Name generator

What it's for

One tool for all your naming ideas: startups and companies, music bands, podcasts, YouTube channels, domain names, fantasy characters and usernames. Pick the type from the menu and generate.

Tip

Use the results as a starting point and customize them. For companies and domains, always check the name is free before using it.

The three tests a name has to pass

The phone test. Say it out loud to someone and have them write it down. If they have to ask you how it's spelled, that name will cost you an explanation every single time, forever: it's why names with uncertain double letters, foreign spellings and orthographic puns age badly.

The neighbour test. Search the name on a search engine and look at what comes up before you: if it's already taken by a company in the same field, or by something embarrassing, the name is burnt even if nobody registered it.

The language test. A name that sounds good in one language can mean something unfortunate elsewhere, and it has happened to very large brands. Two minutes with a translator are enough, and it matters most if the project might cross borders.

Before you get attached, check it's free

There are three places to look and they take half an hour. The domain: if the .com is taken by somebody actually using it, you'll be left with the second-choice name forever. The usernames on the platforms you need: having them all the same is worth more than a perfect name that differs everywhere. And the trade mark: trade mark office databases are free to search, and finding out the name is registered in your own class after printing the signs is the most expensive way to learn this lesson.

A short name or one that explains?

They're two different roads and they have to be chosen, not mixed. A descriptive name («Fast Plumber Manchester») is understood at once and helps whoever is searching for exactly that, but it's hard to defend and grows badly if you change trade or town. An invented or abstract name says nothing on its own, so it has to be filled with meaning over time, but it's yours, it can be registered, and it's the one that lets you become something else without changing the sign.

When in doubt, for a project meant to last, the second is the better bet, paired with a tagline explaining what you do: the line under the name costs little and gets changed when needed.

Nearby tools

For the line under the name there is Tagline generator, and for a profile description Bio generator. To turn the name into a web address there is Make a URL slug, and to see how it will look in Google's results Google preview. Names for pets are in Pet names.