Motto® Guide to Brand Naming

In business, few things are as constant and far-reaching as a brand’s name. A great name is a powerful asset, a core part of a company’s identity. Unlike other business investments, a brand name is used daily in nearly every interaction and communication.

Selecting the right brand name is both an art and a science, requiring a blend of planning, strategic thinking, and creativity. From the initial spark of idea generation to trademark guidance and legal review, every step plays a role in crafting a name that resonates with your audience and represents your brand.

At Motto®, we’ve spent decades naming brands across industries, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. One lesson has remained consistent: the strongest names rarely appear first. They emerge through strategy, exploration, refinement, and thoughtful decision-making.

So, when is the right time to start naming?

Once brand strategy and positioning are clearly defined.

This isn’t merely another step in the branding process. It’s a foundational one. Before you can name something, you need to understand what that name should represent. A successful name isn’t simply clever or memorable. It reinforces your positioning, reflects your purpose, creates emotional resonance, and gives people something meaningful to remember.

Naming without a clear strategy is like setting sail without a compass. You might arrive somewhere, but you won’t necessarily end up where you intended.

Just as importantly, naming is one of the most subjective things we do. Every stakeholder brings personal preferences, experiences, cultural references, and assumptions into the conversation. Words have histories. They remind us of people, places, companies, movies, products, and moments in our lives. What feels brilliant to one person may feel completely unfamiliar to another.

That’s why successful naming isn’t about finding a word that everyone instantly loves. It’s about following a thoughtful process that replaces personal opinion with strategic thinking, creative exploration, and informed decision-making.

In this article, we’ll walk you through that process and explain why each step exists.

Qualities of a great name:

• Evocative: Hints at the brand’s essence
• Memorable: Easy to remember; feels familiar
• Visual: Enhances memory with vivid imagery
• Adaptable: Able to grow and remain relevant as the business evolves
• Emotive: Promotes a feel-good connection

Name dealbreakers:

• Similarity: Too similar to competitors’ names
• Tongue twister: Hard to pronounce, could be mistaken for a typo/error
• Complicated: Leads to unnecessary confusion and frustration
• Uninspired: Appears dull, overly descriptive, or timid
• Jargony: Only makes sense to industry insiders
• Prohibitive: Hinders future growth

A few common naming myths:

Myth: You’ll know it when you see it.

Reality: A great name might not initially evoke an instant connection or “feel.” Names grow on you over time, revealing their strength and alignment with your brand as they become more familiar and integrated into your brand’s story and identity.

Naming Myth: Shorter is always better.

Reality: Many great brand names are five syllables or longer: Habitat for Humanity, Banana Republic, and Victoria’s Secret. While brevity can be beneficial, longer names can establish a robust and memorable identity. It’s the impact, not the length, that counts.

Naming Myth: Popularity dictates effectiveness.

Reality: The most liked name ideas are often the safest options but not usually the most effective. For instance, “Apple” was initially met with skepticism but became iconic due to its distinctiveness. Breaking away from the norm is what makes a name stand out.

Naming Myth: Negative connotations are a no-go.

Reality: What seems like a negative connotation can be a potent branding tool. Slack, a term typically associated with idleness, has been transformed into a brand representing efficient communication. The irony works in the brand’s favor.

Naming Myth: The name must be “on the nose.”

Reality: Clarity is essential, but a name should not be literal. Red Bull doesn’t directly describe an energy drink, but it evokes strength and stamina. A great name helps create a brand around a feeling rather than telling the product or service.

The Naming Process

Step 1: Develop Naming Brief

After the client provides a brand strategy or a brand strategy that Motto creates is approved, we begin the naming process by creating a formal naming brief. This document establishes the strategic objectives and parameters that will guide every naming decision moving forward.

After the brand strategy is approved, we begin the naming process by creating a formal Naming Brief.

The purpose of the brief is to involve key decision-makers in the thinking process, clarify exactly what we’re naming, and align everyone from the outset on what the name should communicate, which name styles should be explored, and what should remain outside the conversation.

Naming is naturally subjective. The Naming Brief helps make it less so. Rather than debating whether someone personally likes or dislikes a name, the brief provides the team with a shared set of objectives against which to evaluate every idea. It becomes the strategic lens through which every naming decision is made and an invaluable reference point later in the process when opinions inevitably begin to diverge.

