The Ultimate Guide to Brand Names | 1

A HELPFUL COM PA NI O N TO T HE ULT I M AT E G UI DE TO R EB R A NDIN G

The Ultimate Guide

to Naming Brands
by Kyle Duford
WI T H R I CH HEF T Y
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[Link]
 The Ultimate Guide to Brand Names | 3

Tab l e of C ont e nt s
01
INTRODUCTION

02
T YPES OF NAMES

03
THE BUILDING BLOCKS

04
B R A N D A R C H I T E C T U R E & N O M E N C L AT U R E

05
THE NAMING PROCESS
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“Names are the sweetest

and most important sound
in any language.”
— DALE CARNEGIE
Introduction

WE BUILD BRANDS.

To do so, we have to first vet, tweak, or create an identity. Not a

visual identity (yet), but an identity nonetheless. It's true that a
name is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make,
but that's exactly why it's the last part in our process.

To build a great brand we look at or create the brand essence,

purpose, vision, mission, values, and attributes. From there we
choose one of twelve brand archetypes to establish their brand
position. Once agreed upon, then — and only then — do we
tackle names.

You may be wondering why. Well, a name is just a label. It

doesnt mean anything alone, but embued with personality,
experience, history, and stories it will be not only your calling
card and your internet address but also it will start to become,
among other things, your brand.
 The Ultimate Guide to Brand Names | 5

YOUR BRAND. Many so-called branders and naming experts describe it differently, but we
call a brand the “emotional connection between your business, product, or service with the
consumer.” You feel it. You understand it. And it's consistent, sometimes literally: You get
the same Grande Vanilla Almond Milk Latté at a Starbucks in New York City as you will in
Topeka, Kansas, or even Dubai. For Nike, they’ll help you achieve your athletic goals. Glossier
make-up will not only make you look glamorous, but you know that someone like you helped
create the product. These are promises. Connections. A brand therefore is a handshake deal,
a promise in which you’re offering something they need. What do you do when you shake a
hand? You introduce yourself by name. That's only the starting point.

/nam/
noun 1. a word or phrase that constitutes the distinctive designation
of a person or thing (ex: The boy’s name is Brad.)
2. a word or symbol used in logic to designate an entity

WE LOVE TO NAME companies and name rebrands, too. It’s that one thing that
surfaces across the entire business. It’s on the door, the business cards, the top of the
website, polo shirts, sides of cars, advertising, email address, etc. Over time, it becomes
so synonymous with you because it is you. And there’s usually a story behind it.
Sometimes, when it becomes so popular that the product name is inextricable with the
product type (think of Kleenex, Xerox, or TiVo), you know you’ve struck gold.

Let me share a personal example: The name Kyle wasn’t very popular in 1974, the year I
was born. In fact, according to some light research, the name Kyle has been used in the
United States ever since 1881, with barely 500,000 boys given the name in the past 200
years. However, the name gained the most popularity in 1983, when it’s usage went up
by 152.61%! In that year alone, over 12,000 US babies were given this first name. But in
1974, however, only 2,601 babies born in the US were named Kyle. I was one of them.

I was told (to some degree of suspicion this is even true) that I was named after Kyle
Rote, Jr., a famous soccer player who played for the NASL’s Dallas Tornados and
captained the US Men’s National team from 1973-1975. A great forward on a poor U.S.
team, Rote’s national team didn’t even play in 1974 until August, well after I was born.
How my mother — who has never watched sports in her life — discovered this name
is still baffling. But the name was given to me, and there was a story behind it. It has
meaning. And for the better part of fifty years, it’s what I answer to. However, it's not
until you actually meet me, or experience time together, that my name carries meaning.

Names aren’t just dreamt up and given out like candy; they’re carefully considered
(hopefully more so from your brand agency than my mom), tested, thought about,
and then put into place. Gosh, I love naming companies: Retül, Nuqleous, Acamas,
Aēspire, NITA, Spero, and so many more. A good name sometimes becomes a great
name when it’s thoroughly crafted, can take its entire identity to the point that
when it's spoken, it evokes layers of brand characteristics and expectations. ■
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Why a Good
Great Name
is a Must
“The beginning of wisdom is to
call things by their proper name.”
— CONFUCIUS

WE CALL THINGS by their name so we can differentiate them from one another.
People have names. Cities have names. We give names to everything. One of the
hardest decisions in life is naming our kids (maybe watch a little soccer match
first?) — or our pets. A name conveys meaning, imbues emotion, and defines the
person, place, or thing for generations or more.

