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# How to find names for startups and products
- URL: https://www.unbore.com/how-to-find-names-for-startups-and-products/
- Published: 2026-03-01T04:08:43.000Z
- Updated: 2026-03-06T15:18:18.000Z
- Description: My complete brand naming process, 45+ naming tools, and how I use AI for naming.
- Author: Shlomo Genchin
- Tags: Copywriting

There are 16 common name types. Below, I’ll show you how I come up with them.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/56/7c/567cd7c2-834c-4b5b-a024-a798f2ebbdf8/content/images/2026/03/1772379036254-Frame-124.jpg)

## 1\. Brief Mining

I write down interesting words as I read through the brief, the brand strategy, history, audience insights, benefits, roadmap, and so on.

💡 Tip: [Use my 44 research prompts.](https://shlomo.wpengine.com/?ref=unbore.com#copywriting-research-with-chatgpt)

## 2\. Word Lotus

Around each word I find, I add eight more. I keep going until I have \~500 words.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/56/7c/567cd7c2-834c-4b5b-a024-a798f2ebbdf8/content/images/2026/03/1772379036828-naming-2.jpg)

To find new words, I use these websites:

​[Visuwords](https://visuwords.com/?ref=unbore.com) Create visual mind maps.

​[Idioms by The Free Dictionary](https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/?ref=unbore.com) Find idioms.

​[Reverse Dictionary](https://reversedictionary.org/?ref=unbore.com) Search for words by their definition.

​[Power Thesaurus](https://www.powerthesaurus.org/?ref=unbore.com) My favorite thesaurus. It can also find idioms and phrases.

​[Related Words](https://relatedwords.org/?ref=unbore.com) Find words that are related to a specific word or phrase. Great for mind mapping.

​[Word Associations](https://wordassociations.net/en/?ref=unbore.com) Find associations to words. Pretty similar to Related Words.

​[Spruce by OneLook](https://www.onelook.com/spruce/?ref=unbore.com) Find quotes, lyrics, proverbs, and jokes.

​[Tiny Budhha](https://tinybuddha.com/?ref=unbore.com) The best place to find quotes on any topic.

​[Describing Words](https://describingwords.io/?ref=unbore.com) Find the right adjective for any word.

​[Urban Thesaurus](https://urbanthesaurus.org/?ref=unbore.com) Find slang words related to your topic.

## 3\. Brainstorm

I go through the 16 name types, one by one, trying to come up with new names.  
I spend 10-15 min on each category and use these tools:

- [This Word Does Not Exist](https://www.thisworddoesnotexist.com/?ref=unbore.com) – AI imaginary word generator.
- [Novanym](https://novanym.com/?ref=unbore.com) & [Namelix](https://namelix.com/?ref=unbore.com) – AI name generators.
- [Punpedia](https://punpedia.org/?ref=unbore.com) & [Pun Generator](https://pungenerator.org/?ref=unbore.com) – find and generate puns.
- [Word unscrambler](https://www.wordunscrambler.net/word-combiner.aspx?ref=unbore.com) & [Werd Merge](https://www.werdmerge.com/?ref=unbore.com) – tools that combine words.
- [Pantheon](https://pantheon.org/?ref=unbore.com) & [Theoi](https://www.theoi.com/?ref=unbore.com), [Comicvine Gamespot](https://comicvine.gamespot.com/characters/?ref=unbore.com) – collections of names and terms from mythology, folklore, comics, and religion.
- [Dictionadrydotcom](https://www.dictionary.com/list/0?ref=unbore.com) & [Wordnik](https://www.wordnik.com/randoml?ref=unbore.com)’s random words – look for unique words in a dictionary.
- [List of negative words](https://7esl.com/negative-words/?ref=unbore.com) – come up with offensive and negative names.
- [Wikirhymer](https://wikirhymer.com/?ref=unbore.com) & [Rhymezone](https://www.rhymezone.com/?ref=unbore.com) – play with rhymes.
- [Name Berry](https://nameberry.com/?ref=unbore.com), [B](https://nameberry.com/?ref=unbore.com)[ehind The Name](https://www.behindthename.com/?ref=unbore.com), [Fantasy Name Generators](https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/?ref=unbore.com) – browse and generate human names from all times, places, and dimensions.
- [A cheatsheet with literary devices by Florian Mueck](http://www.florianmueck.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/FM%5F25Giants.pdf?ref=unbore.com)
- [Phrontistery](https://phrontistery.info/?ref=unbore.com), [Old Occupations](http://www.worldthroughthelens.com/family-history/old-occupations.php?ref=unbore.com), [Native Languages](http://www.native-languages.org/?ref=unbore.com) – explore rare, extinct, and unusual words.
- [Wikipedia’s list of glossaries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikipedia%5Fglossaries?ref=unbore.com) – borrow terms from other fields.
- [Birds of the World](https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/home?ref=unbore.com), [Reptile Database](http://www.reptile-database.org/?ref=unbore.com), [Sea and Sky Names](http://www.seasky.org/?ref=unbore.com), [WFO Plant List](https://wfoplantlist.org/plant-list/?ref=unbore.com) – Lists of names of birds, reptiles, plants, and other things found in the sea, sky, and space.
- [A list of onomatopoeia words](http://www.alisonreynolds.com.au/?p=1407&ref=unbore.com)
- [Namingschemes.com](https://namingschemes.com/Main%5FPage?ref=unbore.com) – A comprehensive list of naming schemes and systems.
- ChatGPT prompt:

