A 7-Step Method for Naming Your Technology Company or Product
Several years ago I developed a method for inventing company names when I worked on the SkyDisc brand. Over the years I’ve refined it slightly, but in essence it works pretty well for creating names to be used for a technology company or product. I used this technique most recently while developing the Omniture name when it rebranded itself as an enterprise analytics provider from its previous life as MyComputer.com, a small/med business webmaster tool shop. Here’s my technique:
1. Create a Brainstorming Matrix
Create a matrix that includes the following headers: (The following examples are portions of the exercise I did while at Omniture.)
- Industry Words (Words related to your product, service or industry
- Web Words (If you’re web-based, this is a necessary column)
- Prefixes
- Suffixes
- “Feel Words†(Words that you want people to “feel†when they think of your product or company.)
| Industry Words | Web | Prefixes | Suffixes | “Feel” Words |
| adapt | asp | accu | able | ability |
| analytic | byte | ana | acious | accept |
| analytics | click | arch | acy | acclaim |
| analyze | client | auto | adem | accomplish |
| answer | cyber | centri | adise | accountable |
| architecture | data | cer | all | accurate |
| branch | domain | co | alyze | accustom |
| channels | figures | dec | ance | acknowledge |
| criteria | hit | dem | angia | acquaint |
| custom | hyper | digi | ant | acquaintance |
| …etc | …etc | …etc | …etc | …etc |
On this particular brainstorm, there was probably about 300
more “Feel†words and another 100 more or so industry words on the list.
2. Brainstorm Name Combinations
Begin brainstorming with the matrix. Combine multiple words together and add new words – search through the dictionary and the thesaurus to gather more ideas and word combinations. Be sure to look at Latin roots for words and their meanings. Remember, no name is a stupid name at this stage in the game.
| accentus | accuwise | aquainture |
| clearaxis | datamason | datatrust |
| digiant | digiwise | effectas |
| efluence | ennovate | archmetrix |
| essenture | evolvenet | granture |
| knowpoint | netelect | netevolve |
| nextelligent | nibilis | premyr |
| ampliture | concentris | informature |
| netaccuity | quisitive | statys |
| …etc | …etc | …etc |
3. Run a Personality Test
Once you’ve brainstormed a giant list, run what I call a “personality test†on each name. Write them down and see how they flow. Are they hard to pronounce? Hard to spell? Do they sound like your company or some kind of pharmaceutical drug?
4. Organize Favorites.
Once I’ve sorted through them and have gathered a list of potentials through the personality test, I then organize them by first, second, third, and fourth choices before I make the final presentation.
| 4th Choice | 3rd Choice | 2nd Choice | 1st Choice |
| accentus | knowpoint | ampliture | nertia |
| Ntegral | netquity | intelliture | omniture |
| etc… | etc… | etc… | etc… |
5. Run a URL Test
Begin rounding the large list down by going to the Web. Visit a “who is” directory and check all the URL’s associated with each name to see if a company already exists with this name. This is a quick pre-trademarking search. If the site is small, or looks home-grown, chances are if you love the name, you can buy the URL for the right price. Begin marking any off your list that don’t pass the URL test.
6. Run an Initial Trademark Search
Visit the Website of the United States Patent and Trademark Office to do an initial trademark search. They’ve got many different ways to search for your potential company name.
7. Consult Legal Council on Full Trademark Search
If you made it through all the previous steps, and things are still looking good, consult your legal council. Now’s the time to do the full search and then register the trademark.