But a name by itself is meaningless.

Names are only words until they have a connection to the subject. This connection
comes through meaning — the brand. But what is a brand? “A brand is the set of
expectations, memories, stories, and relationships,” says marketing guru Seth
Godin, author of Purple Cow and This is Marketing. “That, [when] taken together,”
he continues, “accounts for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service
over another.” Just as the adage goes, “a brand isn’t just a logo,” it’s also true that a
name isn’t just the brand either.

One of the biggest myths of naming is that you’ll know it when you hear it. A good
name may just come to you, but choosing a great name takes time. This can come at
the end of a process that starts first with identity, characteristics, tone, feeling, etc. As
we’ll see later in this guide, the human mind makes many connections with a brand
name: how it sounds, its vowel choices, ease of remembering, and its connection to
the logo — among other things. →
 The Ultimate Guide to Brand Names | 7

A company’s reputation comes from how it engages with

its customers. Amazon delivers fast service, Zappo’s
shipping and return policy is second-to-none, and TOMS
Shoes cares about those less fortunate. Is it their name
that conveys those meanings, or is it your experience with
their business? Sure, their name identifies the company
of which you’re speaking, but it’s the connection you
have with them (through all their brand touchpoints) that
connects you, their product or service, and their name
with their brand.

If outside reputation is based on experience, inside

acceptance of a brand name starts with its stakeholders.
They drive or own nearly every influential touchpoint that
defines the feeling the name ultimately evokes. If your
C-suite, leadership team, or board members feel it's not
right — it won't be. They need to be the biggest evangelists.

A strong name — a great name — is paramount to forming

a business and creating a brand.

Sports teams, beer companies, ministries, products,

banks, sneakers, streets, landmarks, estates — everything
we know has a name, and someone came up with it. But
man, it’s hard to do. Let's see why. →
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Naming
is part art,
part science —
and it's hard.
Creating a business and, moreover, creating a brand
involves naming it — or many times, renaming it.
(Imagine if Nike was still called Blue Ribbon Sports.
It would lack a little something, wouldn’t it?) Naming is
a complex undertaking that involves research, listening,
competitive analysis, and brand positioning.
 The Ultimate Guide to Brand Names | 9

IT MAY SEEM easy at first. You want to name something to give it meaning — a
riff on your product name, the place you built your business, or maybe after your
favorite of two grandfathers. The bigger the stakes, the more difficult it is.

In the 1994 film PCU1, the character Katy comes up to Jeremy Piven’s Droz and
asks what he thinks of the band’s name for the concert. The name? Everybody
Gets Laid. The reason? On all the posters, the signs would say: “Tonight at
the Pit: Everybody Gets Laid.” Get it? So did he. His response: “It’s tasteless,
disgusting, and offensive. I love it!” Thirty years later, I remember that band’s
name because it was different. Disgusting, I agree, but memorable nonetheless.

When a name doesn't woanrkge, .

smart brands make a ch
However, when a name doesn’t work, smart brands make a change to re-emerge
as a great brand — potentially with a rebrand or reposition as well. Best Buy
was originally called The Sound of Music. Burbn was Instagram’s initial name.
Would you rather have a Brad’s Drink or a Pepsi?

This is where strategy comes in. Finding a naming strategy — what you want
your name to convey and how it positions you — can be more important than
the name itself. Are you trying to be classy and sophisticated? Gaudy and
ostentatious? Flamboyant and over-the-top? Witty and clever? Or, like Katy’s
band, disgusting and offensive? The name you choose will begin describing your
brand the second it’s read or said aloud. That band poster? It works because it’s
on-the-nose for what a college student thinks is funny. For them, in that context,
it worked. Strategy determines how you’re going to achieve your goals and
objectives. Therefore, naming strategy is how you’re going to achieve your brand
goals through your name. It should compliment your brand positioning, and help
solidify its meaning. ■

1
This really is a funny movie. It’s been years since I’ve seen it, but I still laugh many times when I do. And it was one of Jon
Favreau’s first acting roles. He later went on to direct Iron Man, and many other blockbusters.
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“A rose by any other name

would smell as sweet.”
— WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

YOU'VE HEARD that quote, meaning it’s not the name of the
rose that gives it its olfactory sensations, but the rose itself. Call
Types of Names

it whatever you like; it smells the same. Shakespeare backed up

my point on naming in particular: Juliet Capulet was speaking of
Romeo’s surname of Montague being one that she should despise
(as their two families had been feuding for years), but she didn’t.
Juliet did not love the name, but rather the man and his brand:
his humor, looks, love, loyalty, honor, and daringness. Call Romeo
anything and his brand would remain: Just as sweet.1

As lovely as this sentiment may be, and despite the fact that
it’s been shared around the world for centuries, a name is part
of an individual’s essence. As Juliet knew, a name is not the
individual themselves, but it is part of them. Imagine you once
dated a man named John (or a woman named Jane) who left
you heartbroken, despondent, or worse. I'd bet you my copy of
Romeo & Juliet that when you met someone else with that name,
you'll inadvertently have a reaction. Names have meaning. We
remember them.

