How to Come Up with a Company Name: 10 Proven Methods

Coming up with a company name is one of the most consequential decisions you'll make as a founder. Your name will appear on every invoice, business card, website, and pitch deck for the life of your company. It needs to be memorable, meaningful, legally available, and ideally, it should tell a story. The good news? There are proven methods that consistently produce great names, and we're going to walk through all ten of them with real-world examples.

Every iconic company name was created using one of these methods, whether the founders knew it or not. Pinterest, Disney, Nike, Kodak, Amazon, and Uber all followed patterns you can replicate. Understanding these patterns doesn't just help you brainstorm. It gives you a framework to evaluate names systematically, so you can move from hundreds of candidates to one clear winner.

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Method 1: The Portmanteau (Blending Two Words)

A portmanteau combines parts of two words into one new word. It's one of the most popular naming methods in tech because the results feel modern, unique, and instantly meaningful once you know the components.

Famous Examples

• Pinterest = Pin + Interest (pinning things you find interesting)
• Instagram = Instant + Telegram (instant photo sharing)
• Microsoft = Microcomputer + Software
• Netflix = Internet + Flicks (movies)
• Groupon = Group + Coupon
• Snapchat = Snapshot + Chat

How to Use This Method

1. Write down 20 words related to what your company does, how it makes customers feel, and what problem it solves.
2. Pair words together and experiment with removing syllables, combining prefixes and suffixes, or overlapping shared sounds.
3. Test for pronunciation. A great portmanteau should be pronounceable by someone seeing it for the first time. "Instagram" works because both component words are familiar. "Scrumbitious" (scrum + ambitious) does not, because it's unclear where one word ends and the other begins.
4. Check that the combined word doesn't accidentally spell something offensive in other languages.

Method 2: Founder Names

Using a founder's name is one of the oldest and most trusted naming methods. It signals personal accountability, legacy, and craftsmanship. When someone puts their name on a company, they're saying, "I stand behind this."

Famous Examples

• Disney - Walt Disney (entertainment)
• Ford - Henry Ford (automotive)
• Bloomberg - Michael Bloomberg (financial data)
• Dell - Michael Dell (computers)
• Hewlett-Packard - Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard (technology)
• Goldman Sachs - Marcus Goldman and Samuel Sachs (finance)

When This Works Best

Founder names work especially well in professional services (law firms, consulting), luxury goods (fashion houses, artisan products), and industries where personal reputation matters. They work less well in tech startups targeting mass consumer markets, where brand abstraction tends to be more effective.

The main risk is that founder names are harder to sell or transfer. If John Smith sells "Smith Consulting," the new owners inherit a name tied to someone who's no longer there. Consider this if you plan to build a company you might eventually sell.

Method 3: Acronyms and Initialisms

Acronyms compress a longer descriptive name into something punchy and easy to remember. Many of the world's largest companies use acronyms, often to the point where the original words are forgotten.

Famous Examples

• IBM = International Business Machines
• BMW = Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works)
• IKEA = Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd (founder's name + hometown)
• ASOS = As Seen On Screen
• ESPN = Entertainment and Sports Programming Network
• H&M = Hennes & Mauritz

The challenge with acronyms is that three or four random letters have no inherent meaning. IBM means nothing until you learn what it stands for. This means acronyms require significant marketing investment to build recognition. For startups with limited budgets, acronyms can be a risky choice because they rely entirely on brand building rather than intuitive understanding.

That said, if your full company name is genuinely too long for everyday use, an acronym might be the pragmatic solution. Just make sure the letters are easy to say together and don't spell something unfortunate.

Method 4: Foreign Words

Borrowing a word from another language adds instant character and meaning. The word feels fresh to your target market while carrying the weight of its original meaning.

Famous Examples

• Volvo = Latin for "I roll" (perfect for a car company)
• Samsung = Korean for "Three Stars"
• Lego = Danish for "Play Well" (from "leg godt")
• Audi = Latin translation of founder's name (Horch = "listen" in German, Audi = "listen" in Latin)
• Hulu = Mandarin for "gourd" (a vessel for holding precious things)
• Roku = Japanese for "six" (it was the founder's sixth company)

How to Use This Method

Identify the core concept your company represents: speed, quality, connection, craft, joy, strength. Then look for translations in Latin, Greek, Japanese, Italian, or Scandinavian languages. These tend to produce words that sound elegant and pronounceable to English speakers.

