Business Name Ideas: Tips and Free Business Name Generators

Ecom Academy
10 min readApr 3, 2021

Choosing the right brand name for your small business can have a significant impact.

When starting an eCommerce business, having a catchy, memorable brand name gives you an immediate advantage. It helps future customers remember you and your product, which can help you achieve long-term success

You already have a lot on your mind right now. Things can quickly add up when it comes to deciding your target demographic, what goods you’ll offer, and how much startup capital you’ll need.

It’s understandable if you’re having trouble coming up with the right business name. This guide will show you how to come up with a business name, including name generators and examples to help you come up with the right one for your company.

How to choose the ideal business name

Before we get started, here are some ideas for coming up with a company name:

  • Look at what’s already available. Not only will this help you understand what isn’t available, but you will also make a list of company names you want and see if any of them encourage you to come up with your own. Check out your competition and browse Exchange Marketplace.
  • Try thinking outside the box. There are no bad ideas, according to one of the most relevant laws of brainstorming. It’s fine to come up with some bizarre names because you never know what useful ideas will arise. You’ll have plenty to work with if you start wide and then narrow your scope later.
  • Suggest help. Brainstorming is a creative activity that can be carried out alone or with others. Perhaps you already have a group of colleagues you can call in for the next project, or you can seek advice from friends and family in a fun brainstorming session.
  • Put your name to the test. Use a focus group that represents your target market, ask friends and family (ideally those that didn’t help you brainstorm), and conduct a survey of local shoppers to see which name ideas are the most common.

Free business name generators

It can be difficult to come up with catchy, meaningful ideas, and it always seems as if all the good names have already been taken.
To help you come up with the perfect brand, we’ve compiled a list of business name generator tools, as well as five brainstorming techniques to get the creative juices flowing.

1. Shopify

Shopify’s business name generator allows you to come up with potential business names in less than 10 seconds. Simply enter a keyword, press “Generate names,” and then search through thousands of auto-generated domain name suggestions. You will find several brand names to help you create a brand, ranging from clever to modern, pragmatic to classic. Alternatively, you might look for names based on industries like clothes, apparel, jewelry, crafts, and flowers.

If you’re looking for a little bit of creative motivation, this is the tool for you. Plus, if you want a unique business name, you can go from naming your company to registering a domain in a matter of minutes.

New business owners can register a domain name and launch an online store in minutes, allowing them to sell online more quickly.

2. Oberlo

Oberlo’s business name generator is a free tool that you can use to come up with good business names. Enter a word for your business name, and the tool will provide you with hundreds of innovative choices to consider. You can go through them and pick the one you like, then register the.com domain for it. To make it easier to start your new business, the business name generator will search for domain availability.

3. Freshbooks

Freshbooks’ business name generator is an interesting and enjoyable way to come up with a new business name. After clicking “Let’s Get Started,” the tool will ask you to choose between creative and marketing, legal and business consulting, trades and home services, and information technology. Then you’re asked if you want to use some keywords in your company name.
The tool will generate a list of names based on your inputs. If you don’t like any of them, choose “Show me more names” to see more options, or “Go back and change keyword” to see more options.

4. Anadea

Anadea’s business name maker is a free tool that produces a list of business name suggestions by combining a topic or keyword with other terms and modifiers. Begin by coming up with a catchy phrase that describes your business, then typing it into the name generator field. When you click “Generate names,” the tool will give you 24 different business name suggestions.
You can browse through its database’s pages of relevant brand names or change your keyword to find new ideas. You can get a quote for registering the domain and creating your website once you’ve found a decent one.

5. Name Mesh

Name Mesh based on the same keywords you enter generates domain name suggestions. It suggests relevant domains based on your preferences, then categorizes them into categories such as normal, fresh, short, similar, fun, extra, and SEO. You can look through thousands of different ideas for a business name and register a domain if you find one you want.

6. Hipster Business Name

Hipster Business Name is one of the most innovative business name generators on the list, providing random cool name suggestions that are interesting, memorable, and clever — imagine starting a business in Brooklyn. Simply click “Refresh” to see more titles. This is the best business name generator for you if you need a unique name.

7. Getsocio

Getsocio’s: when you type in a keyword for your company name, the free business name generator produces thousands of interesting suggestions with domain availability. You can browse hundreds of name suggestions for inspiration or register one.
The only downside is that you’ll get a.getsocio.com domain instead of a standard.com.

8. Businessnamegenerator.com

Businessnamegenerator.com is a great place to go if you’re looking for many different name generators. When you first enter the site, you can use the regular generator or scroll down to find trending and common generators to experiment with. A startup name generator, a creative business generator, a podcast name generator, and a photography company name generator are just a few examples.
Pick the generator you want to use, then enter your keywords to get a list of catchy brand names to choose from. You can register a name with GoDaddy and start using it right away if you find one you want.

9. Namesmith

Namesmith’s creative business name generator lets you add up to five keywords you’d like in your business name. After you click ”Search,” the algorithm will provide business names (and domains) with exact keywords, blends, rhymes, prefixes/suffixes, and modifications. The tool constructs a blend of words based on your keywords, messes with them in cool ways, and creates unique business names.