Like Marty Neumeier says in his book, The Brand Gap: “The need
for good brand names originates with customers, and customers
will always want convenient ways of identifying, remembering,
discussing, and comparing brands. The right name can be a
brand’s most valuable asset, driving differentiation and speeding
acceptance.”2

The right name. Yes. But what’s in a name? If you haven’t

gathered this yet, I say everything. →
 The Ultimate Guide to Brand Names | 11

Many people theorize about meanings imbued

by names. Some can be tangibly noted based
on brand recognition or awareness, but many
find other connections.
BRAND NAMES THAT have alliteration, rhyme, or other similarities
tend to stick with us more. Think of singers Tina Turner or Joan
Jett, actors Parker Posey, Courtney Cox, or Alan Alda — depending
on your generation. Names with similar sounds are easier to
remember. This is true during the jingle era of advertising, as
songs helped us remember brands. Brands such as Coca-Cola,
Jelly Belly, and Kit Kat, for example, use the same idea. They
are sing-songy names that are fun to say, easy on the ears, and
therefore, more simple to remember.

Like logos, names can take a variety of forms. In the book

Designing Brand Identity, Alina Wheeler identifies six naming
categories3: Descriptive, Metaphoric, Acronym, Founder, Fabricated,
and Combination; however, we’re adding some more categories to
help define them a little further. →

1
I'm actually partial to Much Ado about Nothing, another great Shakesperian play with romance at its heart. The banter
between Benedick and Beatrice as they unwittingly fall prey to their families' set-up — and ultimately fall in love — is beautiful.
2
Neumeier, M. (2005). Brand Gap, The (2nd Edition). New Riders Publishing, USA.
3
Wheeler, A. (2006). Designing brand identity: A complete guide to creating, building and maintaining strong brands. Hoboken,
N.J: John Wiley.
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Name
Categories
DESCRIPTIVE NAMES
Many companies are easily described by their names: Toys R Us sells toys,
The Weather Channel talks about weather, E-Trade allows you to trade the
stock market, and Sports Illustrated is a magazine about sports. These easy-
to-remember brand names are often used in a crowded market, or merely
when they want to be super on-the-nose with their brand promise. Although
these names were quite often used in early 20th century companies like the
Aluminum Company of America, they ultimately succumbed to a 1950s
corporate movement where everything was shorted to a catchier name and
became ALCOA. Descriptive names are used less than ever, but can still be
powerful when used properly.
 Let’s
The build
Ultimate
something
Guide to
great
Brand Names | 13
together.

E V O C AT I V E N A M E S
Also known as Metaphoric Names, these
describe people, places, destinations, or even
harken to ancient or foreign worlds to make
a unique, memorable name. In ancient Greek
mythology, the goddess of victory was named
Nike. Patagonia is named after a region
spanning Chile and Argentina. The North Face
is the actual “north-sided face” of the Half
Dome in Yosemite, California, but it’s also a
nod to the north face of any mountain, which
is typically the coldest, iciest — and thus, the
hardest face to climb. The connection doesn’t
necessarily need to be an obvious one: What
did a river in South America have to do with
selling books online? Well, with a name like
Amazon, you sell books “from A to Z.” (Jeff
Bezos actually named it Amazon for two
reasons: First, he wanted a name that showed
up at the top of alphabetical lists, and second,
the Amazon is the largest river in the world,
which reflected his hopes that his company
would one day be the biggest in the world.)

