Startup Name Generator

Launch Your Startup With an Incredible Name

Congratulations on taking the plunge to launch a startup! It's always exciting to bring a new business idea to market. As a startup founder myself, I'm thrilled that you're using our startup name generator to find your name.

Your startup name is super important. You probably recognize this, because you found our generator in the first place.

The problem is that finding and choosing the right startup name is hard. And without a great startup name, your startup is already behind the curve.

In fact, the founder of the fintech startup Wesabe blogged that he lost out to Mint because Mint had a better name.

The consequence of all of these items is a loss of customers, viewers, or subscribers, which ultimately leads to you losing money. And nobody wants to lose money!

Not to worry, though - plenty of startup founders have found a good business name without being expert namers. (I can't imagine Mark Zuckerberg hiring an agency when he thought of Facebook in his Harvard dorm room). Read on and we'll show you how to find an awesome name!

How Much Big Brands Spend to Find The Perfect Business Name

Big brands and venture-backed startups NEED to find incredible names. Given the money they invest in marketing, they need to pick a name that will maximize sales and ad spend.

These companies have huge advantages in finding creative business names. That advantage is pretty obvious - money! As a result, they typically follow one of two paths:

Path #1: Naming Agencies

The easiest (and most expensive) route that these companies take is hiring a naming agency.

You probably haven't heard of many naming agencies, but they are responsible for many of the products you know and love today.

For example, the naming agency Igor named Gogo Inflight Wifi.

The cost of hiring a naming agency will shock you. According to TechCrunch's startup branding guide, corporate naming agencies charge startups between $15,000 and $75,000 to create brand names for them.

That's way outside the budget of 99% of startup founders.

Path #2: Premium Domain Names

The other path these companies take is buying a premium domain name.

Premium domain names are usually high-quality domains that domain investors sit on for years.

According to GoDaddy, premium domain names sell for around $2,400 on average. That's a lot cheaper than a naming agency, but still way outside of the budget of most startup founders.

You may have the budget for a premium domain name. If you do, that's great! In general, they're super high quality and will attract lots of visitors.

But if you don't have the budget for a premium domain name, don't worry. There is another way to find great startup names with available .COM domains - using our startup name generator!

You Have the Skillset to Find Agency-Quality Startup Names for Free

Believe it or not, you don't need to spend $2,400, $15,000, or $75,000 to get agency-quality startup name ideas. In fact, you can find an agency-quality company name for free.

This may sound too good to be true. After all, I'm sure you've heard the saying "you get what you pay for."

But it's not too good to be true. Naming is a skill set that everyone has; it simply needs to be refined.

Think of it like running versus playing basketball. If you never played basketball, and you went to join a pickup game at the YMCA, you would have no idea what to do. That's because playing basketball is not a skill inherent to all humans.

But if you decided to go for a run for the first time, you'd know what to do. Even though you wouldn't be as good as a professional runner, you'd have some level of basic understanding.

Naming works the same way. And the best part is that it is 100x easier than becoming a professional runner. You only need to do it once, and you can become an expert very quickly.

Think about it - every single business in existence today found a name. I guarantee that 99% of them did NOT hire naming agencies, or spend $2,400 on a premium domain name.

This means that you have the skills to find great startup names too. You simply need guidance, tools, and resources to help you refine those skills!

Using Our Startup Name Generator to Find a Name

Using a free business name generator, startup name generator, or brand name generator is the absolute best way to find catchy business name ideas. And you can get started with our innovative tool in just a few clicks.

We spent thousands of hours creating and refining the algorithms behind the tool. With every search, you're leveraging our naming expertise.

All you need to do is figure out the right keywords to search! (We include several examples below the search box to nudge you in the right direction.)

Many of the domain names you'll find with our tool would list for over $2,000 on premium domain sites. There's nothing like launching a startup with a great brand asset worth $2,000 or more.

Your brand stands to increase in value over time, so securing a great domain name at the start is essential.

5 Critical Tips to Help You Choose the Right Startup Name

As I mentioned earlier, big brands and venture-backed startups spend from $2,400 to $75,000 on their names.

Between that and the Wesabe/Mint example, this underscores the importance of choosing the right name the first time!

A startup name generator helps you generate names in seconds. But you still have the task of picking a great business name idea from a big list of options.

The five tips below will help you choose the right name, so you can have a great foundation to build and launch your startup!

Tip #1: Consider Domain Name Availability, But Don't Make it the Sole Factor in Your Decision

So many startups choose a bad name solely because a .COM domain was available. This is a mistake; domain names are important, but domain availability shouldn't be the sole deciding factor in your decision.

