Creative Ways to Come up With a Unique Business Name

There are hundreds of books dedicated to assisting soon-to-be-parents with deciding on a name for their baby. Choosing a name for your baby is nerve-wracking and difficult; you want to pick something strong, unique and memorable. A name holds a lot of weight when it comes to first impressions — your name is effectively stating your personal brand. The same challenge is also relevant to another baby: that’s right, your business baby.

Deciding on a unique business name is no easy feat. Just as you want a baby’s name to be unique and memorable, you’ll want the same for your business. Your company’s name should be easy for customers to pronounce, unique enough so people don’t confuse it with other businesses, memorable enough so they can actually think of it off the top of their heads, interesting enough to grab people’s attention and meaningful for your work. That’s a lot of factors to consider!

Unique Business Name Ideas

If you’re considering launching an LLC (or other type of business) and you’re simply stuck on what business name to choose, try some of these creative ways to get those juices flowing. You’ll discover the perfect name for your business in no time.

• Start at the spot where all information begins: Google. Conduct some Google searches on “unique business names,” “most common business names” or “businesses in [your state]” to see what pops up.
• Play around with a business name generator from websites like Shopify. All you have to do is type in a word or words you want your business name to include and you’ll be served up plenty of options.
• Draw inspiration from books, movies, television, music, art, mythology, other brands, etc.
• Use your own name. It worked for Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield (of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream) and Louis Vuitton. And it can also work for you. Not sure about using your full name? Try a nickname or other family name.
• Translate words into another language to see if your idea sounds even better in Latin, German or Mandarin, for example.
• Acronyms can lead to interesting business names. Try using the first letter of every word in a phrase, or parts of words/names. Companies and brands like Cable News Network (CNN), Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW), Recreational Equipement, Inc (REI) and Evolution of Smooth (EOS) are all fans of acronyms.
• Come up with unique spelling, like Chick-fil-A, Dunkin’ Donuts, Froot Loops or Publix.

Check Your Business Name’s Availability

Before you fall in love with a particular business name, you’re going to want to see if that name is already taken. Incfile’s Business Name Search Tool can look up whether a name is available. If not, you’ll have to go back to the drawing board or choose another option from your list. If you’re in the clear, then it’s time to start your company!