While an evocative name doesn’t need to

have a connection, many of them do. For
example, fitness tracking app STRAVA is
named after the Swedish word “to strive,”
and Finnish GPS company SUUNTO after the
Finnish word suunta, meaning “direction”
or “path.” Evocative names are often the
most fun to create as they usually have deep
meaning and engaging stories behind them.
This inherent meaning sets expectations
for not only consumers, but also to internal
stakeholders, the champions of the brand, to
be able to internalize and better articulate the
brand story to others.
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ACRONYM NAMES
Using acronyms for names is common,
especially when you’re looking for an easy
solution to streamline a long, clunky brand
name. Many government agencies use
acronyms (NASA, NORAD, CIA, FBI, NSA, etc.),
as do well-known civilian brands such as GM
(General Motors), UPS (United Parcel Service),
and CVS (Consumer Value Stores). Usually, the
acronym is a derivative of a name that falls into
one of the other categories.

FOUNDER NAMES
Using a founder’s name (or names) can carry
extra baggage of the founder themselves,
but it can also elevate the founder to another
level. When branded properly, the name takes
on another meaning altogether. Most fashion
designers keep their own name as their fashion
house rises to the top — Paul Smith, Tommy
Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, and Marc Jacobs to
name a few. Of course, this tendency isn’t limited
to the fashion industry. Other brands such as
Ben & Jerry’s, Abercrombie & Fitch, Barnes
& Noble, Walt Disney, or even Dyson are all
named after their founders.

YOU MIGHT THINK that Warby Parker is a

founder name, but it’s actually the combination
of two characters (Warby Pepper and Zagg Parker)
from a Jack Kerouac journal that co-founder Dave
Gilboa discovered at an exhibition. Kerouac has
been so influential on the four founders, that
every employee on their first day gets a copy
Dharma Bums. While their trade name isn’t a
founder’s name, the company’s corporate name,
JAND, Inc., is an acronym of all the co-founders'
names: Jeffrey, Andrew, Neil, and Dave.

VANS IS NAMED after the Van Doren brothers from Anaheim, CA. They began manufacturing and
selling their vulcanized rubber canvas shoes in 1966 and transformed the skate world. Today, when
you hear the name or see their signature product — the Checkerboard Slip-On — you’re instantly
thinking about the rebellious SoCal skate/surf culture. Check out Paul Van Doren's new memoir,
Authentic, to learn more about his eponymous company.
FA B R I C AT E D / A B S T R A C T N A M E S
Some fabricated names that we could list under another
category fit best in a category of their own have no meaning CAR BRANDS HAVE
in-and-of themselves, but over time they come to not only lots of names, from
identify the business or product they sell but help define an the brand itself, to
entire category. Kleenex, XEROX, and TiVo are most certainly product lines and
the poster-brands here (if you recall from the intro). These models. But where
names are great for their uniqueness, ability to purchase a did they come from?
domain, and their ability to stand out from the crowd. For Jeep is the sound
example, when George Eastman was looking for his new of the letters “GP,” a
company’s name, he knew he wanted to create one that military abbreviation
started with a “k,” his favorite letter. His mother helped him fill for a “General
in the void, and Kodak was born. Purpose” vehicle. The
name has taken on an

“A name should be short, easy entirely new meaning

as the Jeep® brand is
to pronounce, and not resemble not only the oldest,
any other name or be associated original sport utility
vehicle but also one
with anything else.” of the best known.
— GEORGE EASTMAN
On the other hand,
EMOTIONAL NAMES when four car
Laundry and personal care product names are typically companies banded
emotional: Snuggle. Bounce. Tide. Not quite onomatopoeia together to form
(writing a name for a sound, like pop or wham!), but a feeling Audi, it wasn’t just
you get when you hear it: Snuggle fabric softener makes your a fun four-ring logo
clothes soft, Bounce will kick the static cling, and Zest soap that was created (to
makes you “Zest fully clean,” and Cottonelle toilet paper is soft represent each of the
like cotton. companies). Founder
August Horch’s last
C O M B I N AT I O N N A M E S name means “listen”
Names that are made from joining two other words are in German. And in
combination names. Adidas is the combination of founder Latin? It’s audi.
Adi Dassler’s name, FedEx was once called Federal Express,
and CONRAIL is formed by the conjoining of “consolidated
railways.” My all-time favorite is German candy maker Haribo,
whose name is simply the first two letters from founder Hans
Riegel’s first name, surname, and the first two letters of the
town in which they started, Bonn.

