What makes a good product name?

Whether you like a name is a matter of taste. Whether it's a good name usually isn't. Strong names tend to share a small set of qualities, and most weak names fail on one of them in a way you can predict. It helps to split the question into three:

1. Is it a good name? Will people remember it, say it, spell it and connect it with what you do?
2. Can I get it? Are the domains, company name, handles and app store listings you need available?
3. Can I build on it? Is it clear of other people's trade marks, and distinctive enough that you could protect it yourself?

A name has to pass all three. This guide is mostly about the first question. The other two are covered in how to check whether a name is available.

The qualities of a strong name

It sticks

People should be able to recall it after hearing it once or twice. Short, rhythmic, concrete names with a clear image tend to stick. Long, abstract or jargon-heavy names tend not to. We go into this in what makes a name memorable.

It's easy to say and spell

Most names travel by word of mouth at some point: a recommendation, a podcast, a phone call. If someone hears it and can't spell it, or reads it and isn't sure how to say it, you lose them. Silent letters, unusual spellings of ordinary words, and letters that could be several sounds all add friction.

It stands apart

A good name sounds different from your competitors and from the generic words in your category. If every accounting app is called something like “Ledger” or “Books”, another one won't be noticed. Being distinctive also makes a name easier to find in search and easier to protect.

It fits

A name doesn't have to explain the product, but it shouldn't fight it. A playful name can work for a serious product if it's handled well. A name that suggests the wrong industry, audience or price point makes your marketing work harder.

It hints rather than describes

The best names often suggest a benefit or a feeling without saying it outright. They give people something to think about, which also makes them easier to own. Names that describe the product exactly are clear on day one but blend into the category.

It creates a picture and a feeling

Names that call up an image, whether an animal, a place, a movement or an object, give your brand something to build on visually and emotionally. The feeling should suit your audience: reassuring for a pensions product, energetic for a fitness app.

It has room to grow

A name tied too closely to one feature, one city or one technology can box you in. Ask whether it would still work if you added a second product, moved into a new market or built a family of sub-brands around it.

It doesn't mean anything unfortunate

Check for slang, awkward word breaks, unfortunate abbreviations and meanings in the languages of the markets you care about. These problems are cheap to find early and very expensive to discover after launch.

The big trade-off: clear versus ownable

Names sit somewhere on a spectrum, from purely descriptive to completely invented:

• Generic: the ordinary word for the thing. You can't own it, and nobody can find you by it.
• Descriptive: says directly what it does. Clear, but weak in search and often refused as a trade mark.
• Suggestive: hints at a quality or benefit. A good balance of clarity and ownability.
• Arbitrary: a real word used in an unrelated context. Memorable and usually strong as a trade mark.
• Invented: a new word. The strongest to protect, but it starts with no meaning and needs more effort to explain.

The more descriptive a name is, the easier it is to understand at first glance, and the harder it is to stand out, be found and protect. The more invented it is, the more you can own it, and the more work it takes to fill with meaning. Most strong names land in the middle: suggestive, or arbitrary with a clear story.

Context changes the answer

The same name can be right in one situation and wrong in another:

• B2B software can usually afford a less obvious name, because buyers find you through search, referrals and sales conversations rather than a passing glance.
• Consumer apps need names that are easy to spell from hearing and that stand out in an app store list.
• Local services often benefit from a clearer, more descriptive name, and only need to be distinctive in their own area and sector.
• International products need extra care with pronunciation and meanings in other languages.

How NameClicked uses these qualities

These qualities are the basis of NameClicked's desirability score, alongside separate scores for availability and legal usability. Each name gets an explanation of where it's strong and where it's weak, so you can make the call yourself. See how NameClicked scores a name for the details.