boasts 33 million businesses, making a unique business name a challenge. On top of that, your business’s name can significantly impact its success, and once chosen, it’s difficult to change without a mountain of paperwork and new collateral.
The pressure is real, but don’t worry. This guide will help you find good business names you’ll love, covering not just creative ideas and brainstorming tips, but also the practical and legal steps to get it right.
Table of contents
How to come up with a business name: brainstorming tips
This is where you ignite your creativity. Here are some tips, prompts, and company name ideas to spark a fruitful business naming brainstorm.
Write out your story
Yes, this might seem tedious, but it’s crucial. It doesn’t have to be perfect — the point is for you to write it. You’ll be amazed at what surfaces when you write about something versus just thinking or talking about it. Depending on your current stage, write about how your business idea originated, why you started (or want to start) it, challenges or opportunities that arose, and your future aspirations.
This exercise will get your ideas flowing and will also prove useful later when crafting your mission statement and “about us” page. And from that story, you may discover brand name ideas that tie deeply to your values and personality.
Take a personal inventory
Now, explore whether any personal attributes can be incorporated into your business name. Take some time to list your:
- Passions.
- Nicknames.
- Favorite books, songs, and quotes.
- Upbringing.
- Core values.
- How people describe you.
- Important people, places, and things.
- What inspires you.
Did you know IKEA is an acronym for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd — the founder’s first name, last name, the farm he grew up on, and his home village? This is a great example of how to create a business name that is personal yet memorable.
Look at other business names in your industry
This strategy offers several benefits. First, it shows you what to avoid if you want to stand out. Second, it can generate creative ideas. Third, it provides general themes to adhere to. Most business names require some conformity; you don’t want to be so unique that you’re unrecognizable.
Search industry-specific directories.
Look up your business category on Google Maps for different states or countries.
Google “list of [industry] businesses.”
Check out our epic list below:
Look at other industry business names
There are many approaches to naming a business, regardless of industry. Don’t limit yourself by only researching company names within your niche. Consider “Happy as a Clam Dock Builders.”
This could inspire:
- Cool as a Cucumber Salon.
- Light as a Feather Weight Loss.
- Pleased as Punch Tiki Bar or Boxing Gym.
- Right as Rain Law Firm (Just kidding, we’ll get to that later.).
These playful examples show cool business names don’t have to be complicated to work.
Do an emotional brainstorm
Consider how your customers want to feel as a result of your products and services. A single word that evokes emotion can create a powerful, attractive, and self-marketing company name. For example:
- Online pet store customers want to feel: proud, relieved, joyful, amused, excited, loved.
- Gym members want to feel: strong, competitive, motivated, admired, accomplished.
- Speech therapy students want to feel: secure, confident, happy, included.
“Confidence Connection” is an emotional and alliterative business name. Such catchy business names resonate more deeply with audiences.
Check the thesaurus
Take the words you’ve brainstormed so far, like emotions and core values, and plug them into a thesaurus. You’ll find dozens of cool, fancy, and fun-to-say words that make good company names. Take “bravery,” for example. Synonyms include:
- Gallantry (Gallantry Web Design).
- Grit (Grit n Glory clothing line).
- Fortitude (Fortitude Fitness Academy).
- Intrepidity (Intrepid Detox Residential).
The possibilities are endless when you’re thinking about small business name ideas that stand out.
Mull over mythology, movies & legends
Do you have favorite movie characters or quotes that could be incorporated into your business name? For example:
- A.R.V.I.S. from Marvel movies (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System).
- Archimedes, the Greek mathematician.
- Dionysus, the god of wine.
Research characters from history and pop culture that signify concepts relevant to your brand. This approach often sparks how to come up with a business name in unexpected but powerful ways.
Use a business name generator
While I’m not a huge fan, and you’re unlikely to finalize a name using one, generators can offer starting points for ideas or at least a few laughs. For example, typing “events” into Shopify’s Business Name Generator yields:
- Stratos Events.
- Asterisk Events.
- ClassAct Events.
Not bad, but as mentioned, they’re best used as brainstorming tools. (Plus, do you really want to admit you used a generator when asked about how to name a business?)
5 essential steps for coming up with a business name
Now it’s time to test your brainstormed business names.
- Check availability: Verify availability across state and national databases, domain names, and social media handles.
- Keyword research: Ensure your name isn’t a popular keyword that could negatively impact your search engine rankings.
- Google it: Search your business name on Google to ensure it isn’t associated with anything inappropriate, irrelevant, or overly popular that could detract from your site’s traffic.
- Try it on: Visualize the name in your logo, on your website, and in marketing materials. Ensure it complements your design options.
- Test it out: Share the name with others — both familiar and unfamiliar with your business — to gather objective feedback. For example, Warby Parker’s founders initially considered “Panda Party” but found it confusing to spell and “scary” during testing.
Checklist for creating a business name
You’ve brainstormed and checked availability. But not all available business names are good. Use this checklist to foolproof your company name:
- Does it make sense? A clever name is only effective if your audience understands it. Test with diverse groups to avoid constant explanations.
- Is it a good fit for your industry? Choose words that align with your industry’s tone. A name suggesting strength suits a locksmith; gentleness fits a nursing home.
- Is it future-proof? Consider potential changes:
- Location/Expansion: Avoid location-specific names if you might move or expand (e.g., “Canton Dry Cleaners”).
- Offerings: Don’t limit yourself with service-specific names if you plan to expand your offerings.
- Pivoting: Avoid audience-specific names if your target demographic might change.
- Is it easy to spell? Intuitive spelling is crucial for searchability, invoicing, and legal clarity.
- Is it easy to pronounce? Avoid names that require manipulating letters to indicate pronunciation.
- Is it easy to remember? Memorability is influenced by spelling, pronunciation, and length. Short names are memorable but can get lost; long names can be a barrier. Balance uniqueness with relevance to your product/service for strong recall.