A strong Naming Brief answers questions before a single name is generated. What should the name communicate? What emotional tone should it evoke? Should it feel literal or symbolic? Playful or sophisticated? Familiar or unexpected? The clearer those answers become, the stronger the naming work that follows.

Elements of a Naming Brief:

• A clear description of what’s being named
• Ideas to convey through the name (conceptual territories)
• Name criteria
• Name tonality (the feeling the name should evoke)
• Themes/ideas/words/paths to explore
• Themes/ideas/words/paths to avoid
• A description of the target audience(s) for the brand
• Competitor/peer names
• Name likes and dislikes and why
• Domain name requirements
• Trademark screening criteria
• Linguistic/cultural disaster check criteria
• Other materials/links to review for background information

Step 2: Generate Name Ideas

With an approved Naming Brief, we develop hundreds of ideas that meet the brief’s objectives in various ways. We invite different types of talent to contribute ideas, including senior-level namers, strategists, word wizards, and creatives. Clients often have ideas to put into the mix as well, which we welcome.

We create a large working list of names, including the imperfect ones, organized by conceptual pathway to make it easy to sort, evaluate, and build on ideas. Some ideas are more on-the-nose and descriptive, some are cleverly symbolic, and others are wild cards. Each has a strategic rationale.

We don’t edit ourselves during this step. Sometimes a mediocre idea becomes the bridge to a brilliant one. A word sparks another word. A metaphor opens an entirely new conceptual territory. A discarded thought evolves into the strongest candidate in the room.

This process typically produces more than 200 name ideas. We exhaust the brain. Volume is key.

Ideas come from everywhere and are generated through an interplay of cognitive processes, experiences, and creative techniques, including free association, wordplay, mind mapping, borrowing from other languages, combining words, and exploring metaphors and abstract concepts.

We scour dictionaries, thesauruses, glossaries, history, mythology, geography, science, literature, pop culture, music, art, and countless other sources to inspire and illuminate possibilities.

The objective isn’t simply to generate more names. It’s to explore the problem from enough angles that we’re confident we’ve uncovered the strongest opportunities rather than settling for the first good idea.

Step 3: Run Preliminary Trademark Prescreen

The last thing anyone wants is to fall in love with a name only to discover you can’t own it. To avoid that scenario, we conduct a preliminary U.S. trademark prescreen before presenting names. This isn’t a comprehensive legal clearance, but it is an important first filter that helps identify names with obvious conflicts before we invest time discussing them.

The goal isn’t to prove a name is available. Rather, it’s to narrow a large field of possibilities into a smaller group with greater potential. By eliminating obvious conflicts early, we can spend our energy evaluating ideas that have a more realistic path forward.

During the prescreen, names are generally categorized as:

• Out (High Risk): The name presents significant trademark concerns and is unlikely to be worth pursuing.
• Maybe (Medium Risk): The name may be registrable but requires further legal analysis before moving forward.
• In (Low Risk): No significant issues have surfaced during the preliminary search, making the name a strong candidate for deeper consideration.

It’s important to remember that this is only a preliminary screening. Even names categorized as “In” are not guaranteed to be registrable. A comprehensive legal clearance is still recommended before making a final decision.

Once the prescreen is complete, we curate up to 10 of the strongest candidates, including low and medium-risk names, for the first presentation.

Step 4: Present Round One Names

Naming isn’t about finding a clever word. It’s about finding the word that best expresses a strategic idea. We present a few prescreened name candidates, each accompanied by a strategic rationale explaining how it fulfills the objectives established in the Naming Brief. Some names are descriptive. Others rely on symbolism, metaphor, or emotion. Each represents a distinct strategic direction.

This presentation is highly collaborative. The discussion is just as valuable as the names themselves. As we evaluate each direction together, patterns begin to emerge. Certain conceptual territories create excitement. Others reveal what doesn’t feel authentic or aligned.

To help everyone imagine the possibilities, we pair each name with simple visual mockups. Seeing a name in context often changes how people experience it. What may have felt unfamiliar on paper can quickly feel distinctive and full of potential when imagined as a living brand. The goal of the first round of candidates isn’t necessarily to choose the final name. It’s to learn. Those insights become the foundation for the next round of exploration.

