How to come up with a quirky name for your new business

Choosing your company’s name is one of the most exciting parts of starting up. There’s an endless choice of options. Descriptive, practical, experimental – it all has its place, but often the most eye-catching business names are just that bit more quirky. Quirky names catch people’s attention and leave lasting memories for your business. Check out these ideas and pick the best company name to win new clients!

Here’s a quick checklist of the best practices used by businesses when choosing a company name, followed by our top five categories of the best catchy names we’ve found from around the world!

The most common sources for company names include:

  • Product ingredients: Coca-Cola
  • Founder’s name: Ford, Mercedes-Benz
  • Mix of two names: Debian, Adidas
  • Mix of two words: Intel, Microsoft, Vodaphone, Verizon, Compaq
  • Acronyms: SUN
  • Invented words: Skype
  • Emotional & evocative: Apple, Virgin
  • Latin and other origins: Acer, Lego, Konica, Reebok
  • Greek and Roman gods: Asus, Nike, Oracle, Pandora
  • Characters: Starbucks, Yahoo
  • Cities, rivers, peaks: Cisco, Nokia, Adobe, Amazon, Fuji
  • Locations: Carrefour

Need further inspiration and more handy tips? Find out what type of name would best suit your company – Distinctive, Practical, Unique or Quirky?

Just for fun: top five sources of quirky company names

If you’re a music and movie fan, why not turn your new start-up’s name into a memorable phrase?

Films:

  • Florist Gump
  • Floral & Hardy
  • The Cod Father
  • Thai Tanic
  • Pita Pan
  • Indiana Bones Temple of Groom
  • Lawn and Order
  • The Merchant of Tennis
  • Specs in the City

Music

  • Spruce Springsteen
  • Amy’s Winehouse
  • Chipsy King

Celebrities:

  • Jason Donervan
  • Dolce & Banana

Use rhyme in your name to make it sound extra fun:

  • KAbra KeBabRa
  • Wok and Roll

Feeling hungry? Discover even more quirky finds from our Pinterest collection.

Well known phrases

  • Meat you there
  • Life’s a Cabernet
  • Wooden It be lovely
  • Ink about it
  • It’s unbeweaveable

Check out our Quirky Name board with a compilation of the most eccentric entries to inspire your new company start-up.

Finally, we’ve wrapped it all for you in This Video. Discover how the world’s most famous brands named their businesses and find the perfect name for yours!