A great company name speaks to your target audience while making sure your company or business idea stands out. It sounds like a simple task, but once you get started you’ll realize it takes a little more than combining dictionary words.
There’s the brainstorming phase, the selection phase, and the verification phase to make sure your new brand name is available.
Luckily, there are a variety of online tools that aid in generating names and evaluating those potential names which make the process much easier.
You’ll learn what goes into a great business name, how to use a business name generator, and finally how to choose a memorable name for your new business.
How Business Name Generators Help
A lot of people get stuck in the idea generation and brainstorming phase of choosing the right business name.
Company name generators seek to cut through the noise and make it much easier to come up with catchy and unique name ideas. A business name generator will combine different words and phrases to help you find something you like, or even just get you thinking in the right direction.
The business name generators featured here all have different features. Some will require a seed keyword, while others can pull up unique and random business name ideas.
When using these tools it’ll probably take a couple of tries (or even using multiple tools) to find the perfect business name.
But, the process isn’t something you’ll want to rush since ideally, your business name is something you’ll have for the lifetime of your business.
What Makes a Good Business Name?
You know a good business name when you see it. These are the names that stick into our minds and that we easily associate with companies and the services or products they provide. Think of iconic brands like Apple, Google, and Microsoft.
Here are some tips to help you come up with a new name for your business:
Avoid names that are hard to spell
You don’t want to confuse your potential customers about how to spell your name. If you’re having a hard time spelling it, chances are your customers will too.
When you name your business you’ll also want to pick up a matching domain name. So, this domain will need to be easy to type and remember.
Don’t pick a limiting name
When you’re just getting started building your business you don’t want your limit to limit what you can do. What if Jeff Bezos chose the brand name “Online Bookstore” when he first started, instead of “Amazon”.
Your business will grow and evolve over the years. It’s important to think a few years down the road about what you want your business to look like and name your business from that point.
Choose a name that conveys meaning
You want your business name to convey something positive about your business and the services you provide. Will people instantly understand what your name means? Or will you be focused on unique names?
For example, the business “Zappos” has a rather unclear business name. They were able to become incredibly successful, but they had to work harder to brand their company.
Some examples of clear and simple brand identity include “Cars.com”, “The Weather Channel”, and “Bank of America”. Not the most exciting brands in the world, but they will communicate what your company is about.
Pick a catchy name
You don’t want to choose a boring business name. But, you also don’t want a business name that’s so far out there, it ends up confusing people.
With a catchy business name, it sticks into the minds of your customers. This makes word of mouth marketing much easier and much more likely to occur.
Will you have a catchy name that’s more difficult to brand? Or a meaningful brand name where your services are immediately implied?
Don’t forget about SEO
Search engine optimization could play a role in choosing your business name. Try inserting a relevant keyword into the name, if you can.
Business Names vs Domain Names
Today business names and domain names are synonymous. It’s very unlikely you’ll create a new business without creating a matching website.
You’ll notice that most of the tools above have built-in domain availability/domain search features. This makes it easy to register a domain and build your website the moment you’ve found the best name for your business.
Depending on your state and the type of business you’re creating, you might also have to register your business name.
Here’s a quick process you can follow to register your business name:
- Do a business name search in your local state to see if it’s been registered before, or if it’s available
- Do a domain name search to make sure the domain name (with the right top level domain) is still available
- Do a US Federal Trademark search to ensure your name isn’t trademarked already
If your new business name passes all three steps above, then register the name in your state and get started building your business.
How to Check if a Domain Name is Still Available
If you used one of the tools above to find the right name for your business but didn’t register it with a domain registrar then you’ll still need to check the name availability. This lets you see if you can register your ideal business name.
There are a variety of tools that help you do this like the GoDaddy domain name search tool.
Just type your domain into the tool and you’ll see if it’s available and which extensions are available for you to register.
The most frequently used domain extension is .com, but you’re welcome to use other extensions if they better fit your brand.
Business & Domain FAQ
Do business names and domain names need to match?
They usually do, since this makes it easier for your customers. But, it doesn’t have to be the case. For example, the application Evernote could have a domain name like “getevernote.com”. This makes sense since the domain name implies the action of downloading the application.
Do you have to register your business name?
Yes, you should register your business name, so you won’t have to be forced to change names in the future. The last thing you want is to build a successful brand, only to have to do a full rebrand in the future.
Can you switch business and domain names in the future?
It is possible, but it’s a tremendous effort, especially if you’ve already spent a lot of time building your business. You not only have to come up with a new business name but rebrand all of your marketing materials, physical and online. Plus, you run the risk of losing customers who didn’t keep up with the migration.
