In this article we will analyze the main rules of naming, we will tell how to choose a company name, we will show 12 working ways to create a beautiful and sound name, which will contribute to the competent positioning of the brand.
The main rules of naming
- Use names for your company that are easy to remember and short.
- Reflect the company’s field of activity in its name.
- Conform to legal requirements.
- Don’t use negative associations.
- Use words that are understandable to a wide target audience.
12 ways to come up with a company name
1. Use your first or last name
This is the most obvious and common trick. If you call the company just a name, it will not stand out from the competition. It is better to use the last name. This method was used by many famous people today – Sir Thomas Lipton, Henry Ford, Korkunov. By the way, you can also promote a personal brand in the same way.
Examples:
Lipton;
Gillette;
“Kaspersky Lab.
2. Start from the field of activity
Think about how you can characterize in one word what the company does. Properly chosen name will cause the right associations and will contribute to quick remembering of the brand among the target audience. For example, a cleaning firm could be called “Cleaning”, a ritual agency “The Last Way”, a furniture company “Many Furniture”.
3. Pay attention to literature and mythology
To find the original name of the company refer to mythology. Name the company named after an ancient hero would be quite appropriate if you connect it to the activities of the enterprise. For example, the name of the god of wine Bacchus can be used in the name of the store selling alcoholic beverages, or factory, which produces wine. And the name of the goddess of hunting Artemis can be used in the naming of a gun store.
4. Use abbreviations and acronyms in the name
If legal requirements or personal beliefs prevent you from coming up with a sound and short company name or you want to reflect the full essence of the organization, come up with a brand name of a few words. But it will be less memorable than shorter analogies, so you can create a short abbreviation from a long name.
Example:
IKEA – Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd.
5. Use the allusion method
Allusion is a modification of a name you already know. If you use this method correctly, it will be easier to promote the company through already established associations. But be careful – you shouldn’t copy the name of a well-known brand almost completely: firstly, it will cause consumers to reject it due to a feeling of faking, and secondly – it can lead to court proceedings. For example, Adidas sneakers are counterfeited under the names Abibas, Adisas, Adidass and others. All of these names evoke the feeling of a low-quality replica.
Examples:
“Lady X.”
“Brothers Grim.”
6. A company name of several syllables
To come up with a beautiful name for a company, take your first and last name, the name of the city and the nature of the company, syllables from the full name of the company. Make a sonorous and preferably short name that implicitly describes the main idea of the brand, its product, scope or other important nuances.
Lifehack: do not use names with several consonants in a row. They will be harder to read and remember. Compare for yourself – “counter-strategy” is harder to read than just “strategy.”
Example:
Intel – Integral Electronics;
CiscoSystems – San Francisco;
7. Use alliteration
Come up with a rhyming or rhythmic brand name. It will be easier to remember than simple words or long phrases, and later on such a “name” can be successfully included in slogans or poetic advertisements. You can try to reflect in a rhyming name the essence of the company – for example, a store that sells only original goods, Top Shop.
Examples:
Coca-Cola;
Chupa-Chups;
M&M’s.
8. Push back on sound imitations
Sounds of nature or animals are familiar to everyone since childhood, so they are quite easy to remember. You can use it to create an unusual brand name: the main thing is to connect the sound imitation with the direction of the company. For example, for a veterinary drugstore or a pet store will be appropriate to use the name “Moo”, “Woof”, “Meow”. For a clothing store for newborns or babies under a year – “Agu. For a company producing pig meat, “Oink.”
Examples:
Schwepps;
Miu-Miu.
9. Give your company a geographic name
Look around – what local or international landmark is closest to you? Or what name to use so that it doesn’t contrast too much with the firm’s business? But keep in mind that they are common – it is desirable to somehow beat the geography, for example – you can call the firm “Pearl of Lake Baikal. Or use quasi-toponyms – for example, transform the name of the company into the name of a city, river or mountain.
Examples:
“Saturn.”
“Prague.”
10. Name the company first thing that comes to mind
This is one of the most difficult, but also one of the easiest ways to come up with a company name that you can apply in literally 1 minute. You can put some hidden meaning into the naming, such as using the name of a certain kind of animal for a zoo, or the name of an item for the factory that makes it. Here it’s important to test how the naming will sound and what associations it will evoke in consumers. For example, you could pick a focus group and ask each participant to talk about their associations.
Examples:
Apple;
Jaguar;
Puma;
11. use company name generators
These are sites or services that work on a similar principle. You enter a keyword, based on which the system generates name variants.
Name generators:
PlayName;
Online Name Generator, and others.
To summarize: how to choose the right company name
- Use first or last name or a combination of first and last names
- Pay attention to mythological or literary characters
- Start with the area of activity of the company and come up with a name that would be associated with it
- Abbreviate a long company name and use an acronym
- Apply allusion – modify a well-known name
- Make a compound name out of several words
- Think of a rhythmic or rhyming name
- Use sound imitation, preferably associative
- Give the company a geographic name
- Name the company by the first thing that comes to your mind.
Important: You can think of several names in different ways and compare them. That way you will find the best name for the company. After choosing a beautiful name for your company, you can move on to creating a corporate identity or identity.
You can use other methods of naming. We described only the most common ones. And how do you come up with company names? Share your opinion in the comments.