Ask HN: How do I choose my startup's name?
How do I choose my startup's name? I am out of words. For every name I could come up with, the domain name has been registered.
33 comments
Okay, I've probably spent 150 hours reading about branding and naming... two corporate structures, three websites, and a half-dozen products now. Here's where to start:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Monster-Amazon-Crocs---Why-Creativ...
http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Weird-Words-Make-Great-Brand-N...
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Power-of-Storytelling-to-Build...
The author of those pieces has some really good ideas. Now, some feedback:
1. Do what other people aren't doing. Sounds obvious, but you're almost certain to pick something that sounds like what others are doing in your field unless you take a really bold stance. Look at 37signals: They named most of their products after camping. They compete primarily with business software with boring titles. They started marketing first and foremost to design firms. Cool.
2. Look at negative words. Every is "Super Awesome Perfect Strategically Integrated Systems" - much more interesting to be "Apocalyptic Computers" than "Desktop Systems Corp." -- Of course if you brand negative and your product sucks, people curse you even louder.
3. Keep a running list of words in a notepad file. Just let it get bigger and bigger to mix and match later.
4. Try putting the names of people/things you admire into Wikipedia, follow the links around, and read the words in the file. Start with Renaissance artists and inventors if you like. Explorers, military leaders, writers, humanitarians, reformers. There's lots of interesting words associated with them. Rome and Japan have a bunch of words that everyone's heard of but rarely thinks of.
If your name is creative, everyone will hate it at first. And even if it sucks, everyone internal will come to love if you start using it. Don't trust either of these reactions. Finally, "Web 2.0 names" will almost certainly sound really, really stupid in five years.
Good luck - the process takes a while, but business life really is easier and better with a cool, memorable name.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Monster-Amazon-Crocs---Why-Creativ...
http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Weird-Words-Make-Great-Brand-N...
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Power-of-Storytelling-to-Build...
The author of those pieces has some really good ideas. Now, some feedback:
1. Do what other people aren't doing. Sounds obvious, but you're almost certain to pick something that sounds like what others are doing in your field unless you take a really bold stance. Look at 37signals: They named most of their products after camping. They compete primarily with business software with boring titles. They started marketing first and foremost to design firms. Cool.
2. Look at negative words. Every is "Super Awesome Perfect Strategically Integrated Systems" - much more interesting to be "Apocalyptic Computers" than "Desktop Systems Corp." -- Of course if you brand negative and your product sucks, people curse you even louder.
3. Keep a running list of words in a notepad file. Just let it get bigger and bigger to mix and match later.
4. Try putting the names of people/things you admire into Wikipedia, follow the links around, and read the words in the file. Start with Renaissance artists and inventors if you like. Explorers, military leaders, writers, humanitarians, reformers. There's lots of interesting words associated with them. Rome and Japan have a bunch of words that everyone's heard of but rarely thinks of.
If your name is creative, everyone will hate it at first. And even if it sucks, everyone internal will come to love if you start using it. Don't trust either of these reactions. Finally, "Web 2.0 names" will almost certainly sound really, really stupid in five years.
Good luck - the process takes a while, but business life really is easier and better with a cool, memorable name.
Those articles look like a rip-off of the Igor naming guide:
http://www.igorinternational.com/process/naming-guide-produc...
http://www.igorinternational.com/process/naming-guide-produc...
The power of story-telling
I remember reading a story when eBay did this. Just found something related in wikipedia.
"The frequently repeated story that eBay was founded to help Omidyar's fiancée trade PEZ Candy dispensers was fabricated by a public relations manager in 1997 to interest the media. This was revealed in Adam Cohen's 2002 book, The Perfect Store, and confirmed by eBay."
I remember reading a story when eBay did this. Just found something related in wikipedia.
"The frequently repeated story that eBay was founded to help Omidyar's fiancée trade PEZ Candy dispensers was fabricated by a public relations manager in 1997 to interest the media. This was revealed in Adam Cohen's 2002 book, The Perfect Store, and confirmed by eBay."
Whenever you think you've gotten it, be sure to tell a few people what the name is over the phone or in person. Then ask them to email you the name you just told them.
I've known more than a couple of sites that have failed just because nobody could figure out how to get there without a 3 sentence explanation of how to type it.
I've known more than a couple of sites that have failed just because nobody could figure out how to get there without a 3 sentence explanation of how to type it.
So it was with fauxto.com
It was a witty spelling of a simple word, but failed miserably at your litmus test. Changing the domain alone to splashup.com brought a 4x increase in average daily traffic.
It was a witty spelling of a simple word, but failed miserably at your litmus test. Changing the domain alone to splashup.com brought a 4x increase in average daily traffic.
http://instantdomainsearch.com
Your best bet now is pairs of short words.
Your best bet now is pairs of short words.
Like GeekStack! http://geekstack.com
Seth Godin said something interesting about domain names.
