How to Name Your Startup

After my previous post, I would like to follow up with a post as to how I came up with those names by sharing my thought process. Also, I understand that naming is always a challenging task so I would like to share some possible methods of coming up with names at the same time.

1) Combine relevant words

This is a very common method which consists of 2 simple steps. This is how I came up with the name Bake Lady.

- Come up with a list of words that are relevant to your business - Combine 2 to 3 words to create a catchy and easy to remember name

This process has been wonderfully elaborated in great details by Marigold in my previous post so I would like to share her brainstorming method:

My brainstorming method: 1. Use an excel spreadsheet to list as many words as I can that relate to the business, both it's products and services. 2. Use a thesaurus to expand and add words you hadn't thought of 3. When you have as many words as possible, move them around, group them or put them next to each other, to see if they can be combined to create something new and different 4. Highlight a short list of favorites and check they are available as domain names 5. Run the final short list by friends to see which one resonates most!

Thanks, Maz! I believe this is probably how Snapchat got its name. It is a messaging app where people chat (chat) by taking photos (snap). Other examples include PayPal, Dropbox and SoundCloud.__

2) Adapt from other names

This method involves taking reference to existing names of businessses, products or services and adapting them to suit your business. Be careful with this as you do not want to sound like a copycat! So I suggest that you should refer to more than one name and create a name that is relevant to your business.

This is the method I used to come up with the names, 10 Grams and Grams of Sugar. I took reference to companies like Tencent and Tesla Motors. I combined the way Tencent is named with Tesla's concept of using a unit of measurement in Physics. The units of measurement that came to my mind were grams and kilograms when I thought of baking. Therefore, I came up with the names 10 Grams (I admit this is very similar to Tencent but you can simply change the number to a number you like.) and Grams of Sugar.

3) Add numbers to a word

Talking about numbers, this brings me to my next method. This may sound lame because it is just like what you do when you are creating an email account or a character in a MMORPG and the name you want is taken. (eg. alfred10 when alfred is not available.) However, I feel that it is an creative way of naming.

One of the famous brands that has a number in their company name is Timbuk2 (it was partly inspired by the American rock band, Timbuk3). Some other examples of existing businesses with numbers in their names include 37signals and Spark59.

4) Follow current trends

Another method which I like is to look at the current trend of naming. I spotted 2 trends.

One, there is a trend of adding a suffix to the end of a word related to the business. Here are some examples: Shopify, Strikingly, Contractually (See how Contractually plays with the domain - http://www.contractual.ly/). This is how I came up with the names, Beautifully and Prettify.

Two, another trend is to replace a letter of a term with another one that is similar or misspelling the word by dropping a letter or adding an additional letter. Here are some examples: Svpply, Tumblr, Dribbble. This trend is likely to stay for a long while but there are repercussions to have such names.

5) Play around with words

One interesting method is to play around with the words related to your business or your slogan. For example, TOMS Shoes evolved from the original project name, Shoes for Tomorrow Project. (Thanks, Maz, again)

6) Base on your purpose

Finally, the last method I would like to share is to create a name based on the purpose of your business. An example of such a naming is Spark59. According to Ash Maurya of Spark59, "Research indicates that it takes 58 new product ideas to deliver a successful new product." so he wants to help entrepreneurs get to their 59th idea faster. Therefore, he named his company Spark59.

Another example is Y Combinator. According to their website, "The Y combinator is one of the coolest ideas in computer science. It's also a metaphor for what we do. It's a program that runs programs; we're a company that helps start companies.".

For inspiration on naming, I would suggest to take a look at Product Hunt which is a daily leaderboard of the best new products. Everyday, it produces a list of the best new products for that day so there are lots of names to take reference for inspiration.

However, ultimately, I still believe that whatever name you come up with, you have to like it yourself and do not be too affected by others' opinions (unless your name is really silly or offensive). It is inevitable that some people will not like the name you came up with but you do not have to satisfy everyone. Furthermore, the name of your business is not a major deciding factor of the success of your business compared to how you run it, market it and treat your customers, etc.

BreadTalk, a close to home example, may sound like a silly name but they are so successful! Needless to say, Facebook is another great example.

That's all from me. Happy naming!

Alfred

Thanks, Gratisography, for the free high resolution photo!