Most startups don’t fail because the product is bad—they fail because the story never lands. And your name is the first (and often only) part of that story people remember. Yet many teams choose a name on gut feel, rush a logo, buy a domain if it’s available, and move on. The result? Confusion, costly rebrands, legal headaches, and a brand that can’t scale.
Why a naming checklist matters (especially at launch)
A name isn’t just a label—it’s a decision with compounding effects. It impacts:
- Acquisition: Can people remember it, spell it, search it, and share it?
- Conversion: Does it signal credibility and relevance?
- Retention: Does it fit the product as it evolves?
- Brand equity: Can it become synonymous with a category?
- Risk: Are you exposed to trademark conflicts or domain issues?
A practical naming checklist gives you structure without slowing down. Think of it like a pre-flight check: you can still move fast, but you stop missing obvious failure points.
The NamingForce pre-launch naming checklist
Use the sections below as a step-by-step workflow. You can run it in a day for early-stage decisions—or in a week with deeper brand validation for a startup launch.
1) Define the naming brief (don’t skip this)
Before you judge names, define what “good” means for your company. A name can’t be evaluated without context.
Checklist:
- Clarify your target audience (who buys, who influences, who uses).
- Write the problem statement in one sentence.
- List your top 3 differentiators (not features—reasons to choose you).
- Define your brand personality (e.g., pragmatic, bold, playful, premium).
- Decide the category you want to own (or create).
- Identify future expansion: products, geographies, verticals.
Quick prompt (copy/paste):
We help [audience] achieve [outcome] by [how]. We are different because [differentiator 1], [2], [3]. Our brand should feel [3 adjectives]. In 2 years, we may expand into [areas].
If your team can’t agree on this, you’re not ready to lock a name.
2) Choose your naming strategy (so you don’t compare apples to oranges)
Many naming debates happen because people are evaluating different “types” of names using the same criteria. Pick a lane first.
Common naming styles:
- Descriptive: Clearly says what it is (e.g., “SurveyMonkey”).
- Pros: clarity, easier early adoption
- Cons: harder to protect, can feel generic
- Suggestive: Hints at a benefit or feeling (e.g., “Slack”).
- Pros: brandable, flexible
- Cons: may require explanation at first
- Invented: New word or altered spelling (e.g., “Spotify”).
- Pros: high trademark potential, distinctive
- Cons: harder to spell/remember if too complex
- Acronyms/initialisms: (e.g., “IBM”).
- Pros: can feel enterprise
- Cons: low meaning, hard for startups to own
- Founder/heritage names:
- Pros: authentic, timeless
- Cons: may not scale across markets/cultures
Checklist:
- Decide your preferred style(s): 1–2 max.
- Decide your “avoid list” (e.g., no hyphens, no forced spellings, no “-ly”).
- Decide if you need category clarity in the name or in the tagline.
3) Generate a serious candidate list (quantity first, then quality)
If you only have 5 names, you don’t have options—you have attachments. Aim for 30–100 candidates, then narrow.
High-output methods:
- Benefit words (speed, trust, clarity, lift, shift)
- Metaphors from your domain (navigation, building, signals, growth)
- Customer language (phrases users already say)
- Latin/Greek roots (use sparingly; avoid sounding generic)
- Compound words (two real words combined)
- Invented names built from phonetics (short, strong consonants)
Checklist:
- Generate at least 30 names before evaluating.
- Create 3 buckets: safe, bold, wild.
- Don’t screen too early for domain/trademark—screen for fit first.
4) Run the “say it out loud” tests (memorability and friction)
A name that looks good in a doc can fall apart in real conversation—sales calls, podcasts, referrals, app stores.
Checklist (do all of these):
- Phone test: “Hi, this is ___.” Does it sound confident?
- Podcast test: Could someone hear it once and remember it?
- Referral test: “Have you tried ___?” Does it invite questions or confusion?
- Spelling test: Can someone spell it after hearing it?
- Typing test: Can someone type it correctly without autocorrect fighting them?
- Accent test: Say it in different accents (or ask teammates globally).
Rule of thumb: If you need to explain spelling every time, you’re paying a “tax” forever.
5) Check meaning, associations, and cultural risk
Names carry baggage—sometimes helpful, sometimes disastrous.
Checklist:
- List immediate associations: what does it remind people of?
- Check for negative meanings in key languages/markets.
- Search urban dictionary and slang references.
- Check if it sounds like a competitor or a controversial term.
- Ensure it doesn’t unintentionally exclude audiences (tone, gender, geography).
You’re not aiming for “no associations.” You’re aiming for controlled associations that support your positioning.
6) Evaluate distinctiveness in your competitive landscape
Your name doesn’t live in isolation—it lives in a crowded category page, a search results page, and a funding deck.
Checklist:
- Make a list of your top 20 competitors and adjacent tools.
