Coming up with your own business name? Here’s how to get started

With our free business name generator, you can come up with your own brand name. What exactly should a good business name comply with? What should you watch out for? Find out in this blog article on creating a name for your business.

Can't wait to think of your business name? 😀 Head straight to our free business name generator and create an original business name that perfectly matches your brand or product.

Thinking of a name for your business: don't underestimate it

When devising a business name, it's wise not to rush the process. A good business name is extremely important.

Research even shows that launching a unique and effective business name increases your chances of success with your venture!

For instance, companies with shorter business names tend to be more successful, while 75% of a surveyed group of consumers would pay more for a product from a company whose name they like.

A business name holds a lot of power and influence! It's not only tied to your product, but it also affects the success of your own business.

First Impression

Logically, this is due to the first impression that your business name makes. You could, for example, come up with a catchy and strong business name that creates a positive impression. For some customers, the right 'click' with your name might be enough to spark an interest in your business.

The more customers know your name, the better for your brand identity. Coming up with an effective trade name aids in the development of your business. Your name should reflect what you stand for, so that customers recognize and remember your company.

After all, with your brand-new venture, you wouldn’t want to end up sharing a business name with - let's think - a poultry farm in the Netherlands. Such a scenario could cause confusion, and there’s also a chance that the domain name for your new website will already be taken.

This applies to social media accounts as well. Though, it's hard to say how active poultry farms are on social media. Maybe just on TikTok? 😅

Business name important for marketing

Being able to showcase a resonant brand name is also a big advantage when you are marketing. Whether it's through word-of-mouth, advertisements, social media, or SEO... Your business name will always play a major role in your marketing strategy.

Devising a business name is, in a way, a strategic process. Your brand name plays a key role in launching your business into the market. You could say it’s a name “for life," or at least for a long time. So, do not underestimate its impact on the future and growth of your business.

Essential features in creating a business name

Anyone can think of fun names for a business. The challenge lies in creating a good and effective business name. Coming up with a trade name involves several indispensable characteristics. Be sure to have your checklist ready!

Good business names are those that make your brand stand out as unique and distinctive. This helps you differentiate from competitors and prevents customers from confusing your brand with another.

The more unique, the lower the chance that your perfect business name has already been registered by someone else. This is known as trademark registration and it provides you with legal protection.

You need to come up with a business name that suits the products and services you offer. Additionally, your name should, if possible, align closely with the lifestyle of your customers. It should also fit within the sector you are active in.

Starting your own plant shop? Incorporate keywords like 'green' or 'tree' into your business name. You could also choose to give your name a personal touch, for example, by including your first name.

This immediately gives people an idea of what they can expect, consequently having a positive impact on the recognizability and relevance of your brand name. Your name is a way to attract customers.

Creating a business name requires creativity. Not only must your business name be easy to remember, but customers should also be able to pronounce it easily. A business whose name everyone forgets is asking for trouble.

A simple business name is much easier to articulate. Satisfied customers who tell others about your online store... That's what you need!

Don't underestimate this feature! When someone makes a purchase, emotions are involved. If you have a fun, positive name, customers are more likely to feel inclined to buy.

This effect on your brand image also lasts a lifetime, as your name will always evoke a positive association in your customer's mind.

Thinking of a good business name: start with our tips

Coming up with golden ideas for a product or business is one thing. But on top of that, you also need to devise the perfect name for your business.

If you would rather focus on your business than on coming up with a trade name: no worries. 😉 Leave nothing to chance and start devising your business name with our recommendations and tips.

Definitely do:

A lot of thought goes into thinking of a catchy business name. This part is separate from any brainstorming. Make an analysis of your core values, objectives, and primary target audience in advance.

Your business name should reflect this. By conducting an analysis, you give a clear purpose to the naming itself.

When you come up with a name for your own business, you must take various factors into account. It’s a matter of making the right considerations.

Besides being short yet noticeable, your name also needs to be easily searchable on the internet. And while your trade name should reveal what your business stands for, it shouldn’t be too simple. Because your business name needs to be relevant, distinctive, and timeless.

Sometimes you do this by thinking of a funny name. But if you want to come across as professional, your name shouldn’t contain too much humor. Boring then? No, that’s also not allowed. Boring is bad.

