Why Naming Is Harder Than It Looks
A business name seems simple. Two or three words. How hard can it be?
Very hard, as it turns out. A good name needs to be memorable, pronounceable, spellable, available as a domain, not trademarked by someone else, appropriate in other languages if you ever go international, and ideally give some hint of what you do — all in a handful of syllables.
Oh, and every obvious name in your industry was taken ten years ago.
The good news: you don't need a perfect name. You need a name that's good enough to build a brand around. Apple sells computers. Amazon started selling books. Google is a misspelling. The name gets its meaning from what you do with it.
But you can make the process a lot easier by understanding the different approaches and avoiding the landmines.
Types of Business Names
Descriptive Names
Say exactly what the business does.
Examples: General Electric, The Container Store, Burger King
Pros:
- Instantly clear what you do
- No explanation needed
- Good for SEO (sometimes)
Cons:
- Hard to trademark
- Limits future expansion (what if you stop selling burgers?)
- Often generic and forgettable
- Domain is almost certainly taken
Best for: Local service businesses where clarity beats creativity. "Auckland Plumbing Solutions" won't win naming awards, but nobody will be confused about what you do.
Invented/Coined Names
Made-up words or combinations.
Examples: Google, Spotify, Kodak, Xerox
Pros:
- Highly trademarkable
- Domain usually available
- Unique and distinctive
- No baggage or competing associations
Cons:
- Zero inherent meaning (requires brand building)
- Can sound strange at first
- Harder for people to remember initially
- Risk of being difficult to spell or pronounce
Best for: Tech companies, startups planning to scale globally, businesses with budget to build brand recognition.
Metaphorical Names
Use imagery or association to evoke a feeling or concept.
Examples: Amazon (vast, everything), Nike (Greek goddess of victory), Patagonia (adventure, wilderness)
Pros:
- Memorable and evocative
- Creates emotional associations
- Trademarkable
- Tells a story
Cons:
- Connection to business isn't immediately obvious
- Requires some brand building to connect the dots
- Good metaphors are hard to find
Best for: Brands that want to convey a feeling or aspiration rather than describe a service.
Founder Names
Named after the owner or founders.
Examples: Ford, Disney, Goldman Sachs, Dyson
Pros:
- Personal and authentic
- Builds personal brand alongside business brand
- Often available as a domain
Cons:
- Hard to sell the business later (it's literally your name)
- Doesn't describe what you do
- Depends on the founder's reputation
- Common names create distinctiveness problems
Best for: Professional services, consultancies, creative businesses, artisan brands.
Acronyms and Initialisms
Shortened from a longer name.
Examples: IBM, BBC, BMW, KFC
Pros:
- Short and clean
- Easy to use once established
Cons:
- Meaningless without context
- Hard to remember initially
- Boring to say
- Nearly impossible to trademark as standalone letters
Best for: Only after your full name is well-established. Starting with an acronym is almost always a bad idea.
Compound/Mashup Names
Combine two words or word parts.
Examples: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Airbnb
Pros:
- Can be descriptive and unique simultaneously
- Often available as domains
- Memorable when done well
Cons:
- Can sound forced if the combination is awkward
- Overused in tech (every startup in 2015 was a mashup)
Best for: When you can find two words that combine naturally and create something new.
The Naming Process
Step 1: Define Your Criteria
Before brainstorming, write down what your name needs to do:
- Must be: Easy to spell, easy to pronounce, available as a .com (or your country TLD)
- Should be: Memorable, hint at what you do or how you're different, 1-3 words
- Nice to have: Works internationally, has visual branding potential, tells a story
Step 2: Brainstorm Wide
Generate 50-100 name candidates. Don't filter yet — volume first.
Techniques:
Word association: Start with your core concept. Write every word that comes to mind. Then words associated with those words. Go three levels deep.
Thesaurus mining: Look up synonyms, antonyms, and related words for your key concepts.
Foreign language exploration: Check translations of your core concepts in other languages. Some beautiful, memorable names come from Latin, Greek, Japanese, or Maori words.
Metaphor mapping: What is your business like? If your business were an animal, a natural force, a place, or a character — what would it be?
Name generators: Use tools like Namelix, Squadhelp, or Shopify's business name generator for AI-assisted brainstorming. They're not great at final names but useful for sparking ideas.
Portmanteau creation: Combine parts of two relevant words. Pinterest (pin + interest). Instagram (instant + telegram).