If you’re completely stuck, you can explore random names by clicking “Just Generate Some Random Names Please!”

10. Namelix

Namelix uses AI to create ideas for catchy names and logo designs. Enter one or more keywords, and Namelix will create a list of ideas based on similar terms. It’ll even let you know if there’s a domain for sale.

Tips for choosing a memorable brand name

As an online entrepreneur, having a memorable business name is critical. “The right name can be a brand’s most valuable asset, driving differentiation and speeding acceptance,” writes Marty Neumeier in The Brand Gap. Over the course of a brand’s lifespan, the wrong name may cost millions in workarounds and lost revenue.”
When building an online business, it’s crucial to choose the right name to make it stand out from the crowd, both in terms of branding and search engine optimization. Here are some tips for coming up with a memorable name.

1. Keep it short and simple

A short, memorable name is beneficial for many reasons: it is memorable, simple to pronounce, and easily fits in the header of your online store’s homepage.
Finding a good name, on the other hand, can be difficult. Every day, new brands are introduced, and names that appeal to you will certainly appeal to others as well. Fortunately, the world is a big place, and there’s plenty of room for exclusive, unforgettable brand names.

Here are some ideas to help you get your gears turning:

  • Experiment with various word combinations. More memorable are two short phrases that rhyme or are alliterative (e.g., “Snack Shack”).
  • Make up a new term or change an old one. Even if their names aren’t real words, tech companies like Google, eBay, and Skype have easily recognizable names.
  • Using a term that has a special meaning to you. It may be a nickname for your significant other, the name of your pet (a good idea if your store is about pets), or even your own name. Using a personal name makes the store easier to recognize — though keep in mind that personal brands are more difficult to sell.

2. Be different

Conduct market research to find out which names are already taken by your direct competitors and come up with something exclusive.

The trick is to come up with a name that represents your niche and the types of goods you’re selling without sounding like your rivals. By definition, if you want to stand out, you must “zig” while everyone else “zags.”

If you market electronics and technology, for example, you may have rivals with names that include terms like “electronics,” “technology,” and “future.” Avoid using identical terms. Instead, think outside the box and make a point.

3. Consider your online presence

If you’ve narrowed down your choices for a store name, see if your preferred domain — preferably a.com — is available for registration. Given that.com is the most common top-level domain (TLD) and has been for a long time, this may be difficult.
Getting a custom domain name for your store is important, but don’t let your quest for the elusive “right” domain name cause you to delay — everything, even your domain name, is subject to change. However, there is value in selecting a strong domain name that accurately reflects your brand from the outset, so it’s a decision worth considering.

In addition to your own online store, you may consider selling on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, or another third-party marketplace. Even if that isn’t the intention, it’s a good idea to check your business name idea on popular e-commerce sites to make sure it’s available and that customers don’t mix you up with another company.

4. Get creative with your domain name

If the.com for your desired name isn’t available, don’t worry; you can still use a different top-level domain. The fact that everybody recognizes.com makes it the gold standard, but it doesn’t rule out other TLDs, which are becoming more popular as great.com options become scarce.

While some search engine experts say Google isn’t as friendly to lesser-known domains, if you have a high-quality site with a decent user interface, you should be able to rank just as high as a.com. Plus, a catchy domain is much more distinctive.

Modifiers to consider:

  • [YourBrand][Main Product].com (e.g., helmboots.com)
  • Shop[YourBrand].com (e.g., shopsandytoesshop.com
  • Get[YourProduct].com (e.g., getflow.com)
  • [YourBrand]co.com (e.g., shopmeekco.com)
  • [YourBrand][Industry].com (e.g., lifeinspirithome.com)
  • [Verb][YourBrand].com (e.g., wearamare.com)
  • [My/Your][YourBrand].com (e.g., mybillie.com)

TLDs to consider:

  • .store
  • .shop
  • Based on the product you sell (.shoes, .art)
  • Continuation of your brand name (e.g., muvo.health for “Muvo Health Supplements,” or fuego.clothing for “Fuego Clothing Co.”)

5. Be original

Make sure you have the legal right to use the company name you’ve chosen. Start by looking for store owners in the United States: The United States Patent and Trademark Office. It has a free database that is a pain to check, but it is well worth the time.

Also, since the United States lacks a centralized national registry, trademarks may be registered in another country or just one state. In Canada, you can check through the Canadian Intellectual Property Office website, which is also quite bizarre.

If you’ve confirmed that your name is available, search for it on Google or Bing to see if any of the names on your list appear. Will you possibly make it to the first page’s top? You’ll have a hard time ranking well if you pick a generic name.

It’s also a good idea to search Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms for the availability of the name you choose to use.

6. Find new inspiration

If you’re having trouble coming up with small-business name concepts, make a list of themes to consider. Perhaps you’re looking for a name that evokes nostalgia or refers to a current trend. Other languages may also offer a wealth of inspiration.

Inspiration can happen at any time and place. Listen to what’s going on around you, take a look around, and think about your own words and mannerisms.

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