7 Tips on How to Name a Business and Leave a Lasting Impression

Renderforest Staff

15 May 2023

12 min read

7 Tips on How to Name a Business and Leave a Lasting Impression

Wondering How to Name a Business?

The trendy business names generator knows the answer!

Well, AI penetrated all areas of our lives, and business naming is no exception. AI-powered business name generators help you get inspired and generate catchy and modern business names that meet all the criteria discussed above.

These tools’ effectiveness depends on how well you describe your business, product, or service to the system. Most generators ask you to describe your business’s value to the world – as detailed and accurate as possible.

Further, the generator suggests some name options according to the keywords and expressions that can be related to your industry. Of course, there is no 100% assurance that you’ll get the desired name with just a few clicks. However, with so many creative options generated, you will at least get some ideas to work with.

So, along with team brainstorms, manual research, and surveys – a business name generator can help find the winning name for your small business. Consider having one of such tools on your side when you are in the process of choosing the business name.

Just keep it open and try different requests to make the tool look at your company values from different angles.

Let’s look at one great example of a business name generator you can use.

Renderforest’s Business Name Generator in Action!

Renderforest combines AI and machine learning algorithms to suggest creative and meaningful business names for you. Once your business name is selected, you can also explore corporate video templates to visually present your brand dynamically.

If you have one complete sentence that describes your company’s core activities, the half job is done. Head to the Business Name Generator and type your business description in the corresponding field.

Try to use clear words and sentence structure to help the generator grasp the essence of your business in a few seconds.

For example, if you are an online yoga courses provider, type something like this: “We provide online yoga courses for everyone to practice at home, with no age restrictions.”

Hit “Do Magic” to get the name options.

Let’s see which suggestions we get with the above description for online yoga courses.

Business name suggestion for yoga courses

It can be hard for you to choose among so many options just by name, so Renderforest suggests you see how these names look with a logo. The presented options come with beautifully crafted logos to give you a more comprehensive impression of how your business name will look online.

You can mark the options you liked the most and filter all your favorites to simplify your choices.

Add name generator to favorites

Right from the generated names page, you can check whether the domains for these names are available and purchase one for your business website. To do that, Press “Register Domain” under the suggested logo and head to the domain name finder page.

If the exact match of your business name as a domain is not available, don’t worry. Renderforest will propose several related options with the same meaning and structure, and pricing information.

Domain name search suggestions online

You can also hit “Customize Logo” under your preferred business name option to refine the logo design according to your needs.

Once your business name is selected, you can try Renderforest’s graphic maker for various content pieces or its website builder to create a professional-looking website without coding.

A Good Name Can Make or Break Your Success

For a minute, forget that a technology company named Apple has enormous success or that a world-famous automobile brand, Mercedes, is just named after the founder’s daughter, Mercédès Jellinek.

Though there are some major success stories with company names not related to what these companies do, that’s not a common thing. More often than not, your business name is your chance to make a first impression. It’s your first opportunity to create an image in your customer’s mind and make them remember you. So, having an associative business name is important and shouldn’t be overlooked.

But how to come up with a business name that’s right for you?

Here are the key factors you must consider to figure out how to name a business.

Brand letters arranged

1. Align with Your Brand Identity

Ideally, people unfamiliar with your brand should be able to form an idea about your company by looking at your business name. And that should go beyond the services or products you offer.

Your potential customers should also feel your style, mission, and values from your name, which is possible only if you name your business after carefully considering your brand identity.

So, how to think of a business name that matches your brand identity? To do that, take a step back and see the bigger picture.

Who’s your business for? If these are young people, you’d better choose modern vocabulary.

What’s the key value you’re bringing? Try to choose a name that directly associates with that.

Which feeling do you want to evoke? It can be professionalism, trustworthiness, etc., and there is always a word that can be found in your language that means that.

In short, put together every element of your company’s identity and pick a name that reflects as many of them as possible.

2. Keep It Simple and Memorable

Nike logo example

As your key end goal with your business name is to make your target audience remember and recognize it, simplicity and good memorability is a must.

Studies show that words are encoded by their meanings rather than surface forms. This means people memorize words by meanings and concepts associated with them.

Consequently, monosemy words (words with only one meaning) are easier for the human brain to encode and remember.

If you can’t find monosemy words describing your business, opt for those words with fewer meanings and related to what you do.

Also, stick to the words that are familiar and easy to spell in your target audience’s native language.

3. Opt for Something Unique

Yes, that’s a challenge to choose a possibly monogamous word that will be unique. But you can always add single-word modifiers (words that change the meaning of another word) or make some stylistic changes (such as adding a prefix or suffix) to make your business name stand out from the crowd.

This way, you can balance being unique and familiar – people will recognize the root word but won’t easily confuse it with your competitors.

Adding your unique input to the business name is crucial to avoid many trademarking issues. For example, before registering your business name, you need to ensure it’s not taken in the same industry and does not violate any trademarks. You should also choose a unique domain name or social media nickname for your business.

