After you have made up your mind to start a new business, the hard step is to find a name for your business.
A business name is a vital part of your business’s identity. It’s an important marketing tool that can help define your brand, differentiate you from your competitors, and help you build a reputation.
It’s also a key part of the process that will help you get your business up and running. The business name you choose will have a profound impact on how you market and sell your products.
You could spend a lot of money on a company that will help you find a new name for your business. But, I know you’re starting out, and you have other priorities, and why not get inspired on your own when it’s free!
In this article, we’ll give you 17 tips for coming up with a great business name.
1. Use Acronyms.
Thousands of big companies use acronyms instead of using their full names. In fact, if they did use their full names, we would never new they exist perhaps.
For example, BBC.
Everybody knows BBC is a broadcasting company that shares many famous programs. BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2 are the most famous radio stations.
There are also many BBC TV channels. For instance, BBC One is the most famous channel in the UK. BBC World News is a popular news channel. It provides the latest news and views.
But
How many people know what exactly BBC stands for? or I should this question another way. What comes to your mind when you hear “British Broadcasting Corporation?” Maybe not BBC.
Because
Acronyms get popular faster and easier than the full name. So, if your business name is “Pearl Marketing Agency” consider using PMA.
The Below image shows a few famous companies that use acronyms instead of full business names and they are world-famous.
2. Create Mash-Ups.
Choose two or three words that are the best keywords for your business and mix them up to create out-of-the-box ideas.
For Example:
“Netflix” was curated by using two words, “Internet and Flicks”. The business name of this company is as creative as its business model.
“TripAdvisor” was generated by Mixing up “Trips and Advisors” which tells you directly that you are getting a service that will guide you during your trips. The business name has helped the company grow really fast in the initial stage.
“Evernote” was curated from “Forever Notes”. See 60 Famous Companies that Use acronyms.
But
How will you do that? Let’s say your business is about marketing. And, you want a spark in your business name that can attract readers.
You can use “Electro-Marketing” which tells the readers that you are doing something related to marketing.
I am not good at graphic designing but made this one for you as a sample. Hope you like it.
Here is a tip:
If you don’t know how to mix up words correctly, head over to this free tool that will help you. Just put in your keyword and it will give you hundreds of ideas.
3. Use Mythology and Literature as Inspiration.
Greek mythology has inspired many to write their business names. Let’s talk about two examples of great and famous business names that are derived from Greek mythology.
a) Marathon
Marathon is famous worldwide. The story of the marathon is based on ancient Greek mythology.
Pheidippides, a man, ran all day to get to the capital of Athens, to spread the news of victory, after the Athenians won the battle at Marathon.
The first-ever runner to run from Athens to Marathon, and make it to the starting line, ran the 26.2 miles, from Marathon to Athens.
When he arrived, He shouted “Nike” which was known as the “Greek goddess of victory” which is now another famous shoe brand.
b) Nike
Nike is the goddess of victory. In ancient Greek religion, she represents the triumph of justice
She was the daughter of the giant Pallas and of the infernal river Styx. She’s always been shown as a sign of speed and strength.
Today’s Nike, a shoe brand, wants people to think exactly the same about them too.
If you are running something like that, you can get inspiration from such ancient knowledge. If you want to dig deeper into this thing, see 5 business names derived from Greek mythology.
4. Use Foreign Words.
Humans have a strange liking towards people who aren’t native. That’s why you can use a foreign word as your business name. It will not only be catchy and memorable but also a simple name.
Example:
- A hair salon with an Indian name: “Khoobsurat” (means beautiful.)
- A Coffee shop with French Name: “Roux Bistro”
Try to think, you may come up with something creative.
5. Use Your Own Name.
Whether it’s a small or large business, it’s your business…why not add your own name to it?
Some very successful brands use the founder’s name, like Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, or Boeing (the founder’s last name).
If you have some fame, this is the perfect step for you. Gucci is another example of such a business name.
You can also name your business after your loved ones or a family member.
You can also name your business after your loved ones or a family member. It’s also important to keep the name short. If your name is longer than two words, it’s probably too long. Here are some catchy business name ideas that will inspire you to name your business:
- Glossio
- Passionify
- LuxHut
- Utopia Group
- Diamonday
- Sage & Honey
- Madzilla
- Heel’s Heaven
- Owl Games
- Eclipse
6. Take a Look at a Map.
A lot of people have named their businesses with a location name. Example; Amazon. The world-leading online store. Jeff started this company as an online store for selling books.
