How to Name Any Brand
Your brand name will last longer and get used more than any other investment you make in your business. So it’s critical that you love your brand name forever, that it never becomes dated, and that it works for you, not against you.

The best brand names are simple and conceptual like the ones we create at Eat My Words: a dating website named Jazzed; a robot that cleans your floor named Neato; and a legal compliance company named Verbatim.

Whether you’re naming a store, product, start-up, corporation, or blog, here are some additional tips on how to name a brand.

Brand Naming Tips
  • Nail down the personality of your brand in three words and use it as an acid test. When Alexandra was coming up with names for her naming agency, she wanted to convey that the brand was “playful,” “creative,” and “unexpected.” The name “Eat My Words” matches that personality, whereas names like, “ABC Name Bank” or “Strategic Name Development” do not.
  • Your brand name should be spelled exactly how it sounds. If you don’t, you will constantly have to tell people how to spell it, e.g. “That’s Takkle with two k’s.” Think of how often you have to spell your own first or last name for people. Why would you want a brand name with the same problem?
  • Make sure your brand name is easy to pronounce. Have you ever not ordered something in a restaurant because you weren’t sure how to pronounce it and didn’t want to embarrass yourself? Why would you name your brand something that people struggle with? Your brand name needs to be approachable.
  • Make sure your brand name is meaningful to your customers. Names with hidden meanings (foreign languages) are meaningless on their own and you won’t be there to explain it when people see it pop up on their caller ID. Every time you have to explain what your name means, you are apologizing for it. Refrain from Swahili, words spelled backwards, and made up words that baffle the mind.
  • Have a name that creates a picture in the mind when someone sees it or hears it. People remember pictures much more easily than they remember words and letters. (For instance, an energy drink named Bloom is easier to remember than one named Enviga.)
  • Your brand name should sound good when people say it out loud. While your brand name might look good on paper, make sure it sounds good when people say it. We were crushed when a brand name we came up with, Seismicore, sounded like “Seismic Whore,” when we said it out loud. Try repeating your brand name in front of a mirror. It should sound clear, simple and fun to say.
  • Do not invent a silly word just to be different or because the domain is available for $9.95. People don’t like things they aren’t familiar with. If you invent a new brand name (e.g. Xobni, Cuel, Chyngle), you will forever have to tell people what it means (and how to spell and pronounce it). If you do make up a “coined name,” make it one that sounds like a real word, evokes a brand experience, and is easy to spell and say (e.g. Groupon, Recology, Ecologic, Optima, Dizzywood, Illumineering).
    • For more smart tips on how to name a brand and a free name evaluation, take our SMILE and SCRATCH Test, which is based on our philosophy that a name should make you smile, instead of scratch your head.
    Brand Naming Services

    At Eat My Words, we name brands every day and we’re damn good at it. If you’re exhausted trying to do it yourself, we’d love to help you. Give us a shout at (415) 552-7741 or email info@eatmywords.com.