A variation of Combination Names, Portmanteau Names,

are also called Blended Names. While they are similar, these
names are the result of blending two or more words — or
parts of words. Instagram is a well-known example of this, as
are Pinterest (“pin” your interests), Netflix (watch “flicks” on
the Internet), and Amtrak (American trains running on tracks).
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MAGIC SPELL , MISSPELLING,

O R S E N S AT I O N A L N A M E S
This category is one that Wheeler missed in her book, but
has become vital in today’s technological world. Google is an
accidental misspelling of the mathematical number “Googol,”
or 10 to the power of 100. But there are many others: Krispy
DID YOU KNOW? Kreme Doughnuts is a variant of crispy cream; the British
Flickr was originally breakfast cereal Weetabix is a sensational spelling of the
going to be Flicker. words “wheat” and “biscuits;” Froot Loops of the word “fruit;”
“We tried to get or even Hasbro’s Playskool (a riff off “school”). Many modern
‘flicker’ with an e, but tech or Internet companies use misspelled words as names
the guy who had the to help position them in the market as a clear online tech
Web domain wasn’t company, most notably by dropping significant letters from
willing to give it up,” a common word like Flickr (see sidebar), Tumblr, or adding
the founders once letters like Fiverr or Dribbble.
told Inc. Magazine. When it comes to misspelled words/names, patience is
They dropped the e essential. Words that are obviously misspelled — even
and ushered in a new intentionally — can be a little jarring. Of course, this can
type of misspelling for increase their impact and make them easy to remember,
the dot com world. which is the goal. Over time, as the name/brand takes traction,
it can actually feel strange to see the original word — the
correct spelling — in anything. This happened with a client
of ours called Rock Solid Retail. When we rebranded them
as Nuqleous in 2020, with a purposeful misspelling, it was
hard at first to remember how to spell it. Now, the real English
language word “nucleus” looks awkward on everything. It
actually helps to strengthen the brand when, over time, the
misspelling looks more correct than the proper spelling.

GEOGRAPHIC NAMES
Extremely popular a half-century ago, these names are simple
in nature. By linking the principle business to its surroundings,
Geographic Names serve a purpose: Boston Market (formerly
Boston Chicken) was started just outside of Beantown. British
Airways (also a descriptive name) flies routes from its home in
Great Britain. Nautilus started as a fire and marine insurance
company, but after petitioning the legislature of New York
to become a mutual life insurance company, the name was
changed to New York Life. California Pizza Kitchen began in Los
Angeles, CA. However, when a brand outgrows its home or wants
to associate with a larger audience, there are times when it’s
necessary to rename. This was true for the St. Louis Bread Co.,
which, when it expanded outside of the St. Louis area, changed
its name to the Italian portmanteau name Panera, a combination
of the words bread (pane) and time (era). ■
 The Ultimate Guide to Brand Names | 17

What it needs
Like a recipe, a brand name needs to have
certain characteristics or ingredients to
make it not only unique, but palatable.

IMBUED WITH MEANING

Your brand name conveys the brand essence, brings
to mind a certain emotion, and creates positivity with
the brand.

UNIQUENESS
Books-a-Million may convey what they sell, but is it
memorable like Amazon? Your name needs to set you
apart from your direct competitors.

65%
APPROACHABLE

↑ You know how it feels when you go to a store and see

a clerk’s nametag that’s hard to pronounce? Having
an approachable name means it’s easy to say, spell,
and remember.
Recent rebrands
choose Evocative OWNABLE
or Abstract names One of the maddening aspects of naming is
getting ready to own it, protect it, and legally secure
When researching it or its domain. But more than that, ownability is also
corporate rebrand the ability to carve out its mindshare in the heads
names, Irish researcher of consumers.
Laurent Muzzellac
noted in his whitepaper EVERGREEN
“What’s in a Name Having an evergreen name — or one that can last for
decades — ensures longevity and the ability to stay
Change?” that in a
relevant for years to come.
set of 166 brands that
rebranded from older VISUAL
names, Evocative or You can translate/communicate it through design,
Fabricated were the including icons, logos, colors, etc. This is a useful
highest in frequency, criterion to help you vet names, but there is really just
representing 32.5% one question to determine whether a chosen name is
each. This is a stark successful (note that we didn’t say “good” or “bad”).
All that matters is this: Does it resonate with people?
change from their
original names — most
certainly traditional, A NOTE ON TAGLINES: If you’re using an evocative
or abstract name, you should have a descriptive
heritage brands — where
tagline. Like mentioned earlier, Amazon originally
the lion’s share were used “books from A to Z,” which helped give clear
Descriptive (55%) and meaning to the name itself. The more descriptive
Founder (42%) names.4 the name, the less important it is to use a tagline.

