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The Complete Guide to Business Name Generators

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Human beings make snap judgments in as little as three to four seconds. So you can imagine how challenging it is to come up with an original business name that makes a strong positive impression in a time span that’s hardly enough to say hello. The good news is business name generators can offer thousands of creative suggestions to help you take the first step towards building a memorable and profitable brand.

Why Business Name Generators Are So Important

Before diving into business name generators and their importance, let’s discuss whether a name really has the power to determine if your business will succeed or fail.

A study on behalf of the Society of Personal and Social Psychology, Inc. found that stocks with easier to pronounce names outperformed stocks with names that were more difficult to pronounce. Experts analyzed 700 stocks between 1990 and 2004 and discovered that on the first day of trading, those with the simplest names earned 11% more than stocks with the most difficult names. This difference increased to 33% over the year.

Consider this example: Mint and Wesabe were two start-ups that aimed to help individuals track their personal finances. Both showed tremendous potential, but only one is still in the game right now. A high-ranking official at Mint credits their short and familiar name as one of the main reasons the company prevailed over Wesabe and became more successful.

Naming your new business is hard even in the most basic of circumstances. You have to consider various factors—authenticity, memorability, patenting potential, and relevancy—to come up with the very first element of your brand that your customers will encounter.

This pressure enough can stop your creative juices from flowing. Other times, you’re simply uninspired or struggling.

Enter business name generators.

Business name generators are brainstorming tools that give you a list of new words and combinations to set you up for naming success. It supplies you with a list of relevant and genuinely amazing ideas—completely free of charge—to help you name your business.

What’s more, you get these unique, catchy name ideas within seconds.

Typically, you would’ve spent hours brainstorming, workshopping, and researching potential names. But as a name generator has already done all that hard work for you, you’ll see a (long) list of potential names as soon as you hit “Search,” taking out the guesswork and hours of creative soul searching. 

All you have to do is browse through the list and pick out the name you prefer the most.

You can also refine your business name search by industry and location for more precise and relevant business name suggestions. Most business name generators have filters for this, so you can customize your keyboard search.

The best business name generators can even keep the SERPs happy!

These tools can introduce SEO keywords to your business name, ensuring your company shows up on the top results for targeted keywords. When your business appears on the first page of, say, Google, you’ll likely get more traffic, which can translate to more business and revenue boost.

Quick Tips for Using Business Name Generators Successfully 

A business name generator is a very straightforward tool. You enter the keyword or phrase and click on the CTA button to start generating results. There are some tricks to ensure this tool works to your advantage.

Go Through as Many Name Suggestions as You Can

Don’t go with the very first name that pops up on your screen. The first position of any potential name doesn’t mean it’s better than the others. Rather go through the whole list—or as many as you can—and use deductive reasoning to make the right choice.

Business name generators use algorithms to take the provided word or phrase and give you variations based on existing company name patterns. They may also jumble them into different combinations and synonyms using AI.

As such, the results vary. Some names will be exciting and creative; some will be confusing. You have to filter the results using your reasoning.

Let’s explain this using an example.

We used a business name generator for some creative business name ideas revolving around “Rose.“ We really like the “Rose Stylings” and “Rose Contours” suggestions, but other names on the list like “Rose Art and Craft” sound too elementary.

Be Creative With the Keywords or Phrases You Enter in the Name Generator

Just because you’re brainstorming a name for your company doesn’t mean you have to stick to your company’s product or service. On the contrary, your business name can be inspired by many things—a childhood memory, foreign names, or even your dream travel destination.

Think of it this way: your business name will be the first thing that catches a potential customer’s attention, but it’s the story behind it that will keep them engaged. 

Look within yourself and the purpose behind your entrepreneurial journey. Search for hidden gems that would make excellent business games. Be imaginative.

Another great tip is to type in a slightly different word phrase each time you get a set of results you aren’t happy with. These tools are free and don’t have a minimum limit on the number of times you can run them, so you don’t have to worry about paying additional charges.

Don’t Limit Yourself to Just One Business Name Generator 

You’ll find endless business name generators online. Therefore, there’s no need to restrict yourself to the findings of a single tool. Try as many tools as you can, and keep searching until the perfect name idea pops up. Don’t settle for just any name. Choose something that’s special and fits your business to the T.