Step 5: Generate and Present Round Two Names

The first presentation is rarely about finding “the one.” More often, it’s about discovering what the organization is responding to. Every conversation reveals something valuable, whether it’s a conceptual territory everyone gravitates toward, a style of naming that feels authentic, or an unexpected direction worth exploring.

Armed with that insight, we return to ideation. We build on what resonated, challenge assumptions where appropriate, and continue exploring new territory. After another preliminary trademark prescreen, we present up another batch of name candidates, each supported by a strategic rationale. This iterative process produces stronger outcomes because each round builds on what was learned in the last.

Step 6: Conduct Deep Dive Trademark Clearance

By this point, the conversation shifts from possibility to commitment. Before investing in visual identity, launch materials, and brand activation, it’s important to understand the legal landscape surrounding the leading candidates. Names in the Low Risk and Medium Risk categories are up for debate and deep-dive consideration. The trademark office is taking upwards of 10 months to review new applications.

It would not be ideal to start using a name and find out nearly a year later that your application has been refused. For that reason, we highly recommend the full search before filing. This process takes about two weeks and provides a full legal “Registrability Opinion” regarding the availability of the name for registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). The legal opinion overviews the relevant trademark law against which this opinion was formed, forms an in-depth analysis of the mark and issues surrounding it, and provides suggestions to reduce such risks. We recommend filtering 1-3 names through a deep-dive clearance.

While no attorney can guarantee an outcome with the USPTO, a deep dive dramatically improves decision-making by replacing assumptions with informed legal guidance.

Step 6: Decide the Name

Eventually, every naming engagement arrives at the same moment. The research has been done. The strategic conversations have happened. Legal guidance has been reviewed.

Now it’s time to decide. Rarely is there a perfect answer. Most names carry some level of legal or strategic tradeoff. The objective isn’t to eliminate every ounce of uncertainty. It’s to make an informed decision with confidence, understanding both the opportunities and the risks. Once the name is selected, we move into visual identity development.

Step 8: File Intent To Use Application

We recommend filing an “Intent to Use” Application to begin the trademark registration process. This application establishes your bona fide intent to use the trademark and secures your place in line while the brand identity is finalized and prepared for launch

Step 9. File In-Use Application

Once the visual identity is complete and the brand has officially launched, we recommend filing an “In Use” Application to complete the trademark registration.

Trademark Support Throughout the Process

A successful naming engagement extends beyond creativity. It also requires close coordination between strategy and legal counsel. To ensure trademark efforts remain aligned with the broader brand vision, Motto provides strategic support throughout the process.

Our involvement includes:

• Coordinating communication between your team and the trademark attorney
• Reviewing trademark documents and providing strategic feedback
• Leading discussions with stakeholders to build alignment and confidence around the final name
• Helping teams interpret legal guidance within the context of broader brand objectives
• Preliminary trademark prescreening is included in Motto’s fee. Deep dive trademark clearances and trademark filings are billed separately.

Motto works with our attorney for trademark services. Clients are welcome to work with our attorney or use their own attorney. If our attorney is selected, legal services are billed directly according to the current rate schedule.

A few brands we’ve named:

• Nomina (Layer 1 blockchain platform)
• Hopscotch (B2B payments without the BS)
• Parasail (SaaS marketing platform)
• Bandana (visionary worker-first job platform)
• Humankind (digital-first good news content brand by USA Today)
• Soundrise (an ever-growing alliance of purpose-driven podcasts brands)
• Vayda (ag-tech company that facilitates conventional to regenerative farming)
• Sabbatical (DTC watch brand)
• VisionCamp® (visionary leadership masterclass by Motto®)
• Biown (microbiome supplement innovation by Reckitt)
• Green Mustache (plant-based smoothies and snacks for the picky eater)
• Attend (home conceirge)
• Cloudhop (dream-themed cupcake and cookie brand)
• Drift (mesmerizing kinetic sand tables by Homedics)
• Looie (subscription fresh-cut grass potty pads for pets)
• Orison (plug-and-play home energy storage system)
• Avenir (Canada’s largest hearing center brand)