Don't focus to much if the domain is free. Instead focus that the doesn't have a lot of google results. Because most peole do not use the adress bar they use google to find a webpage. I don't claim this is totally but Mr Godin got a point there.
Regards, Marco
Regards, Marco
Depending on the site, this is something I've found as well. However, this has only worked for sites where I'm not trying to get a lot of repeat visitors (so, it works well for one-off storefronts and things like that).
--- Short Version:
Stop actively thinking about names. Let your subconscious chug away on the topic for a while; at least for a couple of weeks, if not for a couple of months. Eventually, something will bubble up that you like.
--- Long Version:
Just two days ago, I decided on a name for my startup company and app/website. It took me about 6 months, though. For the first 4 months, I was actively thinking about names, writing BASH, Ruby and Perl scripts to generate names, using websites like makewords.com and others, etc. Every name that I made either sucked, or was taken. That was pretty disheartening.
Eventually, I let the task of finding a name slip into the background. Every now and then, a name would bubble up from my subconscious, I'd ponder it for a few minutes, then write it down.
Then two nights ago, after a long coding session, I went to bed. I was tossing and turning, with my mind wandering all over the app that I'm creating. During that time, I started thinking about dinosaurs.
Say what?..I like dinos. They're pretty awesome!
After lying in bed for about 2 hours, thinking about how to integrate dinosaurs into my app, I got up and did a few whois searches. Lo and behold, most of the dino-related names that I'd just thought of were available!
What I'm trying to say is that naming is a very ephemeral process. You can spend 10 full days on the task, and still come out with nothing [that you like]. So if you're having trouble choosing a name, forget about it for a while. It'll still be in your mind, just at the back.
Stop actively thinking about names. Let your subconscious chug away on the topic for a while; at least for a couple of weeks, if not for a couple of months. Eventually, something will bubble up that you like.
--- Long Version:
Just two days ago, I decided on a name for my startup company and app/website. It took me about 6 months, though. For the first 4 months, I was actively thinking about names, writing BASH, Ruby and Perl scripts to generate names, using websites like makewords.com and others, etc. Every name that I made either sucked, or was taken. That was pretty disheartening.
Eventually, I let the task of finding a name slip into the background. Every now and then, a name would bubble up from my subconscious, I'd ponder it for a few minutes, then write it down.
Then two nights ago, after a long coding session, I went to bed. I was tossing and turning, with my mind wandering all over the app that I'm creating. During that time, I started thinking about dinosaurs.
Say what?..I like dinos. They're pretty awesome!
After lying in bed for about 2 hours, thinking about how to integrate dinosaurs into my app, I got up and did a few whois searches. Lo and behold, most of the dino-related names that I'd just thought of were available!
What I'm trying to say is that naming is a very ephemeral process. You can spend 10 full days on the task, and still come out with nothing [that you like]. So if you're having trouble choosing a name, forget about it for a while. It'll still be in your mind, just at the back.
A site that hasn't been mentioned yet... http://www.makewords.com
They'll generate "words" for you with whatever length / language you like, and I like the fact that they check the .com availability for each one.
Consider the more obscure TLDs as well. The various suffixes might inspire you. And .me still doesn't have too many squatters, if you come up with a reasonably unique spelling.
The running list of words in a Notepad file is a great idea. For added inspiration, feed it into an online translator and check out your keywords in all the available languages.
It's worth checking out the premium .com domains that are up for sale at all the big sites too. Squatters make a living off it, so it's reasonable to assume they've spent a good amount of time coming up with clever names.
Then again, I spent hours poring over possible names at these sorts of sites, and we ended up naming our (first) site after a co-founder's dog. So inspiration can come from anywhere...
Another route would be the names like Apple, Google, etc. You're better off going with something unique, short, and memorable... and not worrying too much about the meaning. Your business can give it the meaning you want.
They'll generate "words" for you with whatever length / language you like, and I like the fact that they check the .com availability for each one.
Consider the more obscure TLDs as well. The various suffixes might inspire you. And .me still doesn't have too many squatters, if you come up with a reasonably unique spelling.
The running list of words in a Notepad file is a great idea. For added inspiration, feed it into an online translator and check out your keywords in all the available languages.
It's worth checking out the premium .com domains that are up for sale at all the big sites too. Squatters make a living off it, so it's reasonable to assume they've spent a good amount of time coming up with clever names.
Then again, I spent hours poring over possible names at these sorts of sites, and we ended up naming our (first) site after a co-founder's dog. So inspiration can come from anywhere...
Another route would be the names like Apple, Google, etc. You're better off going with something unique, short, and memorable... and not worrying too much about the meaning. Your business can give it the meaning you want.
It took us ages. I'd suggest you don't worry too much about it. Give yourself time and get your friends and family thinking about it. Eventually someone will come up with something that doesn't suck. Use placeholder graphics in the meantime and don't waste time on it until you really need to make the decision.
Try looking at keyword search patterns on Google AdSense. You'll get more passive traffic if your URL matches a search term. It can be a good way to identify keywords.
