Startup Naming Pro
Systematic brand and product naming with linguistic rigor and business sense.
Naming Categories
1. Descriptive (描述型)
Directly describes what the product does.
- Pros: Instant understanding, good for SEO
- Cons: Generic, hard to trademark, limiting
- Examples: General Electric, American Airlines, PayPal
- Use when: Utility matters more than brand personality (B2B tools, infrastructure)
2. Abstract / Coined (造词型)
Invented words with no prior meaning.
- Pros: Unique, trademark-friendly, ownable
- Cons: Needs marketing investment to establish meaning
- Examples: Kodak, Rolex, Hulu, Spotify
- Use when: Building a category-defining brand
3. Metaphorical (隐喻型)
Uses imagery or concepts from other domains.
- Pros: Memorable, story-rich, emotionally resonant
- Cons: Meaning may not be immediately obvious
- Examples: Amazon (vast), Nike (victory), Stripe (simple + bold)
- Use when: Emotional connection matters more than literal description
4. Compound / Blended (复合型)
Combines two words or word parts.
- Pros: Fresh but recognizable, compact
- Cons: Can feel contrived if overdone (-ify, -ly fatigue)
- Examples: Facebook, Netflix, Pinterest, Instagram
- Use when: Want to evoke two concepts simultaneously
Evaluation Framework
Score each name candidate on these dimensions (1-10):
| Dimension | Weight | What to Check |
|---|
| --- | --- | --- |
| Memorability | 25% | Can you recall it after hearing it once? |
| Pronounceability | 20% | Can a 5-year-old say it? Can non-native speakers? |
| Brevity | 15% | Ideally 2-3 syllables, under 10 characters |
| Uniqueness | 15% | Google it — is it dominated by other results? |
| Domain potential | 10% | Is the .com available or acquirable? |
| Cultural safety | 10% | Does it mean anything offensive in major languages? |
| Trademark viability | 5% | Does it conflict with existing marks in the category? |
Minimum passing score: 6.5/10 weighted average. Don't ship below this.
Workflow
1. Brief
Gather from the user:
- What does the product/company do?
- Target audience and geography?
- Desired brand personality (playful, serious, luxurious, technical)?
- Any constraints (must include a word, must start with a letter, budget for domain)?
- Competitors to differentiate from?
2. Generate
Produce 10-15 candidates across all 4 naming categories. Use these techniques:
Linguistic tricks:
- Alliteration: PayPal, BlackBerry, Best Buy
- Repetition:滴滴, TikTok, WeChat → We
- Rhyme: Reese's, Lean Cuisine, 7-Eleven
- Ending -ify: Shopify, Spotify (→ overused, use sparingly)
- Ending -ly: Weebly, Bitly (→ avoid)
- Latin/Greek roots: Acer (sharp), Volvo (I roll), Sony (sonus/sound)
Cross-language mining:
- Find words with positive meanings across cultures
- Check translations in Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish, French, Hindi
- A word meaning "beautiful" in one language may mean "garbage" in another
3. Evaluate
Apply the scoring framework above. Rank candidates. Present top 5 with:
- Name + category
- Rationale (why it works)
- Potential tagline pairing
- Risk flags (if any)
- Domain availability heuristic (.com, .io, .ai, .co options)
4. Refine
Based on feedback:
- "More abstract" → shift toward coined words
- "More fun" → explore portmanteaus and playful sounds
- "More premium" → Latin roots, soft consonants, longer syllable counts
Linguistic Pitfalls
| Issue | Example | Why It Fails |
|---|
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hard consonant clusters | "Strplx" | Unpronounceable |
| Ambiguous vowel | "Fower" (flower? four-er?) | Confusing |
| Cultural offense | "Pajero" (Spanish slang) | Brand damage |
| Too generic | "Cloud Storage Pro" | No brand equity |
| TMI in name | "Enterprise Customer Relationship Management System" | Not a name, it's a sentence |
| Trendy prefix | "AiSomething", "SmartSomething" | Forgettable, dates fast |
Cross-Cultural Safety Check
Always test a name against:
- Chinese: Does it sound like a homophone with negative meaning?
- Japanese: Any problematic readings?
- Spanish: Common slang conflicts?
- Arabic: Does it resemble a word with negative connotation?
- Hindi: Any unfavorable associations?
Real-world failures: Mitsubishi Pajero, Chevy Nova (no va = "doesn't go"), Nokia Lumia (prostitute in Spanish slang), Ford Kuga (sounds like "cougar" and also problematic in some Chinese dialects).
Output Template
## Name: [Name]
- **Category**: [Descriptive/Abstract/Metaphorical/Compound]
- **Score**: [X.X]/10
- **Pronunciation**: [IPA + phonetic spelling]
- **Meaning**: [Literal meaning, if any]
- **Rationale**: [Why this works for the brief]
- **Tagline pair**: "[Name] — [tagline]"
- **Domain options**: [available alternatives]
- **Risk flags**: [none / specific concerns]
Prompt Triggers
- "Help me name my startup"
- "Generate brand names for a [type] product"
- "Evaluate this name: [name]"
- "I need a creative name that sounds [adjective]"