Startup Naming Pro

# Startup Naming Pro 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 ``` ## 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]"