16 ways to choose the perfect name for a startup

We all know how difficult it is to name your project, as well as register an attractive domain. In pursuit of a beautiful name, we monitor the Internet and brainstorm with friends and colleagues and do a lot of other things.
Stop spending a lot of time on this, write the code and look for clients, this is much more important.
The names of the companies that used these methods deserve attention.

There are 16 methods under the cat: in most cases they involve 2 stages - creating a list of words related to your project and mixing these words, i.e. search for the "golden" combination.


Since the article is translated from English, the examples used in the material are also in English.
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Keywords

Keywords will become the basis of your startup name, so the more you write, the more choices you have. Do not forget to sort them by meaning and category:

1. Conceptual words. Select the words that represent the essence of your project. They can include both the project category (travel, music, fashion), and the main functions of the product that you produce (research, analysis).

Example: Family (s), relatives (family, parents), family (n), relatives (family, parents), home (nest, hut) and sharing (bond, tie).

2. Metaphors. To move away from platitudes, expand your list with words and phrases that indirectly belong to your business. Experiment, focus on the details, write down EVERYTHING that comes to mind. As a rule, metaphors allow you to choose a more original name, which distinguishes you from the general mass, and also allows you to save on domain registration (the original domains are more likely to be free and get you for a lower cost).

Examples (in English):
Names associated with family: fam, bunch, collection, kin
Objects commonly found in families: photo frame, fireplace, family records
Phrases typical associated with family call me i love you goodnight
Feelings that family elicits: happiness, joy, trust, safety
Moments spent with family: dinner, living room, weekend

3. Synonyms: You can expand the list by adding synonyms for the words you have chosen in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2.

Example: Family = ancestors, blood, clan, descendants, folk, kin, lineage and tribe.

4. List of examples and types of startup product. Select the appropriate words denoting types or examples of the product you are going to create. Remember that associations with the product should be clear not only to you, but also to your target audience, to quickly come to her mind.

Example: Family trees - redwood, maple, spruce, chestnut and birch.

5. Visualization. Sometimes a picture may be more informative than a thousand words, especially when it comes to the essence of the idea. In order to choose the name of a startup, create an associative series of pictures that you find on the Internet. Pinterest will help you very much in this matter, because allows you to search by keyword among a huge number of high-quality images.

Example: Pinterest, Google image search, Yandex

6. Foreign words and borrowings. Words from other languages ​​have a large number of synonyms and analogues in Russian, thus they can be a good tool in the process of choosing a startup name.

Example: Tree (Russian) = tree (English), arbol (Spanish), albero (Italian), arbre (French) and arvore (Portuguese).

Word combination

Now that you have an impressive list of words that cause an association with your company, its activities and its product, you have to create combinations of words so that the name “clings” and is original and memorable. Here are some tactics to use for this:
1. Mixed words. Write one word against the other and just combine them! Try combinations of two nouns, the noun and the verb - the main thing is that they harmoniously sound together. This method is the most common in the world practice of choosing names for startups.

Startups: Birchbox , SendGrid , Skillshare , Milewise , Timehop , Betaworks , Sailthru , Fitbit , CardMunch , GetAround , Facebook , Geeklist , Foursquare , LaunchRock

2. Hybrid words. Combine words with common sounds or syllables. Hybrid words require much more creativity and accuracy than simple combination, but the found hybrid always fits perfectly on hearing

Startups: Pinterest (pin + interest), Mixel (mix + pixel), Codecademy (code + academy), Rentenna (rent + antenna)

3. Prefixes and suffixes. Another perfect way to create a unique name. It is not easy, because the number of known prefixes and suffixes is limited, so you will achieve the maximum effect if you just write them out in a row and substitute your "root" word to them.

Startups: onSwipe , inDinero , Alltuition , Mycityway , Nestio , Goodsie , Spotify , Shopify , Posterous , bitly , Huntsy , Rootsy

4. Errors in words. Try to remove the vowels or replace the letters in ordinary words. For the first time, it looks strange, but the newly formed word will have advantages due to the fact that it is almost similar to the usual one. In other words, the eye and the ear will not strain.

Startups Tumblr (tumbler), Consmr (consumer), Flud (flood), Etsy (etc.), Yext (next), Gyft (gift), Lyst (list), Fotopedia (photopedia), Scribd (scribed), Zynga ( Zinga), Digg (dig), Google (googol), Xoom (zoom), Redd t (read it)

5. Add numbers. The addition of numbers and numbers to the word always makes the name more interesting. Use this technique wisely - put the meaning into numbers and numbers that you add.

Startups: 1000memories (many memories), 10gen (rhymes), Lot18 (short), 37signals (37 radio telescope)



6. Use domain extensions. The .com extension is still the “gold” standard. Use it or other possible options as a continuation of the invented word. We do not recommend using second level domains, since they greatly complicate perception.

Startups Art.sy , Visual.ly , Reclip.it , News.me , About.me , Last.fm , Shelby.tv , Chart.io , Trigger.i , Betali.st , Brit.co , Angel.co , del.icio.us (don't try this last one at home!)

7. Prefixes get- or -app. Using these prefixes may not be the most elegant solution, but it opens up additional possibilities. This method is the least used, if only because it causes a negative effect when misused.

8. Backwards. Simple but effective! If the ideas have come to an end, and the ideal name has not yet been found, try writing the appropriate “root” words backwards.

Startups: Xobni (inbox)
Other companies: Harpo (Oprah), Aneres (Serena)

9. Fictional word. The penultimate way of bringing results. Think up a word, apply one of the strategies described earlier - and the name is ready! To make a word made-up but enjoyable, add more vowels.

Startups: Yipit , Yobongo

10. And finally, an option for the most lazy and those who have extra money: premium domains . Different sites have entire lists of good, but expensive domain names that you can purchase. However, leave this option "for a rainy day" - you should definitely have enough fantasy!

Too much a technician? Complicated? Perhaps, but practice shows that it is better to use proven techniques than to call your project at random. Remember that if it does not work the first time, postpone the question for a couple of days, because you need to be creative with a fresh mind!

I hope that the article will help someone. Weekend should contribute to creativity :)
May Friday night be with you!