What’s in a Name?

I am very interested in the business of naming. When Annmarie and I launched Fivecat Studio, we wanted a name that differentiated our firm from all the “Smith and Smith” firms in the region (our legal entity is still McCarthy LePage Architects, PC, so we have not yet taken the full plunge).

The Name Inspector has a great blog all about naming. In this post, he uses the TechCrunch Company/Product Index to help us understand how names can be categorized into 10 types:

1. Real Words (i.e. Amazon)

2. Compounds (i.e. YouTube)

3. Phrases (i.e. MySpace)

4. Blends (i.e. Microsoft)

5. Tweaked Words (i.e. iTunes)

6. Affixed Words (i.e. Napster)

7. Made Up or Obscure Origin (i.e. Bebo)

8. Puns (i.e. Writely)

9. People’s Names (i.e. Jajah)

10. Initials and Acronyms (i.e. AOL)

He even discusses the pros and cons of each type. If you are launching a new firm or thinking about rebranding, this post will help get your creative name juices flowing.