- Note common patterns (e.g., “AI + noun,” “-flow,” “-base,” “-stack”).
- Avoid names that blend into the pattern unless you’re deliberately conforming.
- Test visual similarity: does it “look” like others in a list?
Practical exercise: Put your top 10 names into a mock app store list next to competitors. If yours disappears, it’s not doing its job.
7) Do a fast trademark and legal risk screen (before you fall in love)
This is where many founders either overreact (“we need a lawyer for everything”) or underreact (“we’ll deal with it later”). You can do a risk screen quickly, then escalate.
Checklist (lightweight but effective):
- Search the name + your category on Google.
- Check for existing brands with the same/similar name in your industry.
- Look for identical matches in your target countries’ trademark databases.
- Flag “high-risk similarities” (same category + similar spelling/pronunciation).
Important: This is not legal advice, but it’s a smart filter. If a name looks risky, don’t rationalize it—move on or consult counsel before committing.
8) Validate domain and handle availability (without getting stuck)
Domain obsession can kill good names, but ignoring domains can create long-term friction.
Checklist:
- Prefer .com if your market is global or US-heavy.
- If .com is unavailable, consider:
- A clean modifier (e.g., “get”, “try”, “use”) only if it still feels premium
- A strong alternative TLD if it fits your audience (e.g., .io for dev tools)
- Avoid:
- Hyphens (harder to say/share)
- Double letters that confuse typing
- Misspellings that require constant correction
Decision rule: If you can’t get a clean domain path in 30 minutes, don’t force it—either budget to acquire it or pick another name.
9) Stress-test for scalability and product evolution
Many names fit the MVP but break when you expand. A “feature name” can become a cage.
Checklist:
- Does the name still work if you:
- Add new products?
- Move upmarket (SMB → enterprise)?
- Expand internationally?
- Pivot the core use case?
- Avoid names that:
- Over-specify a single feature
- Over-index on a trend word that may fade
- Tie you to a narrow geography (unless that’s strategic)
A scalable name gives you room to grow without forcing a rebrand at Series A.
10) Run lightweight brand validation with real humans
You don’t need a massive research budget. You need structured feedback from the right people.
Checklist:
- Test with 10–20 target users (not just friends).
- Ask open-ended questions:
- “What do you think this company does?”
- “What kind of company does this sound like?”
- “What would you expect the pricing to be?”
- “Which name feels most trustworthy/modern/clear?”
- Watch for:
- Consistent mispronunciation
- Wrong category assumptions
- Strong negative reactions
- “It sounds like ___” (especially competitors)
Tip: Don’t ask, “Do you like it?” Ask what it signals. Preference is noisy; interpretation is actionable.
11) Score and shortlist using a simple rubric
To reduce opinion battles, use a scoring model. Keep it simple enough that the team actually uses it.
Example rubric (1–5 each):
- Clarity (can people guess what you do?)
- Memorability (will they remember it tomorrow?)
- Distinctiveness (does it stand out in the category?)
- Credibility (does it sound legitimate for your market?)
- Scalability (will it still fit in 2 years?)
- Risk (trademark/domain/negative meanings)
Create a spreadsheet, score independently, then discuss differences. The goal isn’t math—it’s alignment.
12) Lock the launch assets (so the name lands cleanly)
A good name can still launch poorly if the surrounding elements are messy.
Checklist:
- Confirm final spelling and capitalization rules (e.g., “NameForce” vs “NamingForce”).
- Write a one-sentence positioning line (tagline optional).
- Secure handles on key platforms (even if you won’t use them immediately).
- Prepare a short pronunciation guide for internal teams.
- Create a “name story” (1–3 sentences) for press, partners, and recruiting.
Launch readiness test: If someone sees your name on a homepage for 5 seconds, can they tell what you do and who it’s for?
Common pitfalls that derail founders at the finish line
Avoid these patterns—they’re responsible for most naming regret:
- Choosing a name you have to defend constantly. If it requires a 2-minute explanation, it’s friction.
- Optimizing for cleverness over clarity. Clever rarely converts at launch.
- Letting domain availability choose your brand. Domains matter, but they shouldn’t dictate identity.
- Ignoring legal risk until after launch. The worst time to learn about conflicts is when you’re gaining traction.
- Over-indexing on internal taste. Your customers don’t live in your Slack channel.
Conclusion: Launch with confidence, not hope
A startup launch already has enough uncertainty. Your name shouldn’t add more. With a structured naming checklist, you can move quickly while still doing the core work: reducing risk, ensuring distinctiveness, and validating that your brand will land with real people.
If you’re about to launch, run this checklist end-to-end once. You’ll either confirm your current name with confidence—or you’ll catch the issues early, when changing course is still cheap. Either outcome is a win, and both protect the momentum you’ve worked so hard to build.