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Coming up with a unique brand name for your business is no easy task.
Your brand name needs to embody your core values as well as your distinguishing characteristics. While also conveying what it is that you sell.
And of course, we all want our name to sound cool!
Luckily, we don’t have to be creative geniuses to come up with a decent brand name. All we need is a business name generator.
In this article, you’ll learn...
Let’s get started!
What is a business name generator?
Business name generators, in short, are software that create unique business names for your business by combining different words and phrases, spitting out new unique words, or some combination of the two.
There are dozens of name generator tools out there. And we’ve compiled the best ones here in this very article! But first...
How to choose and name a new business
You don’t just want to use a name generator and take the first thing it spits out.
Your business name will be with you forever. Unless you go through a massive rebranding, but that’s expensive, time-consuming, and can hurt the business. Not fun, so get it right the first time!
Here are some tips to choose a rockin’ business name:
- Keep it short. Google, Amazon, Apple, Walmart - these are all amazing brand names. They’re short, one to three syllable phrases. They’re easy to pronounce, spell, and remember. Jeff’s Cheap Hardware, on the other hand? It’s too long for a website URL and won’t fit in certain spots for branding. Plus it’s boring and forgettable.
- Don’t limit yourself. If you sell Matcha Tea and name your business “matchawarehouse.com”, you’re limiting yourself to Matcha. But if you name it something like “healthwarehouse.com”, you’re opening yourself to be able to sell other items in the future. Unless you only want to sell one thing, don’t limit yourself with your name.
- Make it unique. The more your name stands out, the more memorable it will be. Just look at Google or Pepsi or Shopify. You don’t remember Sally’s Boutique, but you remember these unique names. Another tip is to search the name on Google in quotes (like “yourbrandnamehere”). If there aren’tt a lot of results, there’s less chance of infringement.
- Check for a name before you try to buy it. Make sure it’s not copyright, trademarked, or reserved by searching it on the Trademark Electronic Search System and also checking with your state's Secretary of State.
- Try to get .com if you can. While some businesses manage to get by with .co or .org or even .io, they are all less than ideal. Having the .com of your domain name ensures people know exactly how to get to your site and don’t make a mistake and go to your competition.
- Check the name on social media. If it’s taken on social, that can lead to some complications. While this isn’t a deal-breaker, it’s best to avoid names that are taken.
Now that you have these tips, let’s dive into the top free business name generators!
List of the top free business name generators
Squadhelp
What's great about Squadhelp is that all their AI-generated brand names are curated by brand experts.
There's plenty of keyword focused brand name generator in the market, most of them seem ad hoc or random at best, but having that extra human touch makes it easier to find genuine brand names that are relevant to your business/industry.
Shopify
One of our favorite things about Shopify is that it only shows brand names with available domains.
Not to mention, as soon as you launch your Shopify store, you’re able to start right away. If you’re looking for a quick and actionable way to get started, Shopify may be your best bet.
Name Mesh
Name mesh is great for two reasons…
- They’ll put keywords into your domain name. How freaking cool is that?
- They give you so many options when it comes to picking a domain name. They have a section dedicated to SEO-based domain names, a section titled “Fun”, a section named “Similar”, and so on.
We recommend Name Mesh mainly because they’ll give you so many different domain names to choose from.
That said, however, don’t get caught up on picking a domain name. You may feel a bit overwhelmed by how many are available in your niche!
BNG
Similar to Name Mesh, BNG (Business name generator) allows you to find keyword-based domain names.
Anadea
Anadea generates business name ideas by the specific industry category you provide. This gives you a multitude of options to choose from.
After picking your domain name, you’ll receive a quote for the domain as well as the website building service (if you’d like it to be built for you).
WordLab
WordLab has thousands of domains to choose from, but they’re not available in list form (such as the previous website we’ve talked about).
This presents a slight problem, because you’ll have to discover each domain name individually which is very time consuming.
You could always click the “Get Name” button a few times to see what business names generate!
Dot-O-Mator
Dot-o-mator is a fun tool to use when looking for a business name because you’re able to type in a few words that you’d like to use (or scroll through the list they have provided).
Dot-o-mator will then show you results for each word you’ve used, allowing you to choose the domain names you like and put them into the “Scratchbox” column.
From there, you’re able to come up with new ideas or pick from your favorite domain names in the “Scratchbox” column.
Note: Just because domain names pop up in the “Results” column does not mean they’re available.
NameSmith
Have you ever done a Google search to see if a domain name was taken, saw that it wasn’t, and waited to buy it only to find that when you were ready to get it, it was taken?
Yeah, me too. It’s one of the worst feelings in the world. Thankfully, NameSmith doesn’t share or sell your data with others.
Any domain names you come up with through NameSmith will be yours (so long as no one else searches for them and takes them before you get the chance).
NameStation
NameStation allows you to enter one primary keyword that you’d like your business to be focused around. Even more, they allow you to enter a few more words that you’d like your business to be associated with.
Once you’ve entered your primary keyword (and any extra keywords), you hit the “Generate Names” button and are directed to a screen with tons of domain names to choose from.
The best thing about NameStation? You can hide/disable taken domain names.
Naming.net
Looking for a business name generator that’ll give you even more precise results? Look no further!
Naming.net allows you to type in a word, syllable, or letter to narrow down what your domain name will be.