Do I need to buy multiple domains for my brand?
If you find a domain name that matches your brand you can pick up multiple domain name extensions. So, if you found the .com you could also purchase the .net, .org. .co, and more. This isn’t necessary, but it can help to protect your brand in the future, especially if you end up building a large and successful website.
Why is .com the most important TLD?
The domain name extension .com is the most popular and widespread, thus making it more trustworthy for your customers. There are others like .net, .org, and .co that are commonly used. But, if the ‘.com’ is available, then you should consider taking it.
There’s also a good chance your users will naturally type in the .com extension, so if this belongs to one of your competitors, then you’ll be losing out on traffic and will have a weaker brand overall.
Best Business Name Generators
Here are 7 of the most popular name generators that’ll help you find perfect company names and, in some cases, available domain names.
1. Shopify Business Name Generator
Shopify is an all-in-one platform that helps people launch their own eCommerce stores.
In addition to the toolkit, you’ll find the Shopify Business Name Generator, which can help you find thousands of generated names that could be the perfect fit for your business. The names generated by this tool are sort and simple, with clear spellings perfect for those who want to launch an online store.
Plus, since this tool is for online-based businesses, the only business names it shows are ones that have accompanying available domains.
This makes your search much easier since you don’t deal with the frustration of finding a great name, only to find out there is no domain availability.
2. BrandBucket
BrandBucket is a very unique business name generator. Instead of a random list of names, you’ll be searching through a database of names that have already been created and branded.
You can filter your search by industry, or search through names on an industry-wide basis.
The brand names and associated domain names are on the more expensive side, but you’ll essentially be buying a domain name that has a brand guaranteed to be strong.
3. BusinessNameGenerator.net
Check name availability and get a list of creative business name ideas with BusinessNameGenerator.net. The tool’s strength is its simplicity. Entrepreneurs need only to provide a keyword or two to describe the business they plan to start. From there, the business name generator will provide a list of available names to choose from.
Entrepreneurs might find a name they like instantly, or choose to use the list provided to build on. Many times, the first list of ideas serves as inspiration as the business owner works to finetune the name.
4. Anadea Business Name Generator
The Anadea Business Name Generator is another high-powered name generator built for those launching businesses or even starting an app. The results delivered by this tool are all brandable names.
Some tools do nothing more than string your keywords, phrases, and random names together. This tool follows a similar process, however, it only keeps the best results to display to you.
You’ll get thousands of brandable business names all by entering a single keyword.
5. Oberlo Business Name Generator
The Oberlo Business Name Generator can deliver a high volume of ready-made small business names. The process starts with your seed keyword, and you’ll get a variety of different results based on that keyword.
This business name generator tool also has built-in tools that will show which business names have an available .com domain.
This tool also has a ton of additional services and products that can help you grow, launch, and scale your online store.
6. Freshbooks Business Name Generator
The Freshbooks Business Name Generator is perfect for people who want to keep their business name search simple.
Instead of giving you a big list of potential names it guides you through the entire process.
Once you navigate to the tool you’ll be asked to input the industry of your business, then enter a few starter keywords. Next, the tool will give you three options to choose from. If you don’t like these results, then you can expand the list until you find the perfect business name.
7. Namelix
Namelix uses an artificial intelligence-based algorithm to help you find a short and catchy business name. Names like this are unique and well-suited for companies like technology startups.
The more you search and refine the results the better your results will get over time. The algorithm incorporates your favorite names into future searches.
To use this tool enter your target keyword, and choose from filters like the number of characters, style, and branding approach. The tool will give you a list of potential business names. You can choose a startup name you like, or continue to let the AI refine your search by selecting favorites.
8. Name Mesh
Name Mesh is an easy-to-use tool that’ll help you find the perfect creative business name. The tool works best when you enter two keywords, but feel free to customize as you’d like.
You’ll get hundreds of different results filtered by categories like common, fun, AI, SEO, and more.
Since this is primarily a domain name search tool, you’ll want to ensure the domain name also works as a business name.
Wrapping Up
The brand name generators above are incredible tools for helping you brainstorm and find the perfect name and domain name for your business.
The process might take some time, but it’s important not to rush towards the finish. It is possible to switch business names down the road, but you can avoid the time-consuming rebranding process by finding the perfect business name upfront.
You can use a single free business name generator, or combine multiple tools throughout your research process. Overall, the bigger net you cast in terms of name generation the higher your chances of uncovering the business name that speaks to your customers and your needs as a business owner.
