Begin your naming project by collecting some basic information:

• Describe What You Are Naming. Include key features and characteristics, competitive advantages, and anything else that differentiates your product or company.

• Summarize Your Goals For The Name. Should the name describe a key product characteristic or feature? Should it convey a particular company image or connotation? Do you want a sophisticated name (e.g. La Forza) or a more descriptive name that might have broader consumer appeal (e.g. Sensible Chef)?

• Define Your Target Market. Who do you want the name to appeal to? Would they react more positively to a high touch (e.g. Apple) or a high tech (e.g. Compaq) type of name? What other name qualities would they find attractive?

• List Names That You Like And Dislike. Don't restrict this list to names that are just related to your current naming project. List a dozen or more "good" and "bad" names. Next to each one indicate why you like or dislike it. Start looking for commonalities between names. Are there certain roots or words that you prefer? What about the style of the name, length, sound or image? Be sure to include competitors' names in this list. Good sources for these names include trade journals, association directories, phone books (which are now available on CD-ROM), and trademark directories (which you can probably find at your local library). Avoid developing a name for your product or company that is similar to a competitor's name. While this may seem to offer some initial advantages, it usually causes confusion, dilutes the effectiveness of your advertising and PR, and causes all kinds of trademark problems.

Select the type of name that is right for you:

• Coined names with no obvious meaning (e.g. Exxon or Oreo) These are often the easiest to trademark but the toughest to promote.

• Coined names that have an implied meaning (e.g. ZapMail or Diehard) These may be tougher to trademark, but are often easier to remember and require fewer ad dollars to establish in the marketplace.

• Real word names (e.g. Avalanche or Talent Pulse) These can be the most descriptive but are often the most difficult to trademark. In many cases, someone else is already using the name or the name is too generic to protect. For example, we felt Name-Maker was too descriptive a name to trademark for a name development tool. Instead, we opted for NamePro, a suggestive, less descriptive and therefore easier to trademark type of name.

• Acronyms (e.g. AIM - Advanced Information Management or PROFITS - Professional Fitness Services) These offer the advantage of a short name combined with a longer descriptor. But acronyms often seem too contrived or forced. Also, watch out for meaningless, "alphabet-soup" acronyms that are just a jumble of letters (e.g. BWH or CDX) and very difficult to remember.

• Individual or place names (e.g. O. J. & Associates or Southwest Airlines) These may link a business with a well known person or a given locale, but are often too limiting down the road. For example, what happens when that key individual retires, or when the airline starts flying all over the country? Personal and geographic names are also difficult to protect since others with the same name (or in the same location) often have a right to use that name in their business too.

Use the techniques or tools listed here to help develop on-target, memorable names:

• You can combine roots and syllables together to develop new coined names. First, take a piece of paper and divide it into two columns. Review the list of names that you like, taking roots from the beginning of these names and writing them in column one. Take roots that work best at the end of the names and enter them into column two. Then combine each root in the first column with each root in the second, writing down the new names that you prefer. If you need help coming up with additional roots or short word ideas, you may want to get a good crossword puzzle dictionary. There are also a variety of software tools available. We recommend the American Heritage(R) Talking Dictionary.

• Try a real word name We recommend using "The Synonym Finder" by Jerome Rodale and "Word Menu" by Stephen Glazier. Both books tend to have more words appropriate for naming than the typical Thesaurus (which is usually better suited for college compositions). In terms of software, there are some excellent tools for developing real word names as well as for facilitating your own brainstorming process. We recommend eXpertSystems(TM) from the Idea Center.

• If you really want to consider acronyms... Many libraries have reference books that list the most common ones.

If you need a name that can also be used as a .com or .net domain name on the Internet, you may want to consider the following:

• Avoid a single, short, real word. In general, short real words are almost always already registered unless they are very unusual.  Check the one of the global WhoIs registries (we do NOT recommend Network Solutions -- they will reserve your domain name without asking) to see if a domain name is available.  Try theDotster orRegister.Com WhoIs registers.

• If you want to use real words, try 2 or 3 short ones in combination, such as, funtogo. Remember that domain names are like license plates. Changing only a single letter is all that is often required to make an unregistrable name registrable. If funtogo.com is not available, then try fun-to-go.com, fun2go.com, fun-2-go.com, etc. Remember that the only special character that can be used in a domain name is a hyphen.

• You may want to try coined, made-up words (e.g., olion). You will have a higher likelihood of being able to register this style of name.