4
Muzellac, L. (1987) What is in a Name Change? Re-Joycing Corporate Names to Create Corporate Brands, Corporate
Reputation Review, Volume 8 Number 4, p. 309.
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THE SCIENCE OF HOW WE

THINK ABOUT NAMES
The Building Blocks:

When naming a brand,

it's not enough to have a
name type and a reason
why. Studies have shown
that there are distinct
emotional connections
between the sounds we
hear and the shapes we
see, as well as connections
between the sounds made
when names are spoken.
 The Ultimate Guide to Brand Names | 19

→ Over 95% of subjects

assign bouba to the rounded
blob and kiki to the spiky star.

THE BOUBA/KIKI EFFECT

IN 1929, German-American psychologist which is kiki?” In both groups, 95% and 98%
Wolfgang Köhler conducted an interesting respectively, individuals selected the curvy
study.5 Survey participants were shown two shape as “bouba” and the jagged one as
shapes, one called “takete,” and one was “kiki.” This suggests that the human brain
called “baluba.” (He repeated the test in consistently attaches abstract meanings to
1947 and replaced “baluba” with “maluma.”) the shapes and sounds. This behavior is now
Takete was spiky and pointed and had known as the Bouba/Kiki Effect.
angular pieces to it, while baluba was blobby,
rounded, and amoeba-like. This means that not only consonants (the
“k” in kiki) but vowels like the long “o” in
The study asked participants which shape was Bouba, contain inherent meanings. Vowels
called takete and which was called baluba. primarily carry meaning because so many of
95% of the respondents named the spiky- our sounds are bound-up in vowels that are
shape takete and the blob-shape baluba. soft or hard, formed in either the back of the
mouth or the front.
Later, in 2001, scientists Vilayanur S.
Ramachandran and Edward Hubbard Vowels produced in the front of the mouth,
repeated Köhler's experiment using the like the “i” in“Kiki,” convey the meaning of
words “kiki” and “bouba.”6 The pool of being small, feminine, fast, light, and angular;
respondents included both American while vowels produced in the back of the
undergrad students and Tamil speakers from mouth — like the “ou” in “Bouba” — convey
India. The question, similar to Köhler’s test, the meanings large, masculine, slow, dark,
asked, “Which of these shapes is bouba, and and round.7, 8, 9

5
Köhler, Wolfgang (1929). Gestalt Psychology. New York: Liveright.
6
V.S. Ramachandran and E.M. Hubbard (2001) Synaesthesia — A Window Into Perception, Thought and Language, Journal of
Consciousness Studies, 8, No. 12, 2001, pp. 3–34
7
Ohala, John. (1994). Sound Symbolism.
8
Klink, Richard. (2000). Creating Brand Names With Meaning: The Use of Sound Symbolism. Marketing Letters. 11. 5-20.
10.1023/A:1008184423824.
9
Klink, R. (2003). Creating Meaningful Brands: The Relationship between Brand Name and Brand Mark. Marketing Letters,
14(3), 143-157. Retrieved February 27, 2021, from [Link]
20 | THEBRANDLE [Link]

What does
this matter?
Well, just like most of those surveyed (and perhaps yourself when
you looked at those shapes), consumers also prefer brand names
that resonate with their “shape” — that is, their logo, business,
product, or service.

NAMES THAT CONTAIN vowels that help sound in posh, for example, is generally
facilitate this connection stay in the mind considered positive, while the “oo” sound
of the consumer, not only helping with in puke is generally considered negative.14
awareness, but, ultimately, containing These types of associations have been long
vowels associated with desirable product studied. In 1922, Otto Jespersen wrote in his
category attributes. Researchers Tina M. book, Language: Its Nature, Development
Lowrey and L.J. Shrum studied people’s and Origin, that “There is no denying [...] that
taste for SUVs and convertibles to determine there are words which we feel instinctively to
if front-of-mouth or back-of-mouth vowels be adequate to express the ideas they stand
within brand names are preferred.10 There for, and others the sounds of which are felt
was no surprise that back-vowel words (like to be more or less incongruous with their
that “ou” in “Bouba”) were preferred for signification.”11 This is exactly the sentiment
SUVs, while front vowel words (like the “i” in that encourages us to find or create a
“Kiki”) won out for convertibles. (It’s worth suitable brand name.
noting that when they tested for knives
and hammers, results were also split: 66% Think about smaller words like “teen,”
preferred front vowel words for knife brands “ping,” or “fly.” The ee, long i, and short i
while 66% opted for back vowel words for sounds feel smaller, more dainty, and less
hammers.) According to the researchers, powerful. According to Steven Pinker in his
they “were able to show that the preference book The Language Instinct, these high front
for words with particular vowel sounds end vowels are often associated with small
varied as a function of products and their things. In fact, 90% of languages use high
associated attributes.” This is because back front end vowels for diminutive words.12
vowels convey largeness while front vowels
convey smallness. Pinker goes on to say that low, back end
vowel sounds (“oo” as in “boot,” “a” as in
Lowry and Shrum further explored “father,” “o” as in “core”) are often associated
“generally positive” and “generally negative” with objects of greater size and more power,
perceptions around vowel sounds. The “o” like “humongous” elephants that roar. →

