As a naming business, we thrive on learning epic etymologies of brand names. Some stories are classic like Henry Ford naming his revolutionary motor company Ford. Some are simplistic with a twist such as HP founders Bill Hewlett and David Packard flipping a coin to decide whose surname goes first in the brand name. Others can be self-explanatory like the food delivery giant DoorDash. 

But the ones we enjoy most are names that shake the convention and end up creating a massive trend through the entire business world? The last 20 odd years have seen multiple waves of naming trends. Since the social media era, with truncated attention spans and an influx of online companies, brands’ number one goal is to be memorable. Hence, what followed were not names that made you scratch your head but rather those that could simply stay in your head – anything short, silly, quirky, funny etc. 

For example, a name like Hulu does wonders! Where does it come from? It is the Mandarin word for gourd. Its other meaning is interactive recording, so that pleasantly adds up. 

But is it always wise to hop on the trendy naming brand-wagon? The answer is Yes and No. To understand this further, let’s take a look at some noted naming trends and whether they stood the test of time:

Drop the vowel: 

Flickr. Tumblr. Grindr. Scribd.

This branding trend has been around for at least a couple decades, considering Flickr was created in 2004. The fad, in fact, seems to be expanding, think The Weeknd. The major reason behind this trend was URL availability. But it has now caught on as the cool way to talk and write much like textspeak. It’s also somewhat creative without trying too hard. 

Should you fall for it: Why not! The biggest benefit of this trend is that it allows companies to build brands on highly coveted real English words without having to buy the pricey exact matches. Today, you’ve probably missed the opportunity to be cool and trendy by dropping a vowel, but you can still capture great dictionary words for your brand name without a 6+ figure domain budget.

Align to the industry:

Remember Hotels.com? Or Flights.com or Dictionary.com? Or even 1-800-Flowers.com? The reason these names sound like history is because they are. Hotels.com was founded in 1991 and 1-800-Flowers.com in 1976. With such classic domain names already taken, it could be difficult to now enter an industry with such a generic name although brands are are now moving to .io, .co, and even .xyz in some industries to capture single-word domains.They may not be the most creative names but are sure to help you be seen as an authority in that particular industry. 

Should you fall for it: If someone has the budget and wants to claim an immediate recognition as a leader in a certain industry, these names can do wonders. They can also be used for marketing and customer acquisition campaigns – for example, Peet’s Coffee uses Coffee.com to redirect customers to their core brand site. On the other hand, if your goal is to stand out from the rest, it is best to use a one word name that doesn’t necessarily imply that industry but still gives them that credibility and leadership. For example, Monday.com for CRM or Intercom.com for a customer service app.

2. Short first names: 

People will always have first names and they will always think of them as their business name. From Ben & Jerry’s (founded in 1978) to Alexa (announced in 2014), this practice is timeless and seems to work. 

Today, brands prefer first names that are shorter, carry some zing, and are easy to say. It also can be any first name and doesn’t have to be your first name. Some leading brands are Alexa, Siri, Zara, etc. We also saw a lot of startups follow suit such as Jasper (jasper.ai), Jeeves  (tryjeeves.com), Jerry (getjerry.com), Ophelia (ophelia.com). 

Should you fall for it: Definitely, if it applies to you, your product, and the industry. This practice doesn’t get old as long as these are short and memorable names. 

3. A cool suffix: 

Another naming trend that spread like wildfire was the ify suffix. Spotify was the first startup to  use this in 2008. In just six years, there were 100 others. This type of name does have a couple of advantages – you can convert a verb into a business name and two, you will find domain names more easily. Although the -ify tailend may have run its course, there are countless creative ends that you can add to a name to make it into a powerful brand. Here are some cool options from our marketplace: Primevy (vy), Snapello (ello), Payesa (esa), Thrivably (ably), Cabya (ya), Callvio (vio). 

Should you fall for it: Many of these suffixes are catchy and can totally turn around an otherwise boring or average name. So, yes! 

4. Add an extension: 

Another naming trend was adding URL extensions to the business name. A popular example was the URL shortener company Bitly, founded in 2008 with the domain name bit.ly. Many others followed suit like Frankly, Cloudly, Nextly, Intelligently, etc. According to this article in The Atlantic, this began as a play on Libya’s domain name: .ly. 

Should you fall for it: If you have a killer name that ends in ly, then this trend can work for you. But we recommend to ensure that it aligns with your brand vision and is not simply a quest to land a premium domain name. 

5. What’s trendy today? 

Creativity. Take it from a business that has successfully named 30,000+ projects, originality and wit never go out of trend. The creativity behind your moniker might come from an aha! moment or an important symbol in your life, or simply point to what your business does. 

Naming fads will whiz past you as will many businesses but a good name has the potential to stick. While it’s definitely harder to catch a digitally drunk audience’s attention, most people love a good naming story regardless of time. It shows effort, dedication, and innovative thinking, and that’s never not cool. You can achieve this with naming trends as they give direction to the naming process. It’s great to follow them if they align with your branding vision, and not solely for the sake of popularity.