Startup Naming Pro

Generate and evaluate brand, product, and startup names using linguistic science, cultural awareness, trademark heuristics, and domain availability principles. Covers naming frameworks (descriptive, abstract, coined, metaphorical), linguistic analysis, and cross-cultural safety checks. Use when naming a new product, company, brand, feature, or project.

Systematic brand and product naming with linguistic rigor and business sense.

Naming Categories

1. Descriptive (描述型)

Directly describes what the product does.

• Pros: Instant understanding, good for SEO
• Cons: Generic, hard to trademark, limiting
• Examples: General Electric, American Airlines, PayPal
• Use when: Utility matters more than brand personality (B2B tools, infrastructure)

2. Abstract / Coined (造词型)

Invented words with no prior meaning.

• Pros: Unique, trademark-friendly, ownable
• Cons: Needs marketing investment to establish meaning
• Examples: Kodak, Rolex, Hulu, Spotify
• Use when: Building a category-defining brand

3. Metaphorical (隐喻型)

Uses imagery or concepts from other domains.

• Pros: Memorable, story-rich, emotionally resonant
• Cons: Meaning may not be immediately obvious
• Examples: Amazon (vast), Nike (victory), Stripe (simple + bold)
• Use when: Emotional connection matters more than literal description

4. Compound / Blended (复合型)

Combines two words or word parts.

• Pros: Fresh but recognizable, compact
• Cons: Can feel contrived if overdone (-ify, -ly fatigue)
• Examples: Facebook, Netflix, Pinterest, Instagram
• Use when: Want to evoke two concepts simultaneously

Evaluation Framework

Score each name candidate on these dimensions (1-10):

Dimension	Weight	What to Check
Memorability	25%	Can you recall it after hearing it once?
Pronounceability	20%	Can a 5-year-old say it? Can non-native speakers?
Brevity	15%	Ideally 2-3 syllables, under 10 characters
Uniqueness	15%	Google it — is it dominated by other results?
Domain potential	10%	Is the .com available or acquirable?
Cultural safety	10%	Does it mean anything offensive in major languages?
Trademark viability	5%	Does it conflict with existing marks in the category?

Minimum passing score: 6.5/10 weighted average. Don't ship below this.

Workflow

1. Brief

Gather from the user:

• What does the product/company do?
• Target audience and geography?
• Desired brand personality (playful, serious, luxurious, technical)?
• Any constraints (must include a word, must start with a letter, budget for domain)?
• Competitors to differentiate from?

2. Generate

Produce 10-15 candidates across all 4 naming categories. Use these techniques:

Linguistic tricks:

• Alliteration: PayPal, BlackBerry, Best Buy
• Repetition:滴滴, TikTok, WeChat → We
• Rhyme: Reese's, Lean Cuisine, 7-Eleven
• Ending -ify: Shopify, Spotify (→ overused, use sparingly)
• Ending -ly: Weebly, Bitly (→ avoid)
• Latin/Greek roots: Acer (sharp), Volvo (I roll), Sony (sonus/sound)

Cross-language mining:

• Find words with positive meanings across cultures
• Check translations in Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish, French, Hindi
• A word meaning "beautiful" in one language may mean "garbage" in another

3. Evaluate

Apply the scoring framework above. Rank candidates. Present top 5 with:

• Name + category
• Rationale (why it works)
• Potential tagline pairing
• Risk flags (if any)
• Domain availability heuristic (.com, .io, .ai, .co options)

4. Refine

Based on feedback:

• "More abstract" → shift toward coined words
• "More fun" → explore portmanteaus and playful sounds
• "More premium" → Latin roots, soft consonants, longer syllable counts

Linguistic Pitfalls

Issue	Example	Why It Fails
Hard consonant clusters	"Strplx"	Unpronounceable
Ambiguous vowel	"Fower" (flower? four-er?)	Confusing
Cultural offense	"Pajero" (Spanish slang)	Brand damage
Too generic	"Cloud Storage Pro"	No brand equity
TMI in name	"Enterprise Customer Relationship Management System"	Not a name, it's a sentence
Trendy prefix	"AiSomething", "SmartSomething"	Forgettable, dates fast

Cross-Cultural Safety Check

Always test a name against:

1. Chinese: Does it sound like a homophone with negative meaning?
2. Japanese: Any problematic readings?
3. Spanish: Common slang conflicts?
4. Arabic: Does it resemble a word with negative connotation?
5. Hindi: Any unfavorable associations?

Real-world failures: Mitsubishi Pajero, Chevy Nova (no va = "doesn't go"), Nokia Lumia (prostitute in Spanish slang), Ford Kuga (sounds like "cougar" and also problematic in some Chinese dialects).

Output Template

text

## Name: [Name]
- **Category**: [Descriptive/Abstract/Metaphorical/Compound]
- **Score**: [X.X]/10
- **Pronunciation**: [IPA + phonetic spelling]
- **Meaning**: [Literal meaning, if any]
- **Rationale**: [Why this works for the brief]
- **Tagline pair**: "[Name] — [tagline]"
- **Domain options**: [available alternatives]
- **Risk flags**: [none / specific concerns]

Prompt Triggers

• "Help me name my startup"
• "Generate brand names for a [type] product"
• "Evaluate this name: [name]"
• "I need a creative name that sounds [adjective]"