• If you like a domain name that is already registered, you may want to visit the associated web site to see if it is actually in use. Many speculators own domain name registrations for the sole purpose of selling them. You can look up the registrant using the Dotster WhoIs search facility or in some cases you may have to go to the registry listed to locate the registrant. Quite often, registered but unused domain names can be purchased for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.

• If you find an available domain name that you like, consider registering it immediately. You can do this online via Dotster.com for about $15 per name or GoDaddy.com for about $10 per name. Consider registering similarly spelled domain names that may also be available to reduce potential future confusion for people trying to find your web site.

Very Important: If you own a domain name registration, you do not automatically own a trademark. You still need to perform a trademark search to be sure you will not infringe on someone's existing trademark before you begin using the domain name. If the mark is available, you should file an application to register it as appropriate.

You may want to use some of these resources during your naming project:

Source of Real Words
"The Synonym Finder" by Jerome Rodale is published by Rodale Press and is available for under $20. "Word Menu" by Stephen Glazier is published by Random House and is available for under $30.

Software Tools
The American Heritage(R) Talking Dictionary is an older version of software (which we prefer due to its more complete search features) that you may have to hunt for on the Web and be sure to verify compatibility with your system. eXperSystem(TM) is available online from the Idea Center.

Naming/Branding Books
There are many books on naming and branding, including: "The Product Marketing Handbook for Software" (3rd edition) by Merrill Chapman, "The New Positioning" by Jack Trout and "The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding" by Al & Laura Ries.

Name-Related Web Sites
Visit the Software Market Solution web site for more information on software advertising, branding, positioning, public relations and even a free e-zine. 

Yellow Pages and Vanity Telephone Numbers:
Business phone book listings are a source of name ideas and a quick way to check for names already in use.  Yellow page listings are available online on the Internet at www.superpages.com (lookups are by state) or www.switchboard.com (for nationwide searches). Visit Toll Free Numbers.com for vanity telephone numbers and other related information.

Trademark Information

• USA: 

The United States Patent and Trademark office provides sample trademark applications, brochures describing the registration process and a FREE online trademark search/lookup facility called the Trademark Electronic Search System. You can call the US PTO at (703) 308-9000 for more information. 

"Trademark: How to Name Your Business and Product" by Kate McGrath, Stephen Elias & Sarah Shena provides background on U.S. trademark law and guidelines for name creation (NOLO Press: 800-992-6656).

A few firms that perform U.S. trademark searches are

• Thomson & Thomson at (800) 692-8833

• Government Liaison Services at (800) 642-6564

• Digital-Trademarks.com at (312) 692-0119

An alternative online trademark search which develops trademark search strings for you and also offers both U.S. and Canadian searches is available on the Internet at tmweb.

U.S. domain name registration checks are available through many registrars on the Internet, including Dotster ($15 per domain name),GoDaddy.com ($10 per domain name) and others.

• European Community

CTM-Online Search (click on Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market) allows FREE online trademark searches in English for all countries in the European Union.  The European Union is comprised of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom. 

• Canada

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office provides a FREE online trademark search facility for both pending and registered marks in English.  

• Australia

Australian Trade Mark On-line Search System allows FREE searches of the Australian trademark databases (enter as Guest).

Once you have a list of name candidates, you should screen them for potential problems:

Trademark Search.
We recommend you conduct a comprehensive trademark search before moving forward on any name. While trademark attorneys aren't inexpensive (i.e. they may charge $500 to $1000 to perform the trademark search, render a legal opinion, and file the paperwork to register your mark) they're a bargain compared to the expense you'll incur if you have to change your name at a later date.

Alternatively, you can call a trademark search firm like Thomson & Thomson, Government Liaison Services or Digital-Trademarks.com and have them perform a federal, state and common law search for $200 to $700 per name depending on the turnaround time required.

Profanity Check.
The naming business abounds with stories of naming snafus like Chevrolet's Nova meaning "no go" in Spanish or Rolls Royce's Silver Mist meaning "manure" in German. You may want to get a copy of Christina Kunitskaya-Peterson's "International Dictionary of Obscenities."

Test Your Names.
Regardless of what you think about a name, others may have a different opinion. At a minimum, you should test each name with customers to find out:

• Do they like it?

• Is it relevant & appropriate?

• Are there any associated negatives?

• Can they pronounce it and spell it?

• And most importantly, can they remember it the next day?

This Guide provides an abbreviated checklist of steps to follow in developing a new name. While it also lists some helpful name development resources, it is not comprehensive and should not be used as your only naming resource.