Why Naming Still Matters

Despite all the debates about delivery, speed, and product-market fit, a name still carries a lot of weight. It’s what people first see, hear, and look for. A good name is remembered, appears in URLs, is whispered in meetings with investors, and is printed on contracts. A bad name causes people to squint, forget, or even worse, cringe.

In the past, the process of naming a company involved looking at a whiteboard, exchanging words with your co-founder, and wishing that a reasonable domain option still existed. At this moment? AI is the co-founder with endless ideas who doesn’t get tired.

The Pain of Naming in 2025

Never has it been more difficult to come up with a name for a startup. Domains are thoroughly harvested. The databases for trademarks are flooded. Every brief word in the dictionary is claimed and so are the majority of the clever ones. Due to the lack of attention, it’s essential for founders to have a name that is easy to pronounce, spell, and recall.

What you need are names that are brief, striking, and flexible – and have a brand-like quality. However, you are also competing with a huge amount of names that have been used already. There is where AI begins to exhibit its brilliance. 

AI Doesn’t Just Spit Names, It Learns From the Best

The most effective naming models go beyond simple generators. They have gained insights from thousands of successful brands. They are aware of effective strategies across various industries and understand which styles appeal to specific audiences.

When given a prompt such as “Suggest 20 short, memorable names for a fintech app targeting Gen Z,” it understands to steer clear of dull corporate tones and to go for something more vibrant. 

The Rise of Naming Trends in 2025

Naming trends shift just like design and tech trends. What sounded futuristic five years ago might now feel dated. Here’s what’s getting popular in 2025, and what’s falling off:

What’s In

• Clean, abstract names
  Think “Notion,” “Figma,” “Stripe.” These names don’t explain the product directly, but they sound modern and easy to remember.
• Short invented words
  Slightly tweaked real words or completely new ones that are phonetically clean. Examples: “Zuna,” “Trayno,” “Lunari.”
• Soft-sounding syllables
  A lot of tech brands are leaning into vowel-heavy names that sound friendly and easy on the ear.
• Global usability
  Founders are more aware that their name might be spoken across different languages. A good 2025 name avoids awkward meanings or hard-to-pronounce letter combos.

What’s Out

• Hyphenated names
  These are harder to brand and don’t look clean in URLs or social handles.
• Overused buzzword combos
  Like anything ending in “-ly” or starting with “Get” unless it fits the product perfectly.
• Descriptive but limited names
  A name like “RemoteTimerApp” might be accurate but won’t age well if you expand beyond the original feature set.

AI tools are learning these patterns too. The more data they train on, the more they reflect the naming trends that actually work in the real world.

Why AI Makes a Surprisingly Good Naming Partner

The majority of individuals are unaware of the extent to which AI improves with a well-crafted prompt. Providing more context such as brand tone, audience, business model, and vibe improves the results. It can brainstorm thousands of names in seconds, which helps break through creative blocks fast.

It is also immune to the influence of founder bias. If you can’t move past a name simply because it was your dog’s nickname in college, AI will graciously provide 20 superior alternatives that come without any emotional baggage. 

How to Create Your Own AI-Powered Naming Workflow

If you want to go beyond using a tool and build a simple naming workflow for yourself, here’s a process that takes less than an hour:

Step 1: Define the Brand Vibe

Before you ask AI for help, clarify what you’re looking for. Are you trying to sound premium, friendly, casual, futuristic, serious? Nail down a few adjectives.

Step 2: Choose Your Keywords

Pick a few words related to your product, audience, and values. These are just a starting point, you don’t need to include them in the final name.

Step 3: Write a Prompt Like You Mean It

Use a detailed prompt like:

“Suggest 20 creative names for a B2B startup helping remote teams track productivity. Keep names short, easy to pronounce, and ideally available as .com domains. Avoid trendy suffixes like -ly or -io.”

Step 4: Run Through Different Models

You can use tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or custom name generators. Try the same prompt in a few to see different styles.

Step 5: Filter & Refine

Go through the list. Remove anything too similar to existing brands, too long, or hard to say. Keep the best ones and repeat the process until you land on 5–10 solid candidates.

Step 6: Final Checks

Do a quick trademark search, domain check, and social handle search. If your top choice clears all three, you’re good to go.

A Few Names Born From AI

Here are some examples of startup names created entirely using AI-based tools and prompt engineering:

• Klyro – A sleek-sounding name for a music recommendation app.
• Branli – Designed for a lightweight brand consultancy.
• Zentro – A fictional SaaS product in the productivity space.
• Orryx – A name meant to feel like a next-gen cybersecurity company.