Always verify pronunciation and cultural sensitivity. A word that sounds beautiful in one language might have negative associations in another market you plan to enter.

Method 5: Metaphors

Metaphorical names draw a parallel between your company and something universally understood. They don't describe what you do directly but instead evoke the feeling, scale, or ambition of your brand. Understanding the psychology behind brand names reveals why metaphors are so powerful. They activate existing neural pathways and associations.

Famous Examples

• Amazon - The world's largest river, representing vastness and variety
• Apple - Simple, approachable, natural (a deliberate contrast to cold, technical computer companies)
• Shell - Originally sold seashells, now represents the shell's protective quality
• Jaguar - Speed, elegance, power
• Puma - Athletic agility and predatory grace
• Red Bull - Strength, energy, unstoppable force

Metaphorical names work best when the metaphor aligns with your brand's core value proposition. Amazon chose the world's largest river because they wanted to be the world's largest store. Apple chose fruit because they wanted computers to feel friendly and human, not intimidating and technical.

Method 6: Invented Words

Completely made-up words are the holy grail of naming because they're inherently unique, easy to trademark, and carry no pre-existing baggage. The trade-off is that they require more marketing effort to build meaning from scratch.

Famous Examples

• Kodak - Founder George Eastman wanted a strong, unique word starting and ending with K
• Xerox - Based on "xerography" (dry writing), modified to sound distinctive
• Spotify - Co-founder misheard a word during brainstorming and liked the sound
• Skype - Originally "Sky Peer-to-Peer," shortened to Skyper, then Skype
• Häagen-Dazs - Completely made up to sound Danish/European (it's an American company)
• Oreo - Origin debated, but the word itself was invented for the cookie

Rules for Inventing Words

Not all invented words work equally well. The ones that succeed follow unwritten rules of phonetics.

• Use familiar phonemes: The sounds should exist in your target language. "Spotify" uses sounds every English speaker knows, even though the word itself is new.
• Keep it short: Two to three syllables maximum. Invented words need to be easy to remember, and length works against that.
• Make it feel like it means something: "Xerox" sounds technical and precise. "Kodak" sounds strong and decisive. The sound itself should evoke the right feelings.
• Test for global usability: Your invented word should be pronounceable by speakers of major world languages and shouldn't resemble offensive words in any market you plan to enter.

Method 7: Action Verbs

Verb-based names inject energy and movement into your brand. They suggest that your company doesn't just exist but actively does something for the customer.

Famous Examples

• Uber - German for "above" or "beyond," used as an intensifier (go beyond)
• Sprint - Fast movement, speed-focused telecom
• Zoom - Speed, energy, moving quickly to connection
• Slack - Cut the slack, reduce friction in communication
• Stripe - A stripe of payment processing running through the internet
• Drift - Conversational marketing that flows naturally

Action verbs work because they're inherently dynamic. A verb-name promises an experience, not just a product. "Zoom" doesn't describe video conferencing; it describes the feeling of instantly connecting. "Sprint" doesn't describe a phone network; it describes the speed of communication.

To use this method, list verbs that describe what your customer experiences when using your product at its best. Not what your product does technically, but how it feels to the user. Then test each verb as a standalone brand name.

Method 8: Descriptive Names

Descriptive names tell you exactly what the company does. They sacrifice creativity for clarity, and in many industries, that trade-off is smart.

Famous Examples

• General Electric - Makes electrical products, generally
• General Motors - Makes motors (vehicles), generally
• PayPal - A pal that helps you pay
• YouTube - Your personal TV tube (broadcast channel)
• Facebook - A digital face book (college directory)
• Salesforce - A force for sales teams

Descriptive names have a major advantage: zero explanation required. When someone hears "Salesforce," they immediately know it's for sales teams. This saves enormous marketing budget that would otherwise go toward explaining what the company does.

The downside is that descriptive names are harder to trademark (you can't own a generic word) and can feel limiting if your company expands beyond its original scope. "Salesforce" now does far more than sales, but the name still anchors it to that function in many people's minds.

Method 9: Mythology and History

Drawing from mythology, history, or literature gives your company name instant depth and narrative. These names come pre-loaded with stories, and stories are the most powerful branding tool in existence.

