Understanding "Brandable" Company Names
So you’ve done it. You’ve found what you believe to be the perfect brandable name for your new business. But … there is a big difference between finding a great name and finding a great name that is both available and brandable.
Check out some of the recent company names developed by the Brandings that are both brandable and available:
Entrepreneurs need to ask themselves three questions …
Is the business name available?
Is the dot.com domain name available?
Is the name “brandable”?
Question 1: Is the Business Name Available?
On the surface, it may seem an easy task to create long lists of available company, product and web 2.0 (i.e. interactive, collaborative sites) domains. In truth, finding an available, yet memorable business name is exceptionally difficult.
It’s vital to conduct an extensive name search to find out if the name, or a similar name is already in use – and importantly – how the name is being used. Even if you find a name that is already in use, you still may be able to use it if your use is a different product targeting to a different market. For example, you may be able to use the name United Electronics, even though the names United Airlines, United Van Lines and United Theological Seminary all share the “united” name.
You should undertake a comprehensive search in key databases, including:
Trademark Databases: U.S. Federal, U.S. State, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Austria, Benelux, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Community Trademarks, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, All International (IR) trademarks.
Industrial Databases: CN - Finland, CN - Norway, SSCN - Spain, CN - Sweden, SN - Finland, SN – Sweden
Pharma In-Use Databases: Canada, Mexico, United States, Argentina, Brazil, Central America, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Egypt, Guinea, Israel, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tunisia.
Question 2: Is the Dot.Com Domain Name Available?
Obtaining the dot.com domain extension (Top-Level-Domain; TLD) has become a requirement in the naming process for growth-focused firms. The dot.com extension is used by virtually every mid-size and large U.S. business and is the far-and-away the most globally recognized.
It’s no longer an option, in business today you must own the dot.com domain name. While each country has their own country code TLD, dot.com has emerged as the global standard … and the extension is increasingly the TLD of choice for the fastest growing countries.
The dot.com extension is the default setting on virtually every browser. If a prospective client types in only part of a web address, they will likely be directed to the site that ends in dot.com. Google, Yahoo and virtually all the other major search engines prioritize dot.com domains before non-dot.com extensions.
Just think about it, if your register the dot.net, dot.org or any of the other TLDs and your competition owns the dot.com – you’ll likely send a lot of business to your competitor.
At Brandings we advise all our clients to secure the dot.com TLD. If a firm cannot secure the dot.com extension, we strongly advise that the firm move on to adopting another name.
You’ll want to search the primary domain name databases including: aero, .biz, .cat, .com, .edu, .gov, .info, .mobi, .name, .net, .org, .travel, .us. When appropriate we advise that you search relevant country code TLD databases.
Question 3: Is the Name Brandable?
“Brandability” is the ability of the firm to build a strong identity around the name and brand and possibly secure a trademark from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) the agency responsible for registering trademarks in the United States, the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market – Trade Marks & Designs (OHIM) the European Union agency responsible for registering trade marks and designs that are valid in all 27 countries of the EU, or other global trademark agency.
Trademark registration will protect your name and brand identity from use by another entity.
If your business is small corner retail store or small local business, trademark protection is generally not a major concern. But for all other entities – especially growth-focused firm’s – trademark protection is important to maintaining brand equity and building customer goodwill, trust and loyalty.
The more distinctive and unique a product or service name is, the more brandable the company name is considered and the easier it will be to protect the name from use by others. Names can be categorized on a sliding scale of uniqueness or “brandability.”
The most brandable names are invented names, followed by arbitrary names, evocative names, literal names and finally generic names that have no legal protection.
Invented names (also known as Coined Names or Created Names) are company names that are created from brainstorming and creative development processes. These names are unique and without question the most brandable and “trademark qualifying.” Examples of “invented” names in the Brandings inventory include – Plaqua, Faizy, Ajela, Sygain, Grojo, Vygen, Septar, and Zoltus.
Arbitrary names are existing words used for products that have no logical relationship to the goods for which the term is used. Examples of “arbitrary” names include “PeachTree” (for a computer software firm), “Virgin” (for an airline company) and “Apple” (for a computer company).
Evocative names elicit or draw forth a positive association. Evocative names are short and meaningful and call up a good feeling. Examples of “evocative” names in the Brandings inventory include -- BlueSurge, MegaBath, AlohaVibe, BlueberrySky, and MissClever.
Literal names are fairly straight forward. Literal names follow the primary or strict meaning of the word or words and are not figurative or metaphorical. Examples of “literal” names include -- SupplyDepo, VetStores, CherryGlaze, RiverDubai, TryPeru, ContactsOnly, and FuneralAid.
Generic names have no legal protection and cannot be registered or protected. “Linoleum,” “zipper,” “escalator,” and “aspirin” are all examples for brand names that were once registered trademarks and are now generic names because of the failure of the firms to maintain distinctive brand identities.
It bears repeating, a great name is of no value if there are trademark infringement issues or you cannot secure the dot.com domain name. One of the biggest challenges of naming architecture firms is creating a great brandable name only to find it in use somewhere around the world.
At Brandings all names have been “prescreened” and are available immediately. In some cases there may be limitations as to the suitability of a brand name with application in a particular industry or market or for use in a category of good or service articulated in the International Classification of Goods & Services. Be sure to talk to your Client Services Representative about the additional trademark screening services available.
Check out some of the recent "brandable" company names developed at Brandings:
Generic Company Names vs. Brandable Company Names
So while generic names are valuable for search engine optimization purposes and ease of customer use, it is unlikely that these names will be granted approval by the US Patent and Trademark Office, the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market – Trade Marks & Designs (OHIM) or other global trademark agency.
Great start-ups should look for a simple, powerful, brandable business name in order to build a solid brand and corporate identity. At Brandings, we realize that identifying the right name for a new business is one of the most important decisions an entrepreneur will make. Finding the right brandable domain name requires a great deal of creativity and hard work.
And now for the stuff our lawyers want us to include … Brandings makes no representation as to the suitability of a brand name with application in a particular industry or market or for use in a category of good or service articulated in the International Classification of Goods & Services. Clients and prospective clients are strongly encouraged to seek counsel to determine suitability and all trademark registration related matters.
We are here to assist you in securing a great name. The right brandable name for your business, product or service is just a call or click away.
Get Started Now
Acquiring the prefect brandable company name has never been easier. There are two easy ways to search:
1. Search CATEGORY. You can search names by category and subcategory. Check-out the category list in the column to the left. (Note that categories have more specific subcategories.) Just select a category or subcategory and browse!
2. Search by NAME. Find company names that contain a keyword (or partial word) important in your business. Use the Search by NAME function -- located at the top of this page. Simply enter any word or word fragment ... then click “GO!”
Whatever your new business needs, we are here to help. Call Brandings Client Service Team today at 1-800-852-8900 (Toll Free USA) +1-310-246-5100 (Worldwide) or simply click here to contact our office via e-mail: info@brandings.com
Click here to return to Brandings.com main page: How to Name a Business
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