Beyond that, you’re able to enter how many syllables you want in your domain name! Naming.net is one of the most unique (and precise) business name generators (which we love!).
NetSubstance
NetSubstance allows you to enter keywords to find your perfect business name and then takes it a step further…
You’re able to alter the percentage of vowels, consonants, suffixes, and prefixes in your domain name! This will make your business name that much more unique (giving it a style that truly is your own).
Cool Name Ideas
Cool Name Ideas is one of the coolest tools you could use when coming up with a domain name.
Not only will it generate your perfect business name, it’ll prompt you with questions that you should know the answer to before starting a business, such as…
- What type of business are you naming?
- What benefits will your business bring to the customer?
- What style business are you naming?
As long as you know the answers to these questions, Cool Name Ideas will help you come up with the perfect domain name.
FreshBooks
FreshBooks is one of the most interactive business name generators out there.
To begin, you’ll need to click on the “Let’s Get Started” button, which will then bring you to a page asking what your industry is (such as creatives and marketing, legal services and business consulting, etc).
Then, you enter a keyword and voilà! You’re on the road to your very own unique business name.
Getsocio
On one hand, Getsocio is a great business name generator tool. On the other hand…
… If you find a domain name through Getsocio, your domain will end in “.getsocio” instead of “.com”.
If you’re okay with that, this software is free, quick, and extremely easy to use!
Brandroot
While Brandroot is a great tool to use, the domain names provided don’t come free.
In fact, some of the domain names cost more than $3000 to buy… which is a lot of money to spend up front.
However, Brandroot also provides you with a unique logo for your business along with the domain name.
CrazyNamer
Crazy Namer is a free business name generator that allows you to generate a random name or similar name with any specific keyword you have in mind.
Be careful, though! A lot of the domain names you’ll find on Crazy Namer are taken. You’ll need to click the “Check Availability” button to see if the domain name you’re after is free to use or not.
Domain Puzzler
Domain Puzzler is an incredibly unique tool that allows you to come up with a business name in three ways:
- Easy. This mode uses the keyword you provide (and nothing else).
- Advanced. This mode allows you to enter more than one keyword to create a stronger domain name.
- Magic. This mode allows you to add as many keywords as you want and ties in relevant LSI keywords into your domain name.
Not only that, it shows you the page rank of similar websites that relate to your keyword used.
Lean Domain Search
Lean Domain Search may seem like a generic business name generator, but it offers something that most business name generators don’t…
… the ability to see whether or not a Twitter handle is available to match the exact domain name you’ve chosen.
Which, if you ask me, is amazing. The more social networks you have tied to your website, the better!
BrandBucket
BrandBucket is not a free business name generator tool.
Most of the domain names you’ll find right off the bat cost around $1,000 to get. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go with BrandBucket, though!
More often than not, BrandBucket creates catchy domain names that you’ll fall in love with. Plus, you get a logo with your brand name (and can request as many changes as you’d like for your logo).
Naminum
If you’re looking for a “One-Shot-Wonder”, Namium is for you.
This business name generator will take your keyword and add a suffix onto it. For example, if you added in the keyword “Food”, you’d get domain names like:
- Foodio
- Foodama
- Foodace
- Foodamp
Which, in my opinion, doesn’t make for a perfect business name. Unless you were going to use “Foodie” but, as you may already know, it’s taken.
One Click Name
If I’m being honest with you, I’m not a huge fan of One Click Name.
Mainly because each business name costs a few hundred dollars to buy and already has a unique story behind it.
To me, a business name should tell your own unique story, rather than someone else’s interpretation.
But, if you’re really stuck and need a name asap, One Click Name may be right up your alley!
Name Find
Name Find is another business name generator that doesn’t come cheap, but allows users to get in touch with “Domain experts” 24/7.
These experts will listen to what your ideal domain name would be and help you to come up with the perfect name for your business.
Namerific
Namerific is a great business name generator tool but is a wee bit pricey. Some domain names on this site cost $400K (which is way too much, if you ask me)!
On the bright side, you’ll be given a free logo and most of the brand names Namerific comes up with are catchy.
List of useful resources on choosing a brand name
Want to dive a little deeper into the world of business names? I don’t blame you!
These next four guides are jam-packed with valuable information, questions, and things you probably wouldn’t have thought of otherwise...
- The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Brandable Name for Your Startup - This guide by Goran Bogunovic gives you practical advice on how to choose an awesome business name. From a creative standpoint to a practical one, he covers it all.
- The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Brilliant Business Name - Georgina Smibert takes the reins in this guide while prompting you to ask yourself questions about the business name you’re in the process of choosing.
- The Ultimate Guide to Naming a New Business - In this guide, Josh Ledgard gives you a few tools for picking the perfect business name and how you shouldn’t pick something that “just works”.
- 6 Valuable Resources for Naming Your Business - Alyssa Gregory gives you not one, not two, but six valuable resources you’ll want to use when naming a business. She even provides a list of “10 Commandments” to follow in order to get a great business name.
I sincerely hope you take advantage of these guides - they’ll help you (and your business) in more ways than one!
Conclusion
Choosing a business name is hard! You’re picking the name that will represent you and your company for years to come. That can be stressful.
Luckily, with loads of business name generators out there and some tips on choosing a brand name, you can get your name (and business) up and running in no time!
What are your tips for choosing a brand name? Let us know in the comments below!
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