How to come up with a business name

You have developed your concept, product or service, and business model and completed all the necessary preparations for launching your business. Now, all that’s left is to determine a business name. 

Your business name is the cornerstone of your brand, essential for attracting customers and differentiating yourself from competitors. We've compiled some helpful information on how to come up with a business name, including tips and tricks.

Your brand name is crucial for your success. It is used when people search for your business online and discuss your products or services.

The right name not only identifies your business but can determine your success. Consider the following factors that emphasize the importance of naming a business. 

Now that you know how important it is to have a great business name, it’s time to choose a business name. The right place to start is with comprehensive market research. In fact, research is a big part of your name-choosing experience, as shown in this graphic.

Conducting thorough market research is essential for gaining insight into the significance of your brand name and its potential impact on the marketplace.

This process involves analyzing consumer perceptions, industry trends, and competitor branding strategies to determine how your name resonates with your target audience.

By understanding these implications, you can make informed decisions that align with market expectations and enhance your brand's visibility and effectiveness.

Who are your top competitors? What are their names? Keep these in mind when you're thinking about your name. You don’t want to be too close, or you could lose business to the competition. 

Related reading: How to conduct a competitive analysis with the help of surveys

Organic and search engine marketing will likely be a big part of your marketing strategy.  

Use these marketing methods to find the top-performing keywords for businesses that offer products or services similar to yours. Ensure the keywords are relevant to you and the average monthly search volume is high enough to attract attention.  

SEO may be a small factor in your actual naming process, but if you can fit a keyword naturally into your business name, go for it. This research process also exposes you and your team to a variety of high-traffic keywords that assist future marketing campaigns. 

Ask your potential customers how they view your competitors’ names. What they like or dislike about them gives you some initial direction. For example, they may feel a name sounds cheesy, is too short, or sounds too much like something else. This gives you a jumping-off point for your naming. 

Employ market research surveys to gather actual data directly from customers. You can use these surveys to: 

Use this information to develop customer profiles and determine how customer groups are most likely going to interact with your name. 

Go ahead—brainstorm! List out every idea, working with your team or other stakeholders to think of names and write them all down. You’ll probably generate a pretty big list, and that’s what we’re aiming for. 

You want to start with as many potential business names as possible. And yes, you can use one of those business name generators to help you get started. (We’ll touch on that further down.) 

First, come up with your evaluation criteria and use these to inform your list. Consider the following factors.

Primarily, market research and competitor analysis will inform your brainstorming session. Use these guidelines, tips, and premier market research for a helpful ideation session. 

Sentiment Analysis uses text analysis, natural language processing, and computational linguistics to identify, extract, quantify, and analyze information systematically. You can leverage Sentiment Analysis tools to analyze your market research and discover actionable insights. 

This means quickly finding patterns in customer responses. With Sentiment Analysis, you can filter results, identify and eliminate low-quality responses, and spot trends to determine an entity name. 

You can probably think of several companies with acronyms for their business names. An easy-to-remember acronym might be a good choice if your business is complex.

Combine two or three meaningful words representing your brand identity to create a descriptive name. This method may also help customers quickly identify your service offerings. 

Examples:

You can use foreign words if you want, but just be sure they don’t mean something unintended. Do your research, use Google Translate, and reach out to a native speaker before selecting a final name.

Examples:

Use a business name generator like Namelix to generate punchy, memorable business and product names. This service uses AI to deliver name and logo options, allowing you to input name style, randomness, and brand info. 

Not all brand name generators use this level of complex processing, and it helps to check out a few name generators. You may discover name ideas you haven’t thought of or are inspired to innovate names already on your list. 

Regardless, you still need to double-check the names on your list against your evaluation criteria. Name generators won’t have your same rubric and must-haves. Narrow down your existing list to the best of the best. 

Now that you have a short list of your business name choices, it’s time to do more research to find which name your target customers respond to. SurveyMonkey has multiple market research solutions for brand name testing.

Idea screening is the process of assessing new products and business concepts in the early stages of development to ensure they align with company goals and customer needs.

This crucial step minimizes the inherent risks in name development by narrowing the focus. Early idea screening research identifies name ideas with a higher chance of market success.

You can present your target audience with your narrowed list of business names and ask for feedback on each. Compare them on various metrics, like appeal, effectiveness, and relevance. Use these tips to create an optimized idea screening survey:

Use the Idea Screening Survey Template to power analytics and AI insights that assist you in making smarter, market-focused decisions.

Launching a new business name without concept testing can risk poor consumer response and failing to meet your goals. 

Concept testing involves assessing how a concept, such as a business name, will be received by consumers before launch. The most widely used approach is conducting surveys to gather feedback. The following is the basic process of concept testing via surveys. 

