The best brand names resonate with people emotionally. When people see your name it should invoke a feeling that builds an emotional connection to the brand. The best way to do that is to make sure your name has loads of meaning and story behind it that consumers can resonate with. And remember, words have emotional value, make sure the words that make up your brand have a high cost.

Short and sweet wins the day. The ideal name should be three syllables or less. This helps make sure that customers can say and remember your name easily. Like our logo, a name should be something that people can remember easily and differentiate you from competitors. A word of warning, although a short name is preferable, a long name is a better choice than a short meaningless name.

Avoid confusion and create comfort. Names that are hard to pronounce or sound odd can put a subconscious roadblock in the mind of potential customers.  If a customer isn’t sure how to say your name, they’re less likely to share it with other people. brand names that motivate buyers are based on familiar words and concepts that we understand and appreciate.

Your name should pass the Google test.  Names should ideally be truly unique. Don’t fall in love with a name just to find out it’s unavailable. Check on Google, Facebook, and any other major spaces your company will be living in to make sure there isn’t a same or similarly named company. A name shouldn’t be something that is easy to mix up with another company, i.e.: Harry’s Heating and Cooling versus Henry Heating and Cooling.

Make sure your name is available for the domain and trademark registration. Ideally, you should own your domain name outright so customers can easily find your webpage. If your domain isn’t available, it may be tempting to add a quantifier but this can instantly dilute your brand and confuse customers.

Avoid cliches and overused words but stay relevant. There is a fine line between using a name your target audience will quickly associate with and using a phrase or word that is overused and sounds cliche. If you do the latter you run the risk of seeming outdated from the get-go and will be harder to find with online searches. Your name should ideally stand out from the competition but still resonate with your ideal consumer.

The brand name expert, Alexandra Watkins, came up with “The Smile and Scratch Test” to help people with a quick and easy way to know if your potential name is a win.

Suggestive – evokes a positive brand experience
Meaningful – your customers “get it”
Imagery – visually evocative to aid in memory
Legs – lends itself to a theme for extended mileage
Emotional – resonates with your audience

SCRATCH it if it has any of these 7 deal breakers:

Spelling-challenged – looks like a typo
Copycat – similar to competitor’s names
Restrictive – limits future growth
Annoying – hidden meaning, forced
Tame – flat, descriptive, uninspired
Curse of Knowledge – only insiders get it
Hard-to-pronounce – not obvious, unapproachable

Some examples of great names by Alexandra Watkins.
https://eatmywords.com/portfolio/names-in-a-nutshell/