How to come up with a quirky name for your new business
Choosing your company’s name is one of the most exciting parts of starting up. There’s an endless choice of options. Descriptive, practical, experimental – it all has its place, but often the most eye-catching business names are just that bit more quirky. Quirky names catch people’s attention and leave lasting memories for your business. Check out these ideas and pick the best company name to win new clients!
Here’s a quick checklist of the best practices used by businesses when choosing a company name, followed by our top five categories of the best catchy names we’ve found from around the world!
The most common sources for company names include:
- Product ingredients: Coca-Cola
- Founder’s name: Ford, Mercedes-Benz
- Mix of two names: Debian, Adidas
- Mix of two words: Intel, Microsoft, Vodaphone, Verizon, Compaq
- Acronyms: SUN
- Invented words: Skype
- Emotional & evocative: Apple, Virgin
- Latin and other origins: Acer, Lego, Konica, Reebok
- Greek and Roman gods: Asus, Nike, Oracle, Pandora
- Characters: Starbucks, Yahoo
- Cities, rivers, peaks: Cisco, Nokia, Adobe, Amazon, Fuji
- Locations: Carrefour
Need further inspiration and more handy tips? Find out what type of name would best suit your company – Distinctive, Practical, Unique or Quirky?
Just for fun: top five sources of quirky company names
If you’re a music and movie fan, why not turn your new start-up’s name into a memorable phrase?
Films:
- Florist Gump
- Floral & Hardy
- The Cod Father
- Thai Tanic
- Pita Pan
- Indiana Bones Temple of Groom
- Lawn and Order
- The Merchant of Tennis
- Specs in the City
Music
- Spruce Springsteen
- Amy’s Winehouse
- Chipsy King
Celebrities:
- Jason Donervan
- Dolce & Banana
Use rhyme in your name to make it sound extra fun:
- KAbra KeBabRa
- Wok and Roll
Feeling hungry? Discover even more quirky finds from our Pinterest collection.
Well known phrases
- Meat you there
- Life’s a Cabernet
- Wooden It be lovely
- Ink about it
- It’s unbeweaveable
Check out our Quirky Name board with a compilation of the most eccentric entries to inspire your new company start-up.
- Build a digital brand: The Power of a name: how to choose a name for your new business
- Evoke emotions: Choosing a company name: How to build a successful emotional connection with your clients
- Be creative: Distinctive, Practical, Unique or Quirky? What does your new company’s name say to your clients?
Finally, we’ve wrapped it all for you in This Video. Discover how the world’s most famous brands named their businesses and find the perfect name for yours!
Can anyone help with a name for a business my girlfriend and I are starting.
It will be exclusive homewares and costume jewellery, we arr struggling here to have a name to combine the products. Looking for something quirky. Cheers.
Hi Denise. If you’re going for a quirky name you have a couple of options. One way is to come up with a word or phrase that combines in meaning your two types of products (which may be difficult). The other suggestion is to invent a new word. It may not necessarily suggest what the business is all about, but will have some inherent meaning for you and your girlfriend, ideally be short and memorable for your future clients. Here’re 13 examples of mixing personal names, existing words, Latin words, or using acronyms to invent a great new business name. It’s your venture and only you two know what name will fit in best. Good luck!