Try looking at keyword search patterns on Google AdSense. You'll get more passive traffic if your URL matches a search term. It can be a good way to identify keywords.
If a domain is not available you can try using action words, 37signals style, like basecamphq.com and campfirenow.com
You could try some domain hacks, but some people don't like them. DO try to get the similar .com of it, for a conversationally link drop.
You could always create some wierd name, like weeeezo or something new and hip like that, but some people might just get confused or not like it all.
You could try some domain hacks, but some people don't like them. DO try to get the similar .com of it, for a conversationally link drop.
You could always create some wierd name, like weeeezo or something new and hip like that, but some people might just get confused or not like it all.
I even tried my nickname concatenated with another word (another word which can describe the site). Heck, even that domain name is taken. I checked http://domai.nr some good names, but I cannot use fancy domains like del.icio.us since the site also offers urls for a few webpages(precisely subdomain)s, so henry.my.si.te wouldn't look good. Coz it's not something all Henrys can remember.
'Action words' That rings a bell.
The names 23andMe, 43things, 37signals all sounded weird at first and a while after they began to sound cool to me.
Well, now I'm thinking of some good number to prefix to the name I want. :)
Any good two digit number please?
'Action words' That rings a bell.
The names 23andMe, 43things, 37signals all sounded weird at first and a while after they began to sound cool to me.
Well, now I'm thinking of some good number to prefix to the name I want. :)
Any good two digit number please?
Well, the pattern there is that they're all prime, so I would suggest MersenneNo46.
:-)
:-)
You need to find a person who does math with synesthesia and ask them what numbers look good next to your website.
When I had to chose a name, I somehow came with a shortlist of three names. Then I put these three names on my desktop as a wallpaper. I wrote them in different fonts, colors and in these three variations: Google, google, GOOGLE.
On the first day I hated how one of it looked and dropped it. Then for a week I asked couple of close friends, who are not in the industry which one they liked and there was a clear winner. Of course, you have to be careful in case someone steals you .com registration before you decide.
The other thing I looked for while chosing a name is that important international names are still free: google.de, google.co.uk, etc.
The other thing I looked for while chosing a name is that important international names are still free: google.de, google.co.uk, etc.
Invest in the domain name, most domains that are taken are by domain scrapers and are used as ad landing pages. Most of these domains are for sale at the right price.
Do not buy the typical web 2.0 sounding domain name.
The time of $9.95 domains is over.
Do not buy the typical web 2.0 sounding domain name.
The time of $9.95 domains is over.
Here's a simple solution:
Think of adjectives that describe your company and what it represents.
Plug those into a translation program. See what the same word is in Chinese, Arabic, Swedish, etc.
Pick a word from whatever language sounds best to you.
Now you have a one-word name that may have been taken in the English language, but sounds unique and is descriptive (in a sense.) When people ask what it means, you don't need to give an exhaustive explanation of how you arrived at that name. You simple say it means "XXXX" in YYYY language.
Think of adjectives that describe your company and what it represents.
Plug those into a translation program. See what the same word is in Chinese, Arabic, Swedish, etc.
Pick a word from whatever language sounds best to you.
Now you have a one-word name that may have been taken in the English language, but sounds unique and is descriptive (in a sense.) When people ask what it means, you don't need to give an exhaustive explanation of how you arrived at that name. You simple say it means "XXXX" in YYYY language.
http://pickydomains.com/ for $50 you can crowd-source it.
Choose something inappropriate and obnoxious that will stick in people's head.
Or be like everyone else and pick a word that ends with 'er' that relates to your business model and remove the 'e' in that word. That seems fashionable...
Or be like everyone else and pick a word that ends with 'er' that relates to your business model and remove the 'e' in that word. That seems fashionable...
Maybe we can suggest names? What does it do? Can you give us a link?
http://cronmower.com
performs quick domain name lookups, and doesn't error out after a few minutes like instantdomainsearch
performs quick domain name lookups, and doesn't error out after a few minutes like instantdomainsearch
what? if you are completely devoid of good ideas then use this: http://www.kleimo.com/random/name.cfm
Better yet, Create a witty "startup name" generator, monetize it, and live the good life...
if you are having trouble you can try that namethis website, haven't used it myself...or now anyone who has...but it seems to fit what you are looking for
https://namethis.com/
https://namethis.com/
Tried http://namethis.com?
Two things I don't get about this site (and I like the idea in theory):
1. It doesn't seem to check for domain name availability, so a good portion of the names suggested would be very expensive to buy
2. What is to stop some unscrupulous person from sitting on the site, spotting the best names, registering them before the 'ask for help' expires, and then squatting on them / selling them for a profit?
1. It doesn't seem to check for domain name availability, so a good portion of the names suggested would be very expensive to buy
2. What is to stop some unscrupulous person from sitting on the site, spotting the best names, registering them before the 'ask for help' expires, and then squatting on them / selling them for a profit?