Use audience feedback to make changes or tweaks. For example, the audience liked Name 2, but you preferred Name 4. The respondent's feedback was that Name 4 was more difficult to say. Use that feedback to improve the spelling and enunciation and test again.

Concept testing isn’t always a one-and-done procedure. You may need to refine your business name options several times to come up with a name you're personally happy with. Remember, each iteration gets you closer to an effective and apt business name. 

Learning how to come up with a business name is complicated with many factors and methods. Use these last tips to land on a business name that resonates with customers, improves retention, and boxes out the competition.

It’s tempting to follow in the footsteps of Häagen-Daz and Etsy, using words that aren’t really words. The names are catchy but convey nothing about the business entity. You'll be better off if you can develop creative business names connected to your vision offerings. 

We can’t stress enough the importance of choosing a business name that can grow with you. Roofing Rochester, NY, may come up first in organic search results with that name, but what if they expand into other home improvements or decide to work in a wider service area?

While unique spelling may seem like a good idea, names like Flickr and Tumblr will always be autocorrect victims. Test your company name in a spell checker or a popular search engine to see whether it is autocorrected. 

Make sure you’re thorough in your research. Just because a name is in use doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t pursue it, but take a beat and think it through. 

Dove soap and Dove chocolate, Delta faucets and Delta Airlines, and Domino’s Pizza and Domino Sugar have made it work, but we’d advise against it. The path of least resistance is best when it comes to trademarks. 

It’s time to review your research results. Look at your data and assess your desired business name with these tips and your evaluation standard. 

SurveyMonkey surveys show the results of open-ended questions in a word cloud so you can determine key takeaways. Use a Top 2 Box score approach (T2B) to combine positive responses to each question into a single percentage, making analysis easier. 

Review and choose. Just like that, your business has a name.

Your new business name will be of little use if it's taken. Some business names may be old and no longer in business, but they are still off-limits. 

A simple Google search isn’t always enough and may not reveal whether your chosen name is unavailable. Use these steps to check if a business name is free:

Always include variations, misspellings, and similar-sounding names to avoid potential conflicts. Double-check your local regulations regarding business names since they may differ from federal rules. 

Consult with an intellectual property attorney for more assurance. A professional offers the final verification that your ideal business name is free for use.

A trademark is any word, phrase, symbol, color, design, or sound (and even scent) that is identifiable with a business's products or services and distinguishes them from competitors. It is protected under intellectual property law and requires specific legal steps to secure it. 

Select a name that is distinctive and legally defendable. Determine your mark’s format, such as text and symbol. You must clearly define the products or services associated with your business name.

Check the Trademark Electronic Search System to ensure no existing trademarks are similar to yours. It’s best to do this again before filling out your application.

The application filing process is relatively simple, though it is best to consult with an attorney before submission. The right intellectual property attorney may file for you. 

Once submitted, a USPTO examining attorney will review your application. You or your representation may need to address any actions or additional requests from the attorney within three months of the issue date.

If approved, your mark will be published in the Official Gazette (weekly publication of the USPTO), allowing others to oppose it. If no objections are filed, you’ll be issued a registration certificate. Congratulations! 

Submit required maintenance filings and routinely monitor your trademark status to ensure it remains active and protected. You are responsible for enforcing and protecting your trademark. Keep an eye out for copycats in the future. 

Registering your business name isn’t always necessary and depends on your business structure and location. Sole proprietors using their name may not need to register, but they’ll miss out on legal protections and benefits.

It’s usually best to properly register in your state and federally to access the best protections and comply with tax and insurance regulations. Again, speaking with an attorney or specialty service before registration is highly recommended. 

As of 2024, many companies operating in the United States must comply with the Corporate Transparency Act by reporting beneficial ownership. You may also need an Employer Identification Number (EIN), also known as your federal tax ID. Applying for your ID is free and can be done through the IRS. 

Different types of businesses have different reporting and registration requirements. Speak with a professional to assist with this process. 

LLCs, corporations, and partnerships typically must register in states where they conduct business. First, you likely need a registered agent or agent service to receive official documents on your behalf. Then, search your Secretary of State’s office for information on where to register. 

If you operate in multiple states, you’ll need to investigate filing for foreign qualification. 

Check with your local government to see if they require permits or licenses based on your business structure. Also, consider whether you must register a DBA (Doing Business As) name in certain areas.

Certain states require follow-up filings, such as initial reports or tax board registrations, shortly after you register. Check with your state’s tax board or franchise tax board for deadlines.

It isn’t easy to choose a business name, but if you follow our advice, it’s a simpler decision powered by customer data. Whatever you do, don’t skip the research steps. They are crucial to ensuring you land on the right name. SurveyMonkey has everything you need to perform market research for your business naming process, including concept testing and idea screening. Name your company well and launch a well-marketed business with SurveyMonkey.