Descriptive
Literally describes the product or service.
Whole Foods, American Airlines, Pizza Hut, PayPal, Bank of America.
Free tool
Brand name generator
Pick a name type and describe your business in a few words. You get nine name ideas, each with a note on where it comes from.
The methods
Six types of brand names
Every brand name falls into one of these six groups. Each one trades clarity against how easy the name is to own.
Suggestive
Hints at an idea about the product without being literal.
Uber, LinkedIn, Facebook, Slack, Grubhub.
Associative
Borrows an image or a value the brand wants to stand for.
Amazon, Apple, Tesla, Oracle, Nike.
Foreign
Uses a word or a sound from another language.
Lacoste, Gucci, Samsung, IKEA, Toyota.
Abstract
Has no clear meaning, and sounds good.
Kodak, Rolex, Sony, Adidas, Häagen-Dazs.
Invented
A made-up or respelled word.
Kleenex, Xerox, Google, Coca-Cola, Verizon.
FAQs
Brand name questions
It is easy to say, easy to spell, and different from the names around it in your category. It should also leave room to grow, so it still fits when you add products or markets.
Descriptive names are clear and hard to protect. Abstract and invented names are easy to protect and need more marketing to explain. Suggestive and associative names sit in between, which is why many brands choose them.
It takes the key words from your description and applies one of six naming methods to them. Each name comes with a note on where it came from.
The generator does not check. Before you commit to a name, search for it online, check trademarks in your country and category, and see whether a matching domain is free.
Test it out loud with a few people, check it is free to use, and then build the identity around it: logo, colors, typography, and a website.
Yes, as part of brand strategy. We set the positioning first, then build a shortlist of names and check each one before you choose.
Have a name and need the brand?
Book a 15-minute call. Tell me the name and I’ll tell you how I would build the identity around it.