What’s in a name? 8 common types of brand names.

Naming a brand is an essential part of creating a successful business. A brand name is the first point of contact between the customer and the product or service, so it needs to be memorable, easy to pronounce, and unique.

The right brand name can help a business stand out from its competitors and make a lasting impression on potential customers. But with so many different types of brand names out there, it can be challenging to decide what type of name is the best fit for your business.

Let’s take a look at some of the types of brand names that are out there to get a better understanding of what kind of name could be the right fit your business. There are more, but this list is a great start.

1. Descriptive

Literally describes what the business sells or does.

2. Word Mashup

Combines two or more words/names to convey a purpose, benefit, or something else. Like “GrubHub,” which serves as a go-to app (hub) for local food delivery (grub).

3. Evocative Metaphor

Evokes a quality or characteristic of your company/product or creates a sense of place that stirs an emotion.

4. Founder

Plays off of the name of your founder or founders, speaking to the personalities that built the company into what it is today.

5. History & Heritage

Plays off of aspects of your history or mythology that relates to your brand. Tesla, for example, is a nod to one of the fathers of electricity.

6. Initialisms & Acronyms

Shortened versions of a longer name or message. This could be an initialism, like MTV for Music Television where the individual letters are said individually, or an acronym, like NASA for National Aeronautics and Space Administration, where the initial letters are pronounced as a novel word.

7. Purpose

These names evoke the reason for why you do what you do. Like United Airlines and how it brings people together across great distances.

8. Abstract / Wild Card

A made up word that conveys a benefit or feeling, usually build off of an existing word or combination of words. Google, for example, is a modified version of the word “Googol,” meaning 10 to the 100th power. The “-ol,” ending was swapped out for “-le” to make it feel friendlier.