The Startup Naming Process
Position first, brief the intent, brainstorm hundreds of bad names, then score survivors against seven criteria
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 95%
A repeatable process for naming a company or product that treats the name as one part of overall marketing rather than a make-or-break decision. You do positioning first, write a naming brief, run a two-part structured brainstorm to generate hundreds of candidates, then score a shortlist against seven fixed criteria to arrive at 3-5 contenders before trademark and domain checks.
Origin
Developed by Arielle Jackson across ~30 company namings at Google, Square, and First Round Capital (e.g. Seesaw, Maven, Eero). She credits an outside firm, 100 Monkeys, as her go-to when she gets stuck.
Core principles
- 01Positioning dictates the name, so it must come first
- 02A great name only helps you; a bad name won't kill a good company
- 03Generate hundreds of bad ideas to find a couple worth exploring
- 04Never fall in love with one name — trademark may kill it
- 05Suggestive/evocative names (Seesaw, Maven) do marketing work for you; empty-vessel names (Yahoo, Eero) require heavy spend to imbue meaning
How to run it
- 1
Do product positioning first
Complete your positioning statement before naming, because the meaningful words in it become raw material for the brainstorm and the name should reflect what you do.
Pro tip Bring a code name so ridiculous you'd never launch it, so you don't get attached to a placeholder during incorporation.
Watch out If you name before positioning, the name won't do any marketing work for you.
- 2
Write a naming brief
Define what you're naming (company, product, or both — usually both share one name early stage), what you want the name to communicate, what to avoid, competitor names, and any special considerations (e.g. pronounceable for a native Chinese speaker).
Pro tip Early stage, give the company and product one name so people only have to remember one thing.
- 3
Run a two-part brainstorm
Set up one hour with 5-7 people including 'interested but disinterested' outsiders (a writer, a linguist, a polyglot). Part one: pull meaningful words from the positioning statement and run synonyms, antonyms, free associations, other languages. Part two: pick 7-10 'Jeopardy themes' related to the domain (e.g. history of the field, famous last names) and free-associate off each.
Pro tip Afterward, mine Wikipedia and library books on the topic for weird, interesting words.
- 4
Score the shortlist red/yellow/green on seven criteria
Narrow to a 10-25 concept shortlist, then rate each on the seven always-apply criteria: trademark, domain availability, distinctiveness, timelessness (avoid dated naming trends), communicates your message/emotion, sound and ease of pronunciation, appearance (visual design potential), and length. Add any brief-specific criteria.
Pro tip Two- or three-syllable names are often more memorable than one-syllable ones despite founders wanting the next Square or Stripe.
Watch out Avoid dated naming trends (trailing '-ly', dropped vowels like 'flickr') — they date your company in 10-20 years.
- 5
Land on 3-5 contenders, then clear them
Pick 3-5 top contenders (never just one) and run them through trademark and domain checks.
Pro tip You don't need the exact .com anymore — many companies run on variants (Square ran on squareup.com for years).
Watch out Don't narrow to a single name — if it fails trademark you'll be crushed and have to start over.
In the wild
An edtech iPad app connecting teacher, parent and student had a bad name before. The naming process landed on Seesaw — evocative of elementary school, something that goes back and forth, nostalgic and fun to say.
→ A memorable, emotionally resonant name where 'oh, that makes sense' is the reaction once you hear what the company does.
A First Round company enabling operators to teach skills via cohort classes. Maven is a Yiddish word for 'one who understands' because they acquired the skill over time — students want to become mavens, instructors are mavens.
→ Short, easy to say, and perfectly sensible once the product is explained.
A B2B-sales-driven company was almost named Lattice, but because reps would say 'I'm calling from Lattice' on the phone and it sounds like 'lettuce', they rejected it on the sound/ease-of-pronunciation criterion.
→ They chose a different name; the sound criterion actively changed the outcome.
Common mistakes
Getting attached to a throwaway incorporation name
Founders pick a quick placeholder to incorporate, then emotionally attach to it and want to launch under it even though it's weak. Use a code name so ridiculous you'd never ship it so you stay unattached.
Narrowing to a single beloved name
Falling in love with one name means a trademark conflict leaves you devastated with nothing. Always carry 3-5 contenders into trademark and domain checks.
Chasing a naming trend for coolness
Trend-driven names (dropped vowels, '-ly' suffixes) instantly date the company and violate the timelessness criterion.
Is it for you?
Best for
Seed-stage founders naming a company or product for the first time who want a defensible process instead of a gut pick
Not ideal for
Established companies with heavy brand equity naming sub-products, where boring, descriptive names (Square Register, Google Maps) that inherit the master brand are better
From the transcript
“the first thing is to do your product positioning i really believe that positioning dictates so much of your marketing and should always be the…”
“there are seven criteria for names that always apply in my opinion”
“we spend one hour i set it up beforehand and we try to come up with like hundreds and hundreds of bad ideas and a…”
“we come up with like three to five don't come up with one because you might not get it for trademark”
“i really believe in using a code name that's so ridiculous that you won't ever launch a product like that”
“a good name is only going to help you but a bad name won't hurt a good company”
From the episode
The art of building legendary brands | Arielle Jackson (Google, Square, Marketer in Residence at First Round Capital)
Arielle Jackson (Google, Square, Marketer in Residence at Fi