The name is the first thing people will hear and write about the company, and it is hard to change once it is on cards, on the website and in customers' heads. It is worth spending a little time choosing it well. Follow these steps.
1. Define what the name has to do
Before looking for names, write down the criteria. The ones that matter most often:
- Easy to say on the phone and to write after hearing it.
- Short, without being so short that it is confused with another.
- No odd meanings in other languages, if the company will have customers from abroad.
- Free to use: name and domain available, and social media handles.
- Does not tie the company to a single product or a single town, if it intends to grow.
2. Generate candidates in quantity
Write ten or fifteen names without judging them. Mix the families: descriptive names (they say what the company does), invented names (they mean nothing, but sound good) and symbolic names (they evoke an idea). Descriptive ones explain themselves but are easy to confuse; invented ones stand out but need more explaining. There is no right family, only the one that fits what the company wants to be.
3. Keep three finalists
Cut those that fail any criterion from step 1 and, from the rest, pick the three you like most. Whoever will use the name every day should be able to say whether they can live with it for years.
4. The phone test
Say each name aloud to someone who has not seen it written, by phone or from behind, and ask them to write it. If there are two ways to spell it and people pick the wrong one, you have a problem. Do the same with five or six people.
5. Check whether it already exists
Search each finalist on Google, on social media and in domain registers. Also look at the official databases of trade marks and company names, such as those of the national industrial property institute, and confirm with a professional whether the name can be used and protected in your activity. This article is general guidance and does not replace legal advice.
6. The reading test
Show each name, with the activity underneath, to people who do not know the project, and ask: what do you think this company does? What impression does it give you? What name does it remind you of? Do not explain anything beforehand. The answers say more than your own opinion.
If you do not yet have a clear sentence that explains what the company does, start with how to write your value proposition in one sentence. To tell name, logo and visual identity apart, read what the difference is. Our Brand Strategy work helps choose the name together with the message.
An invented example
Imagine a company that will provide interior renovation services in Porto and has three finalists: a descriptive name, an invented one and a symbolic one. In the phone test, the invented one is spelled four different ways by six people. The symbolic one, read with no explanation, makes people think of gardening. The descriptive one is understood at once, but other companies have almost identical names. The result does not decide on its own, but it shows what each name costs: the invented one needs more explanation, the symbolic one needs a tagline that states the activity and the descriptive one needs a way to stand out. The choice becomes a conscious one.
In short
- Write the criteria before looking for names.
- Generate many candidates and keep three finalists.
- Test by phone, in searches and with readers who do not know the project.
- Confirm availability in official registers; this article is not legal advice.
Quick questions
Should the name say what the company does?
It can, and it helps at the start. The risk is limiting growth or being confused with others. A name that does not describe needs a line beside it explaining the activity.
Do I have to register the name?
It is worth understanding the options for protecting the name and the brand before investing in cards and a website. Talk to a professional who knows registration in your case.
Can I change the name later?
You can, but it costs: materials, website, profiles, recognition. That is why it pays to test well beforehand, when changing costs a conversation and not a new card.
Want to test candidate names with people who do not know the project?
The exploratory call is a 30-minute conversation, at no cost. We test candidate names with people who do not know the project. You keep the written summary.
Book an exploratory call