8 genius naming strategies for your new app

Ever wondered how the big guns in the App Store came up with their catchy names? Let’s take a fun stroll through these 8 naming strategies and see what makes them work!

1. Mashups: The art of wordplay

Compound Names: Formed by combining two or more words to create a new name.

Facebook: Face + Book
Snapchat: Snap + Chat
Doordash: Door + Dash
Linkedin: Linked + In
Ticketmaster: Ticket + Master
Youtube: You + Tube
Paypal: Pay + Pal
Minutemailer: Minute + Mailer
Mailchimp: Mail + Chimp

Portmanteaus: A word blending the sounds and the meanings of two words.

Expedia: Exploration + Speed
Venmo: Ven (from vendere + Mo (for mobile)
Netflix: Internet + Flicks
Pinterest: Pin + Interest
Duolingo: Duo + Lingo (from linguistics)

2. Play on words: The clever twist

Tiktok: Echoing the ticking of a clock.
Reddit: Read it, get it?
Google: Play on googol which is 1 followed by 100 zeroes
Lyft: Play on the word lift

3. Paying tribute: A nod to inspiration

Tribute to the Past:

Peacock: A nod to CNBC’s logo.
Starbucks: Starbuck from “Moby Dick”
Apple: Tribute to Newton’s apple
Tesla: Tribute to Nikola Tesla

Personal Tribute:

Roku: Means six in Japanese. Roku was the founder’s sixth startup
X: Elon’s homage to his past venture.
Yuka: Named after the founder’s wife’s birth city

4. Aspiration: Names with a mission

Expression:

Uber: Above and beyond. From the German word über.
Target: Hitting the retail bullseye.

Personification:

Nike: Victory personified in the greek goddess.
Amazon: As vast and diverse as the rainforest.

5. Easy to remember: Short and sweet

Names like Temu, Hulu, Tubi, and Shein.

6. Value/Service descriptor: Straight to the point

Think Threads, Telegram, Zoom, Shop, Discord, Messenger, Impulse and Audible.

7. Domain name: SEO gold

Unique examples include Character.ai and Customer.io.

8. Abbreviation: When simplicity wins

VRBO, CVS, ADP… you get the gist.

So, there you have it – a whirlwind tour of the naming strategies behind the App Store’s top chartbusters. Remember, a great name isn’t just a label; it’s the beginning of a fantastic story. And who knows, maybe your future app will be part of this illustrious list!

Also read Don’t skip these steps when naming your product or company