Famous Examples

• Nike - Greek goddess of victory
• Oracle - Ancient source of wisdom and prophecy
• Pandora - Greek mythology, opening a box of wonders
• Olympus - Home of the Greek gods, suggesting peak performance
• Mars - Roman god of war (originally for candy, now the whole company)
• Ajax - Greek hero known for strength (cleaning products)

Mythological names work because they borrow thousands of years of storytelling. When Nike chose the goddess of victory, they didn't just get a name. They got a narrative that their entire brand could build upon. The swoosh logo even represents Nike's wings.

To use this method, identify the core attribute your brand represents (victory, wisdom, strength, beauty, speed, creativity) and search for mythological figures, historical events, or literary references that embody that attribute. Greek, Roman, Norse, and Hindu mythologies are particularly rich sources.

Method 10: AI-Assisted Name Generation

AI-assisted naming is the newest method on this list, and it's rapidly becoming the most practical. AI doesn't replace human creativity. It amplifies it by generating hundreds of candidates that a human brain would take weeks to produce.

How AI Naming Works

Modern AI name generators don't just mash random syllables together. The best ones understand linguistic patterns, brand psychology, and domain availability. They can apply all nine methods above simultaneously, generating portmanteaus, metaphors, invented words, and foreign-language options in seconds.

Where AI Excels

• Volume: AI can generate hundreds of name candidates in the time it takes a human to brainstorm ten. More candidates mean a higher chance of finding something exceptional.
• Pattern application: AI can apply linguistic rules (alliteration, sound symbolism, syllable structure) consistently across every suggestion.
• Availability checking: The best AI naming tools simultaneously check domain availability, trademark databases, and social media handles, eliminating names that look great but are already taken.
• Bias removal: Humans tend to favor familiar-sounding names. AI explores combinations that humans would never consider, often producing surprisingly original results.

Where Humans Still Win

AI generates options. Humans make decisions. The final name choice requires understanding cultural nuance, brand vision, competitive positioning, and gut instinct. These are things AI supports but doesn't replace. The optimal workflow is to use AI for divergent thinking (generating lots of options) and human judgment for convergent thinking (narrowing to the best one).

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A Step-by-Step Naming Framework

Now that you know all ten methods, here's how to combine them into a systematic naming process.

1. Define your brand attributes (Day 1): List 5 adjectives that describe your company's personality. List 5 feelings you want customers to have. List 5 words your competitors use that you want to avoid.
2. Generate candidates using multiple methods (Days 2-3): Apply at least 4 of the 10 methods above. Aim for 50-100 name candidates total. Don't judge yet. Quantity leads to quality at this stage.
3. First filter: gut reaction (Day 4): Read through every name once. Star the ones that make you feel something positive. Cut everything that feels flat, confusing, or forgettable. Target: reduce to 20 names.
4. Second filter: practical checks (Day 5): For each remaining name, check domain availability (.com preferred), social media handle availability, and a basic trademark search. Cut anything that fails these checks. Target: reduce to 10 names.
5. Third filter: external feedback (Days 6-7): Show your top 10 to people who match your target customer. Ask two questions: "What do you think this company does?" and "Would you remember this name tomorrow?" Cut names that confuse people or fail the memory test. Target: reduce to 3 names.
6. Final decision (Day 8): Live with your top 3 for a day. Say them out loud. Imagine them on a billboard, a business card, and an app icon. The right name will feel inevitable. If none of them do, go back to step 2 with fresh perspective.

Common Naming Mistakes to Avoid

• Being too clever: If you have to explain the name, it's too clever. The explanation should enhance appreciation, not enable understanding.
• Following trends: Adding "-ly," "-ify," or "-io" to a word might feel modern today but will feel dated within five years. Your company name should outlast naming trends.
• Ignoring pronunciation: If people can't say your name confidently, they won't say it at all. And word-of-mouth dies when people are afraid of mispronouncing your company.
• Skipping the legal check: Falling in love with a name before checking trademark availability is setting yourself up for heartbreak or a lawsuit. Always check early.
• Naming by committee: The more people involved in the final decision, the more likely you'll end up with a safe, boring compromise. Get input widely but decide narrowly.
• Optimizing for a domain: Don't contort a great name into a bad name just because the .com was available. "Flickr" works without the E. "Tumblr" works without the E. But "Bznss" doesn't work just because business.com was taken.

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