Step 3: Filter Down
Apply these filters to narrow your list to 10-15 candidates:
The phone test: Say the name out loud as if answering a phone call. "Thanks for calling [name], how can I help?" Does it flow naturally?
The radio test: If someone heard the name on a podcast, could they spell it correctly to look you up?
The crowded room test: Imagine introducing yourself at a loud networking event. "Hi, I'm from [name]." Is it clear the first time?
The logo test: Can you visualise this name as a logo? Does it have visual potential?
The growth test: Will this name still make sense in 5 years if you expand your services or markets?
Step 4: Check Availability
For each surviving candidate:
Domain check:
- Is the .com available? (Or .co.nz, .com.au, etc.)
- Check on Namecheap, GoDaddy, or Google Domains
- Consider alternatives (.co, .io) but .com is still king for credibility
Social media check:
- Is the handle available on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok?
- Use Namechk.com to check multiple platforms at once
- Consistent handles across platforms is important
Trademark check:
- Search IPONZ (New Zealand) or your country's trademark database
- Check WIPO for international trademarks
- Search Google for businesses using the same name in your industry
- This is not a substitute for legal advice — consult a trademark attorney before finalising
Google search:
- Search the exact name in quotes
- Is anyone else using it in your industry or region?
- Are there negative associations?
- Would your website have a chance of ranking for your brand name?
Step 5: Test With Real People
Share your top 3-5 names with:
- People in your target audience
- People who know nothing about your industry
- People from different backgrounds and age groups
Ask them:
- What do you think this company does?
- Is it easy to spell after hearing it once?
- What feeling does the name give you?
- Would you remember it tomorrow?
- Any negative associations?
Don't ask "Do you like it?" — that's subjective and unhelpful. Ask questions that test function.
Step 6: Decide and Commit
Pick one. Register the domain. Secure the social handles. Start building the brand.
Second-guessing the name after launch is normal and unhelpful. The name will feel right once your brand gives it meaning.
Naming Pitfalls
Geographic Names
"Auckland Digital Solutions" works fine if you'll always serve Auckland. But what happens when you expand to Wellington, or go national, or attract overseas clients?
Geographic names can also hurt perceived credibility for clients outside that region.
Trendy Spellings
Dropping vowels (Flickr, Tumblr) was a trend. Using -ly (Bit.ly, Buffer.ly) was a trend. Starting with "i" (everything in 2007) was a trend.
Trends date your brand. By the time you notice a naming trend, it's already overused.
Too Clever
If you have to explain the name every time, it's not working. Puns, obscure references, and inside jokes might entertain you, but they confuse everyone else.
Too Long
One to three words. Maximum. "Innovative Digital Marketing and Business Growth Solutions Ltd" is not a name — it's a sentence.
Negative Meanings Elsewhere
If there's any chance you'll do business internationally, check your name in major languages. Many infamous examples exist of brands accidentally naming themselves something offensive in another language.
Similar to Competitors
If your name sounds like an established competitor, you'll spend years being confused for them (or worse, sending traffic to them).
The Domain Dilemma
In 2026, finding a short, clean .com domain is genuinely difficult. Every common English word is taken.
Options:
Exact match .com: Best option. If you can get yourname.com, take it.
Modified .com: Add a word. getairbnb.com, tryhubspot.com, usemailchimp.com. The "get/try/use" prefix pattern works well for tech brands.
Country TLD: yourname.co.nz is fine for NZ businesses. yourname.com.au for Australia. Perfectly credible for local businesses.
Alternative TLDs: .co, .io, .agency, .studio. These work but .com still carries the most trust. If budget allows, buy the .com too and redirect it.
Buy the domain: If someone owns the .com but isn't using it, you can make an offer through a domain broker or directly. Budget $500-$10,000 for a reasonable domain.
After You've Named
- Register the domain immediately
- Secure social handles on all major platforms
- File a trademark application (or at least consult an attorney)
- Register the company name with your business registry
- Create basic brand assets (logo, colours, fonts)
- Set up email on your domain
- Announce it — tell your network, update your profiles, start building
If You're Stuck
Sometimes the perfect name doesn't exist. Here's what to do:
- Set a deadline. Give yourself 2 weeks. After that, pick the best option and move forward.
- Remember: no one fell in love with the name "Apple" for a computer company. The brand made the name iconic, not the other way around.
- A good name with a great brand behind it will always beat a perfect name with nothing behind it.
- You can always rebrand later (it's expensive, but it's not impossible).
The name is the start of the story. What you do with it is the story.