Language is incredibly rich, so you can use various techniques to come up with names. Immerse yourself in the world of language by looking for alliterations or rhymes, exploring the realms of literature and mythology, or considering words in other languages. Translating a keyword into an exotic language can undoubtedly lead to surprising results!

Another idea: create an anagram from relevant words or form unique acronyms. Who knows, it might yield a good business name.

You can devise a name for your business through a brainstorm. A structured brainstorm requires good preparation, otherwise, you might end up just having another fruitless coffee chat.

This brainstorm can be conducted with your own team, but also just as well with ex-colleagues, family, or friends. Involving people who are not completely immersed in your business or sector can bring fresh ideas that you would never think of. Consider consulting a copywriter or speak to your aunt who is creative with language and words. 😄

During the first phase of your brainstorm, it’s important to keep an open mind and throw out as many names as possible. A bizarre trade name might be too far-fetched, while a more simple name could be the best for you. Or vice versa!

The people who form your sounding board (ideally 5 to 8 persons) can tell you whether they understand the associations of some names or not. Give them time afterwards to come up with associations and names themselves.

Was your brainstorm a big success? Then make a shortlist together with about ten potential business names. Ask people around you to indicate their favorites. This helps you find out which names are popular and assists in making the list even shorter over time.

Try saying these different names out loud. How do they sound? What sounds good in your head might come across entirely differently in reality. This also applies to the logo in which you incorporate your name.

Try making designs that show how the name would look on your website, email banners, social media... This way, you discover whether the whole picture fits.

The likelihood of you spending days racking your brain for a good business name is quite high - everyone knows that feeling. Fortunately, you can avoid grey hairs with our free business name generator.

The purpose of our generator is to help you think of a name for your business, domain, or product. Tell us what your business does, choose the language for your business name, and experiment with style and type.

Afterwards, AI generates business names that align with your desires. This way, you can start your business with the right, memorable name. You get 10 unique suggestions. Like one? Check right away if the corresponding domain name is still available.

Be careful with this:

A brand name should last a long time, perhaps even forever. Therefore, choose a name with potential. Your name should be easily incorporated into your future marketing campaigns or on your new website. Think you might quickly tire of the name? Then it's better to choose another.

Also consider the future of your business. Perhaps one day you'll go international. If no one abroad can pronounce your name, you could run into trouble. Or maybe your name has a different (negative) meaning in another language.

You can prevent this with a business name that meets all criteria. So definitely keep this tip in mind.

It would be unfortunate if your potential customers get a negative feeling when reading or seeing your brand name. Before you know it, they might bypass your webshop. You can’t let that happen. You need a positively sounding name.

While there are companies that do it, using numbers or hyphens in a business name is not recommended. Such business names cause confusion and are harder to remember.

It could easily happen that internet users mistype your (domain) name and don’t end up on your website.

Thinking of a business name: Is the name still available?

Hopefully, thanks to the above techniques, you come up with a great business name. Afterwards, it's time for action, as you need to check if your trade name is not already taken. No competitors in the field? Then proceed with registration as soon as possible.

Xerius, a platform that supports entrepreneurs, explains in detail how to register your brand name and what to consider in Belgium.

Another thing to check: social media. Since there are no rules about this, anyone might have coincidentally created a page with the same name as your business. Browse through the different channels.

If it turns out there's already an Instagram page with the same name, it doesn't have to be a major disaster. For example, if you've named your Ghent-based snackbar 'De Frietketel,' but the Instagram page is no longer available, you could rename it to 'De Frietketel in Gent.' Problem solved! 🙂

Coming up with business names: don't forget about domain registration!

Found a name? Then your business also needs an online address, a domain name. Since your business name will likely be included in your domain name, it's important to check beforehand if the domain is still available. Do the test:

Registering a good domain name is the first step towards a thriving business. You’d better choose a reliable partner.

You can of course turn to Combell for your domain registration. With Combell, you can count on a range of benefits and additional services, most of which are free of charge.

Think of a business name with our business name generator

Having trouble coming up with a suitable business name? Describe what your business stands for and our free business name generator, powered by artificial intelligence, will invent 10 original names for your business. You can choose a business name from the list and immediately check if the domain name is still available.

Frequently asked questions about coming up with a business name