Because there is such a strong correlation between words and shapes and meaning, further
research has been ongoing. As recently as July 2020, studies have found that words and their
sounds spark differing levels of “emotional arousal” on a scale from calming to exciting.13
This makes sense, inherently. “Kiki-like” words not only sound like the pointed object but
also elicit an exciting emotional arousal, while Bouba-like names are more calming.
 The Ultimate Guide to Brand Names | 21

FRONT CENTRAL BACK

CLOSE (HIGH)
see
blue

hit put
/ɪə/ near /ʊə/ pure
CLOSE-MID

away
/aʊ/ go* four law
turn /ɔɪ/ boy
/oʊ/ go*
bed+
OPEN-MID /ɛə/ air+
/ɛɪ/ say+
cup
cat hot, law**

OPEN (LOW)
/aɪ/ five arm, hot**
/aʊ/ now

vowel pronounced with rounded lips → A vowel map of front- and

back-of-mouth sounds.

Vowels aren’t the only letters to understand while choosing names. While not as daunting to
understand as vowels — and their combinations and different pronunciations — there are
still meanings imbued to consonants. “Stops,” or consonants that stop the flow of words, are
harder and sharper. Thus, in linguistic terms, they are more masculine. These may include letters
like K, P, and T. “Softer,” or more feminine consonants, let the mouth and airflow move. They are
more soft and round, flowing more readily. They may include letters like L, M, and N. ■

SUMMARY

While a name that matches your brand is important,

its spelling, pronunciation, and letter make-up can
ultimately imbue an unintended meaning. Make sure
you run any potential names past a group of individuals
and see what resonates with them.

10
Lowrey, Tina & Shrum, L.. (2007). Phonetic Symbolism and Brand Name Preference. Journal of Consumer Research. 34.
406-414. 10.1086/518530.
11
Jespersen, O. (1922). Language: Its nature, development and origin. London: G. Allen & Unwin.
12
Pinker, S. (1994). The language instinct: The new science of language and mind. London: Allen Lane,
the Penguin Press.
13
Aryani, A., Isbilen, E. S., & Christiansen, M. H. (2020). Affective Arousal Links Sound to Meaning. Psychological Science,
31(8), 978–986. [Link]
14
Puke sounds negative. This is just funny. Do we need a study for this?
22 | THEBRANDLE [Link]

Brand Architecture & Nomenclature

For companies that

own other sub-brands,
businesses, or have
sister companies, there’s
a consideration of how
to handle your brand
architecture. That is,
multiple brands under or
alongside a parent brand.
You have several options
to consider —
a scale, if you will.
 The Ultimate Guide to Brand Names | 23

HYBRID
MODELS

Ok, so you named your brand. Where does it fit

into your larger corporation?
HOUSE OF BRANDS BRANDED HOUSE
Many multinational conglomerates such Branded House (aka Monolithic or
as Proctor & Gamble and Unilever use Masterbrands), is where the name of the
a typical House of Brands structure. company/brand is the leading name. For
This is where the parent company (for example, there are nearly two dozen Virgin
example, P&G) is over its individual sub- companies out there globally: Virgin Records,
brands. These sub-brands (think of Tide, Virgin Trains, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Care — the
Pampers, Gillette, Bounce, Tampax, list goes on. Their affiliation with Virgin and
and Folgers) all operate independently what the Virgin brand stands for (innovative,
from each other and the parent first-class service) helps propel the other
company. They have their own P&Ls, companies further in the customer mindshare.
presidents, marketing teams, etc. The FedEx uses a similar paradigm where all their
benefit is the power and scale of the services (FedEx Ground, FedEx Express, etc.)
parent company. use the FedEx brand as the primary name.