While the name “Amazon” is the name of the largest ever river in the world but no one while referring to that river now after listening to Amazon.
Another Example; The New Yorker.
Looking for more good location-based business names examples? Here is the list of Location Specific, GEO Domain Names for Sale from Squad Help.
7. Mix Things Up.
We will take the example of IKEA here. The owner is truly a mastermind. He has not only used acronyms but also mixed the owner’s name along with the location name.
Basically used 3 tips from this naming process.
Ingvar Kamprad used the name of his hometown, Elmtaryd Agunnaryd, with his name to make IKEA. And IKEA is now one of the best business names out there. (More on that here.)
8. Partner With Another Company.
While partnering with another company or a person, you can mix names of the both business.
Here is an example that happened out there.
Twentieth Century Pictures + Fox Film Corporation = 20th Century Fox.
When both the above companies merged, they used both business names to create a new one.
9. Leverage nicknames.
Mercedes was the nickname of the founder’s daughter. She was a lovely girl. The father couldn’t think of a better name than that.
Turned that into one of the greatest brands in the world. People can’t forget that name. Using a nickname makes your business name sentimental. Such names have a creative impact on people.
10. Use a Symbol.
If you are a construction lord, you can use “Bricks” as your company name. It’s just a cool way to make your name shorter and memorable. Or you can say “Cemented”.
Pick one element from your work and name your business with it. Such business names help communicate the business.
11. Make it descriptive.
Making your business name descriptive will help bring more sales.
Here in our area, we have a coffee brand, named “A.M & P.M Coffee” which tells you that this cafe will be opened 24/7.
Name your business in a way that will make it easy to describe your services to your customers.
You should look at the type of your business and find something like that. Write your ideas and visualize which one will fit better with your logo. PayPal, The Body Shop, Whole Foods, and Neuralink are great examples of descriptive business names.
MBASkool has written a detailed article on Descriptive Name Meaning & Definition.
12. Use Latin.
Latin is the coolest and oldest language out there. It feels so fancy to choose a Latin name as your business name. I would go for it. The language has given us a lot of brand names.
QUORA, (evocative of questions and answers.), ACER, (sharp, acute, and facile), VERIZON (Truth, and Horizon), VOLVO, (“I roll”, l turn), NIVEA (snow), QUIES (rest, calm) are great examples of Latin business names that are not only popular but also have good meanings.
To dig deeper into it. Here is a List of Latin Business Name Ideas.
13. Look at your product from another angle.
The name of the famous cold drink, Pepsi, comes from the digestive enzyme ‘pepsin’.
Take a step back and try to think about the product that will become your brand name.
We can take the example of Meta, Formerly Facebook. The name Meta comes from the owner’s ideology about Metaverse. A digital universe that is part of the company’s roadmap.
The name was chosen to echo the key product, Metaverse. You can also do something like that.
14. Abbreviate.
The most common form of business names we find today is abbreviations. Because a great business name isn’t meant to belong and boring.
Example; Cisco
A name that was inspired by the location, San Francisco.
15. Tweak the spelling.
The most popular brands that have tweaks in their business names are “Flickr”, “Reddit”, “Digg”, “Fiverr”, and “Tumblr”.
You can add a letter to your business name, like “Fiverr”. Or you can remove one letter, Like “Flickr and Tumblr”.
You can change the spelling of a famous word in your industry and change its spelling to create a new business name more attractive and catchy.
16. Tell your story.
You can make your business name tell a story to the readers. How?
Take the example of “Virgin”. The two founders were totally new to the business so they named it virgin to tell people their story.
Another example of such a business name is Neuralink. The name tells a story that there is something that’s going to be linked to the brain.
Of course, we all know it is our mind that is going to connect with computers in the near future. Only if Elon Musk and his team of this company succeed in their mission.
17. Other Factors
A business name is one of the most important aspects of your brand identity. Not only does it give a business a distinctive image, but it also helps customers identify who they’re dealing with when they walk in.
The key is to choose a business name that’s unique, memorable, and representative of your business.
When it comes to naming a business, there are two main options. You can pick something that sounds good, like “Sophia’s Boutique,” or you can try and come up with a meaning.
This might seem counterintuitive at first, but if you’re going for a specific niche, the latter might be the best option.
For example, if your business is catering to a particular interest group – say, fashion bloggers – then why not focus on that?
It might take a bit of trial and error, but it’s worth it to choose a business name that reflects what you do.
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