Product Names
A great product name is the first word of your sales pitch — make it count.
Famous Product Names That Nailed It
Real-world names that became iconic. Here's what makes them work.
The name is a perfect metaphor: kindling ignites something, and books ignite imagination. It's also short, warm, and distinctly non-tech in a way that made ereaders feel accessible to book lovers who were skeptical of gadgets. The name is also the verb — 'to kindle' means to spark — making it feel like the product does something to you, not just for you.
A completely invented word that phonetically evokes 'breeze' (the sensation of fresh air) while being entirely ownable as a trademark. The 'Febre-' opening is vaguely French and slightly upscale, while '-eze' feels easy and effortless. The whole word sounds like it works before you've even used the product.
The compound name is deceptively simple: 'post' (to put something up, to communicate) plus 'it' (the most casual, universal pronoun). Together they describe exactly what the product does in two syllables, with a hyphen that makes it feel like a compound verb. The name became so embedded it's now used generically — the ultimate product naming achievement.
Product naming is one of the most specialized disciplines in branding. Unlike company names, product names must work at the SKU level — they appear on packaging, in search results, in customer reviews, in retail databases, and in the mouth of anyone who recommends your product to a friend. The best product names do something remarkable: they make the product feel inevitable. When you hear 'Kindle,' you can't imagine Amazon's ereader being called anything else. When you hear 'Febreze,' the word itself evokes freshness. This is what great product naming achieves.
Product names fall into several strategic categories. Descriptive names tell you what the product does (PowerBar, DustBuster). Evocative names create mood or aspiration without being literal (Kindle, Dove, Jaguar). Invented names are completely original and fully ownable (Häagen-Dazs, Kodak, Xfinity). Compound names combine two concepts (YouTube, Facebook, Bluetooth). Acronym names use initials that become words over time (BMW, IBM, IKEA). Each approach has trade-offs in memorability, trademark protection, and SEO performance.
The 30 product names below span professional, modern, creative, and fun styles to give you a diverse palette of directions. Use them as inspiration, as starting points, or as direct options for your next product launch.
Tips for Choosing Product Names
Say the name out loud in the sentence you most want customers to use: 'Have you tried [name]?' — if it sounds natural and memorable, it's a good sign.
Short names (1-2 syllables) dominate successful product brands — Tide, Dove, Bold, Crest, Gain — because they're easy to remember and repeat.
Invented words offer strong trademark protection but require more marketing investment to build meaning — budget accordingly.
Test for negative or unintended meanings in any market where you plan to sell — many product name launches have been derailed by translations gone wrong.
Check your name against existing product names in your category on retail sites — if it looks like a generic or a competitor, customers won't be able to find or remember you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Company names need to work at the brand level — in investor presentations, press coverage, and long-term identity building. Product names need to work at the point of sale — in customer search, retail shelf placement, and word-of-mouth recommendation. Product names can be more playful, more specific, and more category-anchored than company names. They also often need to work within a product family: iPhone, iPad, iMac all share the 'i' prefix that links them to Apple.
Descriptive names (DustBuster, PowerBar) are easy to understand but hard to trademark and can become generic over time. Evocative names (Kindle, Dove) require more brand-building investment but create stronger emotional resonance and better trademark protection. The ideal is a name that evokes the product experience without describing it literally — Febreze evokes freshness without saying 'air freshener.'
In crowded categories, differentiation is naming-critical. Research every competitor name in your space and identify the naming conventions everyone follows — then deliberately break them. If every competitor uses scientific-sounding names, use a warm, human name. If everyone uses founder names, use a place or a concept. Category norms are useful to understand and strategic to violate.
Celebrity and founder names work well when the person has strong credibility or aspirational value in the product category — think Kylie Cosmetics or George Foreman Grill. However, personal names limit brand extension if the product line grows beyond the person's original associations, and require legal agreements if using anyone other than the naming founder.
Research your name in every language of your target markets before launching. Check for unintended meanings, negative connotations, and phonetic similarity to inappropriate words. The Chevy Nova ('no va' means 'doesn't go' in Spanish) and Mitsubishi Pajero (an obscene term in Spanish) are famous examples of international naming failures. Work with native speakers in each market before finalizing.
How to Name Your Product
Start With the Product's Core Promise
Every great product name is rooted in the product's core promise — not what it is, but what it does for the person using it. Kindle doesn't promise an ereader; it promises ignited imagination. Febreze doesn't promise a spray; it promises freshness. Post-it doesn't promise adhesive paper; it promises effortless communication. Begin your naming process by writing the core promise of your product in one sentence, then find words, metaphors, and images that capture that promise in the fewest possible syllables.
Use the Sound of the Name Strategically
Linguistics research shows that certain sounds create consistent associations. Hard consonants (K, T, G, P) suggest power, speed, and confidence — Kodak, Kia, Google, Pepsi. Soft consonants (S, L, M, N) suggest smoothness, gentleness, and comfort — Silk, Lumi, Muji, Nestlé. Fricatives (F, V) suggest flow and movement — Febreze, Vibe. Use these sound associations intentionally to reinforce your product's personality at the phonetic level, not just the semantic level.
Build a Product Naming Brief
Before generating names, write a one-page product naming brief that answers: What is the product? Who is the primary buyer? What is the core use occasion? What are three competitors' names and what do they signal? What three words describe how we want customers to feel when they use our product? What are our naming constraints (character limits, existing product family naming conventions, trademark requirements)? A good brief generates better names than a blank brainstorm every time.
Test, Validate, and Register
Validate your top three product names with 20-30 target customers using a forced-choice methodology: show them each name in context (on realistic packaging or a product mockup) and ask which they prefer and why. Then verify trademark availability in your relevant Nice Classification classes, check domain availability, and register your chosen name with the USPTO before your product launch. The legal protection is as important as the creative work.
Related Categories
Curious about what names mean? Explore Name Meanings →