What is brand naming?

A name is how a brand enters minds, culture, and language. It’s often people’s first impression of you, so it’s worth taking the time to make sure that impression is a good one. And over time, your name becomes a shortcut to all the emotions, moments, and memories people associate with your brand.

There are two main measures for a good brand name:

1. People remember it
2. They use it in everyday speech

Deeper meanings, clever wordplay, and references to founder stories are all nice extras. But what it really comes down to is how easy the name is to recall and say.

Think of how quickly Google slipped into language: “Can you Google that for me?” That’s partly because it’s a service we rely on daily, but there are plenty of other equally important brands that haven’t become their own verb.

The fact that Google is simple, short, unique, and easy to pronounce is a big part of its success. It comes from the computing term “googol”, which is a nice story, but even without it, it’s a strong brand name that’s crucial to their brand identity.

We split brand names into eight categories:

• Made-up (Rolex, Xerox)

• Human (Jersey Mike’s, Ben & Jerry’s)

• Composite (Netflix, Instagram)

• Fragments (Plenish, Ocado)

• Purpose-led (Innocent Drinks, Honest Burger)

• Associative (Nike, Uber, Bulldog)

• Acronyms (IBM, H&M)

• Off-the-wall (Flying Tiger, MoonPig)

All have their place, and great companies have been built on all of these types of brand name.

What’s right for you depends on your sector, strategy and the brand identity you want to create. If you’re naming a merger between two tech giants, you’re probably not going to call it “Flying Cyberpig”.

But if you’re a disruptive startup, a more off-the-wall naming strategy could do well for you. Likewise, if you’re renaming your company because you’ve hit trademark issues, you might want to avoid real words and go for a made-up or composite name.

Pressure to find the “perfect” name: A lot rests on a brand name, and it’s tempting to wait for the perfect one to come along. But remember: no name can do everything. And it doesn’t need to. It will be supported by all your other brand assets, and will naturally gather meaning over time.

AI can’t solve your problems: brand name generators or AI naming tools can only get you so far. They often miss the mark on creativity and nuance, and many don’t take the extra step of checking whether names are legally available. AI also can’t manage the process side of naming – taking people on the journey, and making sure they have what they need to judge each name properly. If you want to get naming right, it’s better to get a brand naming agency involved.

Too many opinions: Names are subjective – you’ll never get everybody to fully agree on one. That’s why brand naming is much more than coming up with name ideas. Aligning stakeholders, selling ideas in, and building a criteria to help choose names are all parts of the puzzle. Creative brand names are meaningless if you can’t get your company to embrace them.

A great brand name lets people remember, talk about, and connect with your brand. No name can do everything, but the best ones balance creativity with clarity, and reflect who you are. If you get those things right, you’ll have a name that sets you up for success.