Want to know an interesting fact? When you go to a Naming Agency’s portfolio, the vast majority of their names are NOT exact .COMs!

These highly-paid agencies know that the brand name is more important than the domain name. So they'll even go as far as using single dictionary words as brand names, even though the domain would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

When they do find the perfect domain, it’s rare enough that they highlight it. Check out this snippet from Catchword Branding’s Portfolio:

On top of that, even when they do highlight a .COM, it’s usually not available for $10. Matchpoint.com has been registered since 1995. Catchword was founded in 1998, meaning that the company likely purchased this name from a domain investor.

The takeaway from all of this? An exact-match .COM is still valuable. But not valuable enough that you should throw away an otherwise perfect brand name idea.

If you head over to our domain name generator, you can select an alternate domain extension on your first name search. Alternate domain extensions like .NET, .CO, and .IO can work great for startups.

You can either use one of those domain extensions or add a modifier to get a .COM.

Tip #2: Keep it Simple

Startups often have complicated product or service offerings that require a significant amount of explanation.

By picking a simple, easy-to-understand brand name, your startup will instantly resonate with your potential customers.

To be simple, your name should be easy to spell, grammatically correct, and have <15 letters (ideally <11). Don't overcomplicate things unless you want people to think you have a complicated product.

Tip #3: Ask Yourself How You'll Reach Your Target Audience

If you're launching a startup, you've likely heard of the phrase "target audience."

When you're picking a startup brand name, it's important to consider how your target audience will find you. This task is particularly important for new businesses and requires a healthy amount of research.

Maybe you're launching an online brand that relies on organic traffic. Many startups need organic traffic to fuel their growth. (Ask yourself: what other brands stand out in the Google results for your target keywords? Will people want to go to my startup's website after seeing my name?)

Maybe you're a B2B startup and you're planning to grow through LinkedIn ads and cold emails. (Ask yourself: will my name look professional in my emails?)

Maybe your startup is creating a physical product, and your customers will find it on Amazon or in retail stores. (Ask yourself: how will my name look on the product packaging?)

No matter what your startup does, it's important to consider how you'll find customers when choosing your name.

Tip #4: Keep Your Name Flexible

The startup world is constantly changing. You never know when you might change business models, get acquired by another company, or pivot to a new market.

When you pick a startup brand name, it's important to choose one that's flexible. That means your name can grow with your brand.

Unless you are dead-set on your startup's focus, I highly recommend that you choose a more flexible startup name. Then, at least one part of your startup will be future-proofed!

Tip #5: Avoid Perfectionism

Want an easy-to-spell, memorable, and credible startup brand name that oozes personality, has no negative associations, is available as an exact-match .COM domain name, and is trademarkable? 

If so, you may need to increase your naming budget by $10,000.... or more.

Most people purchase from a startup because their product fits their needs. Once, I bought a product on Amazon from a brand called "Voyee," even though their name sounded like "voyeur." Why?

I purchased from Voyee because their product had thousands of five-star reviews! Even though their name was strange, it didn't matter to me. Their product worked great, and that was the most important thing.

Finding a great name is important. And you'll be able to find amazing startup name ideas with our generator. But finding a "perfect" name is nearly impossible.

Keep that in mind, and you won't drive yourself crazy spending six months brainstorming 5,000 names.

FAQs

1) Can I Use Your Startup Name Generator for Free?

Yes! Some startup name generators charge a lot of money, but we want to be able to help as many startups as possible. That's why our startup name generator is 100% free to use. You can type in a word you want in your startup name and create startup name ideas instantly.

2) How Do I Create a Startup Name?

When it comes to startup naming, there's no "right" or "wrong" way, but it's always a great idea to try a startup name generator. Name generators are adept at creating massive lists of high-quality startup names.

3) What is a Catchy Startup Name?

The ideal startup brand names are short, relevant, brandable, and memorable. They also can help you stand out from the crowd by expressing your brand's personality. Your name does not need to be perfect; if you follow these guidelines, your name will be ready for potential consumers.

4) Should I Include Specific Keywords in My Startup Name?

Using a specific, descriptive keyword will make it easier for your startup to reach potential customers. However, they often limit your business model to the original idea. If you want flexibility, it's a better idea to pick a name based on a more "brandable" keyword.

Conclusion

Finding a startup name can be challenging. But with our startup name generator, it's easy to find cool startup names that fit your brand and target audience. And you don't need to spend thousands of dollars to find it.

To start seeing amazing startup name ideas, enter a keyword in the box at the top of the page!