The short version
- The best brand name ideas come from generating a long list with several methods, then cutting it down with practical checks.
- Common naming methods include descriptive names, invented words, compounds, metaphors, founder names and borrowed words.
- A strong brand name is easy to say, easy to spell after hearing it once, and available as a domain and social handle.
- Always search official trademark registers in the countries you trade in before committing to a name.
- Test a shortlisted name on real designs, such as a social post and a shop sign, because names feel different once they are set in type.
On this page
The quickest route to good brand name ideas is to stop waiting for the perfect word and use methods instead. Write down what the business does, how it should feel and who it serves, then generate fifty or more names using several naming styles, cut the list to five with simple checks, and test the survivors on real designs. A name that survives saying, spelling, searching and seeing is usually a keeper.
Before you brainstorm: write a one-line naming brief
A brief stops you judging names by mood alone. Fill in this sentence: We help [who] to [do what], and we want to feel [two or three words]. For a bakery it might be: we help our neighbourhood start the weekend well, and we want to feel warm, generous and a bit old fashioned. Every name on your list gets measured against that line.
It also helps to know your brand positioning and your brand archetype. A name for a Sage brand should sound composed; a name for a Jester can be a pun.
Seven ways to generate business name ideas
How it works
Example for a bakery
Watch out for
Example for a bakery
Watch out for
Example for a bakery
Watch out for
Example for a bakery
Watch out for
How it works
Example for a bakery
Watch out for
How it works
Example for a bakery
Watch out for
How it works
Example for a bakery
Watch out for
Aim for quantity at this stage. Set a timer for twenty minutes per method and write everything down, including the bad ones, because a bad name often sits next to a good one. Some prompts that help:
- List the tools, materials and smells of your trade, then the feelings they cause.
- Write down the first thing a happy customer says when they leave.
- Look up old and regional words for what you do.
- Combine one word from the first list with one from the second.
- Shorten, respell or join words until they sound like a name rather than a sentence.
- Ask what the business would be called if it were a person, a place or an animal.
How to shortlist brand name ideas
- 1
Cut anything that needs explaining
If you have to add "it's a play on" every time you say it, it will not survive a noisy room or a phone call.
- 2
Read the list aloud
Say each name in a sentence: "I got this from ___." Names that are hard to say, or sound like another word, drop out.
- 3
Run the spelling test
Say the name to a friend once and ask them to type it. If they spell it wrong, customers will search for it wrong.
- 4
Check the brief
Hold each name against your one-line brief. Keep only names that fit both what you do and how you want to feel.
- 5
Keep five
Five is enough to compare, and few enough that you will actually check each one properly.
The checks every brand name must pass
This is where most favourites fall. Do these checks before you tell anyone the name, order signage or fall in love with it.
What to do
Fail if
Fail if
Fail if
What to do
Fail if
What to do
Fail if
Fail if
Fail if
Test your name on real designs
A name changes when it is set in type. Long names wrap awkwardly, some letter pairs look odd together, and a name that sounded gentle can look harsh in capitals. Put each of your final names on two or three real things: a launch post, a story and a shop sign or business card.
Short names carry well in large type and survive being shrunk to a profile picture.
Longer descriptive names need two lines and a smaller size, so they read better as a headline than as a logo.
This is also the moment to think about the logo. A short, distinctive name can often be its own logo as a wordmark; a long one may need a symbol or a monogram to stand in at small sizes. Logo design basics walks through those options.
In Gradiently you can type your shortlisted names into the same template, switch between them in seconds and resize each one to a story and a business card, which makes the comparison honest. Your colours and backgrounds stay the same, so only the name is being judged.
Strong and weak brand names, compared
Weak
- Generic words anyone in your trade could use
- Puns that need explaining
- Deliberate misspellings that customers will get wrong
- Initials with no story behind them
- Names that trap you in one product or location
Strong
- A distinctive word with the right feeling
- Easy to say and spell after hearing it once
- Available as a domain and on the platforms you use
- Clear of similar trademarks in your field
- Roomy enough for what the business might become
Once you have the name, the rest of the identity follows from it. How to create a brand identity covers the next steps, and small business branding keeps the whole thing affordable and practical.
Questions people ask
How do I come up with a brand name?
Write a one-line brief, then generate a long list using several methods such as descriptive, compound, metaphor and invented names. Shortlist five and run each through trademark, domain, handle and pronunciation checks.
What makes a good business name?
It is easy to say, easy to spell after hearing it once, distinctive in your field, available as a domain and handle, and clear of similar trademarks.
Should I use my own name for my business?
It suits personal services and feels honest, but surnames can be harder to register as trademarks, and it can make the business harder to sell or hand over later.
How do I check if a business name is taken?
Search the official trademark register in each country you trade in, your country's company register, domain availability and every social platform you plan to use.
How long should a brand name be?
There is no fixed rule, but shorter names are easier to remember, type and fit on small spaces like profile pictures. Two syllables to three short words covers most strong names.
Written by Gradiently
The team behind Gradiently, a design tool built around Marks: living gradients that make everything you design look like yours.
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