> *Act as: A brand strategist and naming expert with 20 years of experience* 
> *Background: \[A detailed description of your company and audience\]* 
> *Brand keywords and adjectives: \[Insert 5-10\]* 
> *Task: Generate 15 creative \[Name type\] brand names*

💡 Tip: Work alone. Favor quantity over quality. No filtering or editing at this stage.

## 4\. Prescreen

Time to grab my ~~eraser~~ knife. I use these methods to filter out bad names:

Method A: SMILE vs. SCRATCH

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/56/7c/567cd7c2-834c-4b5b-a024-a798f2ebbdf8/content/images/2026/03/1772379037237-Frame-23.jpg)

Credit: Alexandra Watkins. I recommend her book, "Hello, My Name is Awesome."

![bad names make you scratch your head](https://storage.ghost.io/c/56/7c/567cd7c2-834c-4b5b-a024-a798f2ebbdf8/content/images/2026/03/1772379037602-naming-4.jpg)

Credit: [Alexandra Watkins](https://eatmywords.com/?ref=unbore.com).

Method B: Positioning

![name mapping insurance companies](https://storage.ghost.io/c/56/7c/567cd7c2-834c-4b5b-a024-a798f2ebbdf8/content/images/2026/03/1772379038028-naming-5.jpg)

Map the competitors. Do you want to fit in or stand out?

Method C: Look & Sound​  
– How does it look in a sentence?  
– Handwritten, typed, small caps, all caps, backward?  
– How does it sound?  
– Try using it as a verb.

Method D: Negative meanings​  
Use [Urban Dictionary](https://www.urbandictionary.com/?ref=unbore.com) and [Word Safety](http://wordsafety.com/?ref=unbore.com) to ensure that it doesn’t have hidden negative meanings.

## 5\. Domain and Trademark

Now, I have a shortlist. I organize the remaining names in a table and do a preliminary trademark, social, Google, and domain search.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/56/7c/567cd7c2-834c-4b5b-a024-a798f2ebbdf8/content/images/2026/03/1772379038301-60.jpg)

Domains  
​[Name Cheap’s Beast Mode](https://www.namecheap.com/domains/registration/results/?domain=&type=beast&ref=unbore.com) – the best way to find good domains.  
​[namecheck.com](https://www.namecheck.com/?ref=unbore.com) – check the availability of your business name across various social platforms and domains.  
​[Snapnames](https://www.snapnames.com/?ref=unbore.com) – Find expiring domains.

👉 Rule of thumb  
If the *.com* is taken, either use an alternative extension or add a modifier – avoid doing both. A few examples from the startups I work with:

![if the .com is taken](https://storage.ghost.io/c/56/7c/567cd7c2-834c-4b5b-a024-a798f2ebbdf8/content/images/2026/03/1772379038763-naming-6.jpg)

Trademark  
​• [US trademark search](https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/?ref=unbore.com)​

• [Trademark search in the UK](https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-tmtext?ref=unbore.com)​

• [WIPO Global brand and trademark database](https://branddb.wipo.int/?ref=unbore.com)​

• [TM View another global brand and trademark database](https://tmdn.org/?ref=unbore.com)​

• [USPTO trademark classes](https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/trademark-classes-the-complete-list?ref=unbore.com)

And finally, I select my favorites and let the trademark lawyer take it from there 🙂

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/56/7c/567cd7c2-834c-4b5b-a024-a798f2ebbdf8/content/images/2026/03/1772379039137-61-2.jpg)