HYBRID MODELS
Endorsed and Sub-brands. An endorsed brand associates the power of the brand with its
parent, either as a prefix or a suffice. Think of cereals: Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes tells you that
the cereal is from Kellogg’s — and they know breakfast. This is also true of Westin’s new
Element hotels, which are listed as “Element hotels by Westin.” This is especially helpful when
introducing a new concept or brand to the market.
A sub-brand, on the other hand, is very common. Sub-brands can have their own specific
brand identity, but together, they help embolden and further establish the parent. Look
at Apple. Their sub-brands of iPad, iPhone, Mac, and AirPods act independently but look
and feel like the Apple brand. They have a focused base of target customers and careful
naming strategies. Apple goes even further by aligning all its sub-brands via the same colors,
typography, and layout.
24 | THEBRANDLE [Link]

Product Naming
Speaking of Apple, when creating a product — or a family of products or brands — it’s
important to follow consistent rules across all of the similar names. In 1998, when Apple first
introduced the iMac, it was called as such, according to Ken Segall15 from Chiat/Day, who
pitched the name to Steve Jobs, that “The ʻiʼ stands for ʻInternet,ʼ but also for ʻindividualityʼ
and ʻinnovationʼ.”16 When later they offered music, tablets, and phones, Apple and Jobs chose
“iTunes,” “iPod,”“iPad,” and eventually, “iPhone.” The consistent “i” was notably Apple. They
owned this style. →
 The
TheUltimate
UltimateGuide
Guideto
toBrand Names | 25
BrandNames

Model Naming
Audi chose to go a step further, utilizing a letter prefix and numerical suffix for their vehicles
such as the A4, Q5, or R8 models. This naming convention is easily explained: The letter “A”
is used for the sedan/hatchback body shapes with the numbers differentiating their size —
starting from the smallest (A3) to the biggest (A8). The higher the number, the bigger the car.
The Q-line represents “quattro®” meaning four – a term Audi uses to describe a “four-wheel-
drive.” The smallest (Q3) is a five-door compact SUV; whereas Q5 is a compact entry-level
luxury SUV, on up to their largest SUV, a Q7, which is a fuller-size model. And it goes on from
there: S is for Sport, R is for Roadster, and RS is an abbreviation of “Rennsport,” the German
translation of “Race-Sport.” RS models are Audi’s highest performing, most powerful vehicles
and traditionally only produce one RS model at a time. The TT also has meaning behind its
name, but breaks convention just a tad: named after the Isle of Man’s annual Tourist Trophy,
a motorcycle race, the TT models are compact sports cars featuring transversely-mounted
turbocharged engines. The TTs are also available in S and RS models. ■

AUDI MODEL NAMING

A models Q models S models R models RS models TT models

A3 Q3 S4 R8 Coupe RS3 TT Convertible
A4 Q5 S5 R8 Spyder RS5 TT Coupe
A5 Q7 S5 Coupe RS6 TTS
A6 S5 Sportback RS7 TT RS Coupe
A8 SQ7 RSQ8
SQ8

15
Raletz, Alyson (June 7, 2012). "Man who came up with iMac name tells what the 'i' stands for". Kansas City Business Journal.
Retrieved March 30, 2013.
16
"The First iMac Introduction." YouTube. January 30, 2006. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
26 | THEBRANDLE [Link]

The Naming Process

 The Ultimate Guide to Brand Names | 27

Brief the Naming Project

Create a small document called a naming brief. This will have some
guardrails for what's being requested from team or colleagues.
Ask yourself some questions: What type of business are you naming?
Who are its customers?

1 W H AT M A K E S Y O U R B U S I N E S S
• What’s the offer? How will it evolve?
• Who’s it for?
• What’s distinctive?
• What’s its personality?
• How should it make people feel?
• What should it make them do?
• Is there a parent brand and what’s the relationship?
• What’s the history? What’s the context?

2 G E N E R AT E
Based on the brief, one or more names create multiple name
ideas (typically hundreds, if not thousands) and keep track
of them in a master list.

3 SHORTLIST
Namers select a subset of name ideas in the master list to
move forward through the rest of the process.

4 SCREEN
Shortlisted names are subjected to linguistic/cultural
disaster checks and/or preliminary trademark screening.
Only the less “risky” name ideas continue in the process.

5 PRESENT
Name ideas are presented to decision-makers, who select a
smaller group of ideas to go through full legal searches.

LEGAL
6
An experienced trademark attorney performs a full legal
search—a deeper assessment of legal availability and/or risk
associated with each name idea.

7 SELECT
Decision-makers choose the final name from those ideas
with an acceptably low level of risk.
28 | THEBRANDLE [Link]

Let’s name something great together.

hello@[Link]