Choosing a Name for Your Startup

A good startup name is easy to say, easy to spell, easy to remember, and reasonably available. It should be short enough to fit on a sticker and distinctive enough that it is not easily confused with a dozen other companies.

Beyond those practical criteria, a good name should feel consistent with your brand personality. A name for a legal tech tool aimed at enterprise clients will feel different from a name for a consumer wellness app — and it should. Neither is better in the abstract, but each needs to fit its context.

Naming is tempting to do early because it feels concrete and exciting. The problem with naming before you have defined your brand is that you end up choosing a name that fits your personal taste rather than one that fits your company.

When your brand elements are clear — your personality, your mission, the type of customer you serve — you have a much better filter for evaluating name options. You can ask: does this name feel consistent with who we are? Would our target customer find it memorable and appropriate?

Zigzag generates multiple name options based on your brand elements and Lean Canvas. For each name, it provides a rationale explaining the connection to your business, a list of pros and cons, and a domain availability check so you can see immediately whether the corresponding .com is available.

This gives you a structured comparison rather than a blank brainstorm. You can evaluate options side by side with clear reasoning behind each one — which is much more useful than a list of names with no context.

Domain availability is the minimum check, but there are several others that matter. Check trademark availability in your target markets — a name that is already trademarked in your industry can create legal problems later. Check how the name reads in other languages if you plan to operate internationally. And say it out loud: some names that look fine in writing are awkward to pronounce or easy to mishear.

Check social media handle availability too. Having consistent handles across platforms makes it easier for people to find you. This is a minor friction point that is easy to avoid at this stage.

You do not need the perfect name before moving forward. Many successful companies launched with a working name and changed it later — sometimes more than once. What matters more is having a name that is good enough to use consistently while you validate your business model and build your first product.

Do not spend weeks agonizing over naming. Spend a few hours, make a decision, and move on. Your customers will remember you for what you do for them, not just what you are called.