The common thread? All of them are short, brandable, and easy to say. Most important, they weren’t pulled from a hat, they were designed for purpose.

Deeper Look at AI Tools Used in Naming

Numerous AI-driven tools specialize in naming, and each has its unique advantages. Some function as independent name generators. Others are general-purpose AI assistants that can be directed with clever prompting. Below is a brief summary of how a few of the top choices compare:

• ChatGPT: Best for thoughtful, nuanced name ideas. With the right prompt, it can generate names tailored to brand tone, audience, and even language constraints.
• Namelix: A visual name generator that pairs ideas with logo suggestions. It’s great for quick bursts of ideas, especially for ecommerce or direct-to-consumer brands.
• Brandmark: This one leans heavily into design. It suggests names, but also gives you a look at logo options and branding assets in one place.
• NameSnack: Combines keyword research with AI-based naming. Works well if you’re trying to rank on search engines or appeal to niche markets.
• Looka: More about brand creation than pure naming, but it’s helpful for testing how a name might look across visual assets.

What they all have in common is that they’re fast, iterative, and capable of giving you far more options than a whiteboard session ever could.

Case Study: Naming a Startup With AI

Let’s say you’re launching a privacy-first analytics tool. You want something short, modern, and trustworthy, not another “DataTrackr” clone.

You start by jotting down key attributes:

• Trust
• Simplicity
• Speed
• Modern tech vibe

Then you plug into ChatGPT with a prompt like:

“Suggest 30 names for a startup that helps websites collect analytics without tracking personal data. Prioritize short, brandable words that feel modern and secure.”

From that, you get names like:

• Noviq
• Trusta
• Prismiq
• Nodela
• Clearbit (oops, taken!)
• Zenlytics

You cross-check trademarks, domains, and social handles. “Noviq” is clear and has a .com available. You test it with a few friends and early users. It sticks. You have a name.

What took 15 minutes with AI might’ve taken days of trial and error otherwise.

What Investors Think About Names

Although most VCs will not overlook a good company solely due to a bad name, it does create an impression, particularly in the beginning. Investors review thousands of decks. A clean, confident name helps you stand out.

They’re looking for signals that:

• You’re thinking long-term
• You understand branding
• You’ve done your homework

A strong name doesn’t guarantee funding, but it suggests that you’ve considered how the company will be positioned publicly. That’s a plus when so many early startups still launch with placeholder names like “ProjectRocket”.

The Psychology Behind Why Some Names Stick

Effective names go beyond phonetics and availability; they also connect with fundamental psychological principles. Humans are wired to connect with patterns, emotions, and familiarity. The names that stick often trigger one or more of the following:

1. Familiar Sounding, but Fresh

Names like “Notion,” “Stripe,” or “Canva” feel intuitive because they borrow from familiar words or sounds. “Notion” isn’t a made-up word, but it’s repurposed in a way that gives it a fresh identity.

2. Emotional Triggers

“Calm” is a perfect example. You know exactly how the app is supposed to make you feel from the name alone. Other examples include “Cameo” (fame), “Duolingo” (language), and “Tonic” (energy or remedy). Good names can suggest a promise without spelling it out.

3. Simplicity

The brain favors short, repeatable patterns. A name that’s 2–3 syllables, ends in a hard consonant, or has repeating sounds (e.g., TikTok, Lululemon, Zoom) tends to lodge in memory better than longer, complex ones.

4. Unexpected Combos

Some of the best names pair two ideas that don’t usually go together. “Mailchimp” mixes business software with a playful animal. “Salesforce” turns a traditionally aggressive term into a software suite. These juxtapositions can make a name stickier, just be careful not to be quirky just for the sake of it.

Why Founders Keep Doubting Their Name

Naming something is emotional. Even if you find a great option, it’s normal to second-guess it. Founders often run into these mental traps:

“It Doesn’t Feel Big Enough”

You might worry the name isn’t bold or visionary. That’s fine, but remember, most great startup names feel small at first. Nobody thought “Slack” or “Instagram” sounded like multi-billion-dollar ideas in the early days.

“It’s Not as Catchy as [X]”

It’s easy to compare your name to big brands with millions in marketing behind them. Don’t confuse familiarity for greatness. Your name will grow as your product gains traction.

“What If I Regret It?”

