What's in a name? 💡

Hello friends!

I hope you're enjoying this Serial Maker newsletter! If you missed any of the past editions, make sure to check them out. And if you know someone who might benefit from this newsletter, please forward this email to a friend. 😀

Naming something is one of the hardest things to do. Whether you're coming up with a name for a variable in your code or you're branding your startup idea, a name can seem so permanent. 

"There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation and naming things."
— Phil Karlton

I love that quote because it's annoyingly true. Names stick around. Anyone who's ever named a child understands the commitment involved with assigning a name. And our great idea can often feel like our baby. Luckily, there are some tricks and tools available to help.

This issue is all about naming things💡
 

TLDR

• Write everything down

• The thesaurus is your friend

• Take your time, and let your mind process everything

• Get someone else's opinion

Write everything down

When you're brainstorming names, keep a running list — even for the names you're throwing away. You may come back to those concepts, and they may lead you down a new path.

When I'm coming up with names, I'll jot down hundreds of ideas. It's a stream of consciousness. When it feels right, I'll go back and start editing, sitting with each name like Marie Kondo to see if it sparks joy. If it's a dead end, it is marked for removal. But I still have a record of it just in case.
 

Use reference material

I often use a thesaurus, Wikipedia, and an etymology dictionary while I'm coming up with a name. I just let myself go down a rabbit hole to see what stands out. I also look at alternate languages to see variations on a concept, or I'll look up mythology around an idea. You never know where this material will lead. Take your time and get lost in it. It may even take a day for your subconscious to register what you read and come up with just the right expression of your idea.

A common naming technique is to create a portmanteau. It's a made up word from a combination of two other words. Think Pinterest (pin + interest) or Instagram (instant + telegram). You may find one of those earlier words (or a part of that earlier word) fits in just right as one side of that portmanteau.
 

Try a tool

One of the most frustrating parts of naming a product is finding out that every brilliant name you come up with is already registered as a .com. Or that Twitter handle is taken. If an online presence is an important part of your brand identity, try some of these tools:

Namelix Business Name Generator
Enter some keywords, pick your name length, select a naming style, and you'll be not only presented with AI generated names, they'll each have their own font and color treatment, and provide a link to available domains.

Expired Domains Search Engine
Browse recently expired domains. You may just find something that works with your idea.

Username Checker
Check the availability of your name across social network handles.
 

And finally, some questions to ask yourself

You don't have to answer yes to all of these questions, but they serve as a good litmus test for a name's lasting value.

• Can you use your name as a verb? Think Google, Kleenex, and Uber.

• What other words do you think of when you hear this name? Do they fit what you want to convey?

• Is your name unique? Make sure there's no one else in your space with a similar name.

And ask your friends! Outside input is a great way to get insight to how your name will be perceived.

Keep making, and thanks for reading! 🙌

Hit reply to tell me what you're making. I'm looking for anyone interested in talking about their own side-projects and maker journey, so speak up if you'd like to appear in Serial Maker. I'd also love to know what you thought of this issue, and what you want to hear about in the future.

Until next week,

Craig