How I name my apps

I like to name my apps like classical pieces:<p><i>App No. 1 in Erlang</i><p><i>App No. 2 in Haskell</i><p><i>Variations on a theme by Hasbro</i>

Do remember to check uspto.gov &#62; trademarks &#62; (2) Search Marks to ensure something cool you've picked isn't an active/current registered trademark by another for computer / software / online use.

I like to use <a href="http://impossibility.org" rel="nofollow">http://impossibility.org</a> for naming apps. It ensures you can get an <i>available</i> domain that won't be too hard to type/say.

<p><pre><code> $ aspell dump master |sed -n $(echo $(($RANDOM % `aspell dump master|wc -l`)))p</code></pre>

I always like to hit up "Ten Thousand Statistically Grammar-Average Fake Band Names": <a href="http://alumni.media.mit.edu/~bwhitman/10000.html" rel="nofollow">http://alumni.media.mit.edu/~bwhitman/10000.html</a><p>I'll find words I like and fit them together myself, like Rocketboom, or Humanwire, e.g.

It would be fun (and probably exists) a fake word generator that created words that were easy to spell and pronounce, but were basically meaningless.

I just number them. e.g. "4 thousand billion". <i>Little Billy Sands</i> we call him.<p>But seriously, I have given them descriptive names - inspired by the supplier of meat to MacDonalds in Australia called "The 100% Australian Beef Company". I figured it was good for googling, and informative. Also reminded me of Humpty Dumpty (<i>my name means the shape I am</i>). And it worked.<p>Though I note most people go for clever and/or zany names, with creative spellings (so they be trademarked). An amusing "story" to explain a clever name can operate as a vector for word of mouth: by passing on the story for entertainment value, you also pass on the name. It's kind of like product placement, where the story is the movie. An example is <i>GNU</i>. It can also operate as an in-joke, creating an artificial elite.

I learned of this technique as clustering in a creative writing course: <a href="http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/cluster.html" rel="nofollow">http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/cluster.html</a> And this was the textbook: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Natural-Gabriele-Lusser-Rico/dp/0874771862/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Natural-Gabriele-Lusser-Rico/d...</a>

We used a similar method to get to our name: Bindle. I agree with you on a short, single word names. To add to that, I would suggest attempting to use real words, that have simple spelling.<p>A short naming blogpost can be found here: <a href="http://blog.bindle.me/post/9048657705/name" rel="nofollow">http://blog.bindle.me/post/9048657705/name</a>

I find this technique works too. Come up with general ideas that describe your product, expand into metaphors. Try synonyms for the metaphors. Combine words.<p>In the end, the name doesn't have to be descriptive, but it does have to be unique and pronouncable.

And if you really get stuck, try removing vowels and repeating some letters

I'm working to rename my comedy troupe in a similar fashion. My spidergrams (what I call this type of brainstorming) are very similar.

<a href="http://www.visualthesaurus.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.visualthesaurus.com/</a> is useful for doing this

I have never liked this naming scheme because it makes names that are existing words. This makes it hard to Google.

You missed a winner with "Spork".

I just go with food. Burger, Salsa, Arrabiata, etc.