The most common variants will probably be taken, and you’ll have to use some alternatives with extra symbols or words. A website address or social media nickname that differs from the actual business name can confuse your audience, so it should be checked in advance if your preferred name is available.

4. Check for Trademark Issues

Talking about trademarks, be careful when choosing a name that can be easily confused with other brands. Trademarks are granted on a first-come, first-served basis, and if you choose a name that someone has already registered before you – it will lead to legal problems.

How to Check If a Business Name Is Taken?

Once you brainstorm potential business names, search for them in the Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Note that some business names might not be registered through USPTO, but still belong to someone. So, you should refer to a trademark attorney, such as state registrations, for a more comprehensive search.

Your chosen business name may be rejected if such a name already exists or if it applies to the below criteria.

The name is similar to another trademark.
It’s used on related products or related services to your business.

Note! The same business name can be used for industries that are completely different and have no connection to each other.

5. Consider SEO Rules

Good SEO makes you appear higher in search results when your potential customers search for relevant keywords for your business.

So, if your business name is keyword-friendly, you can make up your way to the top of search engines thanks to Google’s algorithms to connect the keywords in your business name with related results.

But how to name a business that has relevant keywords?

Search your brainstormed name variations in keyword research tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush. You will see metrics like Keyword Difficulty (try to keep it <30) and Search Volume (the higher, the better).
Parallelly, research which domains are available for your preferred keyword-friendly words. Do your best to have a domain name that matches your business name (e.g., bestbrands.com for the company named Best Brands).

You should play the long game when it comes to finding a business name that meets both of the above criteria + comes to your liking. But the results will be worth it. You’ll have an initial competitive edge in SEO over your competitors.

6. Don’t Neglect General Naming Rules

Depending on your business type, each state or country may have different requirements for business name registration.

For example, a limited liability company (LLC) usually includes the phrase Limited Liability Company or just an abbreviation (LLC or Ltd.) at the end of the company name.

If you plan to have a c-corporation, you need to include words like corporation, incorporated or abbreviations (Inc., Co., Ltd.) at the end of the business name.

So, ensure your business name will sound complete with all the mandatory words and abbreviations.

If you have to include those must-have elements that do not provide the attractive sound to your business name, consider filing DBAs (do business as), which allows you to do business under a name different from the legal name of your business.

In some cases, this saves you from having to redo all of your marketing materials when you change the name for legal reasons.

7. Test It with Your Target Audience

Feedback results information satisfaction

Last but not least, ask the opinions of those you plan to impress with your business name – your target audience. You can ask a focus group of target customers about the impression or feelings they get when they hear your potential business name.

It would be great if you asked people unfamiliar with the industry to provide honest feedback. Whether it’s a survey or focus group, third-party opinion can be very helpful to make sure your business name resonates with your target audience.

Different Types of Business Names

There is no right or wrong when naming a business; the most important thing is choosing a name that reflects your company’s values.

Here are some commonly used business name types to inspire you.

Descriptive

Example: Booking.com

Such names communicate what the business does with little to no ambiguity. Therefore, descriptive names are more suitable for companies just entering the market to ensure the target audience understands what the business offers, even without prior knowledge.

The potential issue these names can cause is the unavailability of the domain name, as common words are usually taken quite quickly.

Compound

Example: Coinbase

These names are formed by combining two words to create something new and unique. It can be word combinations with a literal meaning or ones that are completely made up. Often, at least one component of compound business names is descriptive (for example: PayPal) so that the audience can easily guess what your business is about.

Founder Names

Example: Ralph Lauren

In case a popular figure establishes a brand, it can be named after the founder to reflect the trust and respect they have earned. Such names help companies gain initial recognition quickly, as the audience is already familiar with the person(s) behind the brand.

A potential downside is that it puts much pressure on the founder to keep up their image and business quality, as any misstep can reflect badly on the brand.

Acronymic

Example: NASA

This type of business name is usually preferred by science companies, which have complex names that are difficult to pronounce and remember. Besides, such companies typically don’t chase having an emotional connection with the customers as their primary goal. Instead, they focus on building trust and recognition in their expertise.

Abstract

Example: Kodak

There are also abstract business names – meaningless words invented by founders and marketers. When inventing an abstract name, the emphasis is usually on memorability and uniqueness.

On a Final Note

Imagine your brand saying, “Hello, I’m…“. What would it say?

Your goal is to develop a business name that will set the right tone from the first impression, no matter your industry.

“How to name a business” does not have a straightforward answer, as it’s one of the crucial business decisions. But certain tips can make this process easier.

Consider every detail of your brand identity when choosing a name.
Don’t rush the process, and take enough time to research your options.
Take advantage of tools like Renderforest’s AI logo generator and trendy business names generator, which can hint at business name options that best suit your business.