For starters, we highly recommend BusinessNameGenerator.com and Brandroot.

Aptly named, BusinessNameGenerator.com works with multiple keywords to bring you an interesting list of appealing and relevant name ideas. You can also check the domain name availability of prospective names with GoDaddy immediately.

What’s more, it also lets you filter your name according to character count, word count, and industry. You can save your searches and create a list of favorites for later review.

Brandroot is another excellent business name generator that offers over 50 different industry categories, random name ideas, trending names, and searches using keywords. The interesting thing here is the tool lets you search by cost; the higher your budget to spend on a business name, the more choices you’ll have.

Some of the names you see will also show you a font design and/or a logo. The site assesses each option for mass appeal and potential recognition, bringing you a list of highly targeted and attention-grabbing name ideas.

Don’t Underestimate the Appeal of Simple Names

Business name generators often give several basic name suggestions like Rose Home Decor or Little Peach Baby Boutique. However, these may work for you depending on how you plan to position your services. 

For instance, if you have a practical, straightforward target audience and a simple product offering, sticking with a simple name is likely a good idea. These names can also strike a chord, reminding your customers they are supporting a local small business—someone with a family and an entrepreneurial dream.

Long-Term Strategies for Naming Your Business 

Business name generators will give you a long list of potential names. You have to use your reasoning to shortlist relevant ones. Read on as we list a few tried-and-tested strategies to zero on a great business name.

Do Market Research

Naming a business is a creative process. You have to give your brain some frames of reference or ideas about what name would work best for your brand. Consider popular brands and business names too, because the last thing you want is to choose a name that reminds your target clients of a bigger brand.

Here’s a list of ways you can research the market:

  • Perform a quick Google search using keywords like “hottest startups this year“ or “top companies in the world.“ This will return hundreds of the latest and greatest business names that are doing well in the marketplace. Go through each one of them to identify what makes them click and stand out.
  • Use Google Trends to see how various brand names and words are performing in terms of global and local interest over a specific time period.
  • ProductHunt can be your one-stop shop to get fresh and most creative name ideas. The site lists a stream of new startups with a name and tagline. Look at the number of “upvotes“ to understand what names click the most with the public.

Another crucial aspect of market research is competitor research.

Make an extensive list of actual competitor names, particularly businesses close to you in geographical proximity. It’s best to avoid using names that sound too similar to the ones on your list.

Think Long-Term When Selecting Business Names

Try to explore as many name types as you can to find the perfect match for your business.

The good news is there are already several categories of business names already defined, so you don’t have to worry about reinventing the wheel. You can opt for tried-and-tested founder names (Toyota), use fictional names (Starbucks), or even acronyms (IBM). There’s a lot of room for creativity!

That said, we recommend thinking from a long-term perspective and avoiding text-speak or “cute“ ideas.

Sticking with genetic or common names can be good for SEO and immediate understanding of your offering. But they won’t be as good for branding if you end up picking emotionally meaningless or unexciting names.

Steer clear from special characters, using word alternatives (replacing words with numbers like 2 instead of to), or text-speak type shortenings (BRB, GR8, ATM) as well.

Check Availability to Ensure Consistent Branding

Your prospective business name should have a domain name, social media, and mobile app name availability. In other words, if you choose to name your business “Rose Contours,” you should have a domain name, social media handles, and mobile app name available under the same name.

Try getting the .com for your domain while you’re at this. This is because a .com extension makes your website look more professional than using alternatives such as .net, .biz, or .org.

Also, never ignore a legal or trademark conflict. Once you shortlist the names, go to the USPTO website to ensure no other business is using what you like. Trust us, this will save you from heartbreak and getting penalized.

Next Steps

Using a business name generator will hopefully help you zero on a good name for your business.

The next step is to file a name reservation (if you don’t plan on launching your business right away) and registering your business as a legal entity. You can register your business as an LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation, which will automatically register your business name as well.

Next, you have to secure a domain to house your business website. You have two options here: you can either sign up with a web hosting service that offers a free domain like Bluehost or buy one through a domain registrar.

Here are a few CrazyEgg guides to guide you through the next steps:


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