My Secret Way to Find Good Names for Projects & Startups

http://www.64notes.com/find-good-names-for-projects-startups

by kingsidharth • 15 years ago

16 13 15 years ago

huhtenberg• 15 years ago

> 64 Notes, Createens, Spojit, Besperk

Nothing against the approach (which is how every naming service and professional works - they start with something and iterate in various directions until they get the right ring, feel and concept), but the examples given are rather abysmal. Createens is a Cretin in disguise, Besperk is a Beserk, and 64 notes is just generic and forgettable. Spojit is the only one without any direct associations, unique and nice sounding.

betterth• 15 years ago

64notes is just another "me too" copy of 37signals, IMO.

kingsidharth• 15 years ago

and 99 Designs

fab13n• 15 years ago

He forgot to mention a key quality, often overlooked by out-of-touch (a.k.a. "old") marketing staff: the name must be easily googled; even for the billions of people who don't restrict their Google settings to "English only".

scott_s• 15 years ago

Play a few games of Scrabble. Every game, I want to play many simple to pronounce, simple to spell combinations of letters that are not English words, but they "feel" like they should be.

jorkos• 15 years ago

clasio better than classic! really? clasio is not a good name....it simply presents too many spelling problems.

jessegavin• 15 years ago

I completely agree, especially for a wrist watch startup.

CPlatypus• 15 years ago

"Besperk, Ogmerk, Oyake, Verloop"

I worked for Revivio. I worked for SiCortex. I can handle bad names, but these are names I'd only use in place of swear words. "This code is ogmerk. Go besperk yourself." If you used these names too often around prisoners of war, you'd be violating the Geneva Conventions.

benblack86• 15 years ago

I can just about spell English words. I am not able to correctly Google foreign words.

marquis• 15 years ago

An issue for me with startup names is that they have absolutely no relation to what they do. How many times I have found a great service on HN, only to try and remember what it was a month later and for the life of me it could be any one of 'susu','akio','berpo'.. give me pingdom or ringcentral any day.

ale55andro• 15 years ago

It's very difficult to find a good name that is meaningful(reflecting the business), short and easy to remember (short as in the 5-6 letter range). When the name does not reflect the business at hand, the name can be reused at a minimum. Further more, if you diversify your business and branch out into other areas, your name won't hold you back. To that end, whether the word is foreign or not doesn't really diminish the value of the name and it may even help you find a good name quicker. so long as it is short, has a good rhyme to it and it's easy to remember. This is not novelty either, it's already been blogged to death.

treefrog• 15 years ago

I'd really enjoy seeing a knee-jerk reaction from founders, shying away from nonsense naming conventions. I understand that it's in an attempt to be "hip" and separate one's business from the companies of yore. However, it's not necessary.

I imagine it's a lot like getting a tattoo. You're 20-something and pick something you really like. It makes you feel cool. Then, 20 years later, you look at it in the mirror everyday thinking "Why?..."

My Secret Way to Find Good Names for Projects & Startups

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