You probably will, briefly. But changing a name later is rare and usually unnecessary unless it’s causing real friction. Airbnb, Google, and Zoom didn’t succeed because of their names but their names didn’t get in the way either.

 

Naming for Different Industries

Not all names work across every category. Here’s a quick breakdown of what tends to work well by industry:

SaaS & B2B

• Prioritize clarity and brandability.
• Names should be easy to say on calls, demos, and sales decks.
• Avoid quirky or overly abstract terms unless the audience expects it.

Good examples:

• Asana, Linear, Vanta, Gusto

Consumer Apps

• These need to be catchy, fun, and app-store friendly.
• Short syllables, unique spellings, and good phonetics matter.

Good examples:

• TikTok, BeReal, Duolingo, Uber

Ecommerce

• The name should hint at product type or lifestyle without being generic.
• It needs to look great on packaging and ads.

Good examples:

• Glossier, Warby Parker, Allbirds

Web3 & Crypto

• Slightly more room for play and ambiguity.
• Many names here feel futuristic, but need to avoid sounding scammy.

Good examples:

• Solana, OpenSea, Aave

AI & Emerging Tech

• These names often mix authority with imagination.
• Avoid cliches like “AI” or “Smart” unless absolutely necessary.

Good examples:

• Anthropic, Perplexity, Inflection

How to Test a Name With Real People

AI can give you options, but real-world feedback is where good names get better. Here are a few quick ways to test:

1. Say It Out Loud 10 Times
   Does it still feel right? Can you imagine it in a podcast ad or an investor pitch?
2. Use It in a Sentence
   “Have you tried [Name] yet?” If it sounds natural, that’s a good sign.
3. Share 3 Finalists With Non-Tech Friends
   Avoid explaining what each name means. See which ones they remember 5 minutes later.
4. Look at It in Different Contexts
   Put the name on a fake landing page, an app icon, and a business card. Does it look like it belongs there?
5. Check Voice Assistant Compatibility
   Ask Siri or Alexa to say it. If they butcher it, you may want to tweak the spelling or pronunciation.

 

The Human Touch Still Matters

Although AI can assist with volume and pattern recognition, human judgment remains important. A name may appear appealing in writing but come across as awkward when spoken. In other languages, it could carry unfortunate meanings. Alternatively, it could pass all assessments yet still feel wrong.

AI serves best as a creative sparring partner. You provide the instincts and taste. The output is brought by AI. As a team, you operate at a quicker pace and with more intelligence. 

Common Naming Mistakes Founders Still Make

AI helps, but it won’t fix everything. Here are some mistakes that can slip through the cracks:

1. Naming Around a Single Feature

You might be building a “booking tool” now, but in a year, you’ll probably do more. Avoid names that box you in too early.

2. Ignoring Spoken Language

If people can’t say the name out loud without asking, “Did I get that right?” it’s a problem. Especially in meetings, interviews, and podcasts.

3. Choosing a Name That’s Taken

This one sounds obvious, but it happens a lot. Always check domains, trademarks, and social handles before committing.

4. Falling in Love Too Soon

Sometimes the first name you like isn’t the best one long-term. Sleep on it. See how it feels in a week. Say it 100 times. If it still works, go for it.

How to Know You’ve Got the Right One

You’ll rarely feel 100% confident in a name on day one. But if the following are true, you’re likely on the right track:

• It doesn’t box you in.
  Can your business evolve under this name, or will it feel limiting after a pivot or product expansion?
• It’s available.
  If the domain and social handles are free or available at a reasonable price, that’s a strong practical win.
• You’re not embarrassed to say it out loud.
  If you feel weird pitching it to a stranger, it’s probably not the one. But if you find yourself saying it more often, even casually, that’s a good sign.
• It shows up cleanly in search.
  Google it. Are you buried in irrelevant results, or do you stand a chance of owning the space?
• People remember it.
  Even if they don’t love it, can they recall it 24 hours later without prompting?

Naming isn’t a science. It’s a mix of timing, taste, and trial-and-error. But with AI on your side, you’re not starting from scratch, you’re starting from strength.

 

Final Thoughts

While it’s not necessary to concentrate on the name, you shouldn’t hurry through the decision either. The proper name can assist in ensuring that people recall you, have faith in you, and discuss you. With AI backing you up, you’re no longer making guesses. You’re intentionally creating something memorable.

But what actually makes a name stand out in today’s startup world? Dive into our next guide, How to Choose a Name That Makes Your Startup Stand Out, and learn how to blend strategy, psychology, and originality into a name that truly sticks.