8 naming strategies ✍️
How to name a new product? A research study on the top 100 App Store apps.
Hello friends 👋,
Choosing a name for a new product is hard. I think it’s hard because it is both a rare and deceptively simple problem. But I am interested in naming, so I took a stab at it over the weekend.
I started with analyzing the origin and decomposition of the names of the top 100 apps on the App Store. I ended up with a list of 8 naming strategies.
Creative names
1. Mashups
Mashups merges two words into one. There are two main types:
1.1 Compound Names (fusion of 2 complete words):
These are names formed by joining two complete words without changing their spelling:
Facebook (Face + Book)
Snapchat (Snap + Chat)
Doordash (Door + Dash)
Photomath (Photo + Math)
LinkedIn (Linked + In)
Airbnb (Air + BnB for "bed and breakfast")
Ticketmaster (Ticket + Master)
Youtube (You + Tube, with "tube" being a slang for TV)
Rocket Money (Rocket + Money)
Planet Fitness (Planet + Fitness)
Flip shop (Flip, as in to resell + Shop)
GroupMe (Group + Me)
Mychart (My + Chart)
JustFit (Just + Fit)
Paypal (Pay + Pal)
1.2 Portmanteaus (Blending sounds and meanings of 2 words):
These names are created by blending parts of two words, often with altered spelling or sound, to form a new word.
Expedia (Exploration + Speed)
Venmo (Ven from "vendere" + mo for "mobile")
Netflix (Internet + Flicks)
Pinterest (Pin + Interest)
Duolingo (Duo + Lingo, from "Linguistics")
2. Play on words
Play on words are creatively spelled terms that describe the company's product, service, or value.
Tiktok: Play on the ticking sound of a clock
Reddit: Play on the term read it
Google: Play on googol (a mathematical term for the number one followed by 100 zeroes)
Lyft: Play on the word lift
3. Paying tribute
This category includes companies named after someone (or something) significant to the founder.
3.1 Tribute to the past [mythical or historical figure]
Peacock: Tribute to CNBC’s logo
Starbucks: Tribute to Starbuck, a character in "Moby Dick."
Apple: Tribute Newton’s apple
Tesla: Tribute to Nikola Tesla
3.2 Personal Tribute
Mcdonald's: named after Ronald Mcdonald
X: named after Elon’s old payments company.
Roku: means 'six' in Japanese. Roku was the founder's sixth startup
Yuka: named after the founder’s wife's birth city
4. Aspiration
Names in this category reflect the company’s mission or goals.
4.1 Expression
Uber: from the German word über, meaning "over, above.”
Target: symbolizing becoming the go-to shopping destination.
4.2 Personification
Nike: named after Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.
Amazon: inspired by the vast South American rainforest, reflecting size and diversity
Practical names
5. Easy to remember, write and pronounce
Meaningless words that are short and memorable (bonus points if they rhyme or have a .com available)
Temu
Hulu
Tubi
Shein
6. Value/service descriptor.
Words that directly describe a product or service
Threads
Telegram
Zoom
Audible
Shop
Discord
Messenger
Bible
Impulse
VPN
Weather
7. Domain name
Domain names as company names are rare but do exist. Perhaps because of the SEO/search benefits from being known for your domain.
Character.ai
Customer.io
8. Abbreviation
When all else fails, use an abbreviation.
VRBO
CVS
ADP
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These are good starting points that can be turned into exercises to develop a name for a new product or service. A good name is an opportunity to tell a good story!
Almost every company on this list had one, but that is a story for another day.
Talk soon,
Ali Abouelatta