Naming a software company comes down to finding a word or short phrase that’s easy to remember, available as a domain and trademark, and clear enough that potential customers get what you do. The best software company names tend to be two syllables, combine familiar words with functional meaning, and work across languages and platforms. Here’s how to get there.
Pick a Naming Style
Software company names generally fall into a few categories, and knowing which one you’re going for helps focus your brainstorming.
- Descriptive names tell people what you do right away. Think “Salesforce” or “Dropbox.” These are easy for customers to understand but harder to trademark because they use common words.
- Coined names are invented words with no prior meaning. “Spotify” and “Shopify” fall here. They’re highly trademarkable and distinctive, but you’ll spend more time teaching people what the name means.
- Abstract or evocative names borrow a real word and apply it in a new context. “Stripe” and “Slack” are real English words repurposed for tech. They’re memorable and usually easier to get as a domain than purely descriptive names.
- Compound names smash two familiar words together. “SurveyMonkey” and “HubSpot” combine recognizable pieces so the name hints at function while still feeling brandable.
Research on brand recall suggests that names combining familiar terms with action-oriented or functional suffixes stick in people’s minds better than purely abstract or coined names. The sweet spot is a two-syllable combination that communicates function while remaining unique enough to own online.
Brainstorm With Constraints
Open-ended brainstorming produces thousands of mediocre options. Narrow the field by setting rules before you start. Write down the core thing your software does in one sentence, then list five to ten words associated with that function, the feeling you want customers to have, and the outcome your product delivers.
From there, try these exercises:
- Mash two words together. Take one word from your function list and one from your feeling list. Combine fragments of each. “Drop” plus “box” is literal, but “Hub” plus “Spot” is looser and still works.
- Add a suffix. Endings like “-ify,” “-ly,” “-io,” or “-able” can turn a plain word into something that sounds like a product. Test a dozen combinations.
- Use a thesaurus in another language. Latin, Greek, and Japanese roots show up in many successful tech names. “Asana” comes from Sanskrit. Just make sure you check meaning carefully (more on that below).
- Subtract letters. Shortening a descriptive word can create something new. “Flickr” dropped the “e.” “Tumblr” did the same. This can also make a domain easier to grab.
Aim for a shortlist of 10 to 15 candidates before you start checking availability.
Check Domain and Social Handle Availability
A name you can’t own online is a name that will cost you customers. Before you get attached to anything on your list, search for domain availability and matching social media handles.
The .com extension still carries the most credibility for a business, but alternatives have gained real traction in tech. The .io extension became popular with startups and developer tools. The .ai extension, originally Anguilla’s country code, exploded alongside the artificial intelligence boom and now signals AI-focused products. Google owns the .dev and .app extensions, and both have carved out niches: .dev for developer-facing tools and portfolios, .app for mobile and SaaS products.
Be cautious with trendy extensions. Some new domain endings see a spike of registrations and then drop off sharply. The .guru extension, for example, went from 84,000 registrations to 60,000 in about 16 months as hype faded. Stick with extensions your target customers will recognize and trust. If your audience is developers, .dev or .io works. If you’re selling to enterprise buyers, .com is still the safest bet.
Check username availability on GitHub, X, LinkedIn, and any platform where your customers spend time. Tools like Namechk or KnowEm let you search dozens of platforms at once. Consistent handles across platforms make your brand easier to find and harder to impersonate.
Run a Trademark Search
Using a name that’s already trademarked in your industry can result in a cease-and-desist letter, forced rebranding, or a lawsuit. The earlier you check, the cheaper a conflict is to avoid.
Start with a free search on the USPTO’s Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS). You’re looking for existing marks that are identical or confusingly similar to your name in the classes that cover software. For software companies, two trademark classes matter most. Class 9 covers software distributed as a product, like downloadable applications or software on physical media. Class 42 covers software provided as a service, including cloud-based platforms, SaaS products, and providing access to databases or applications over the internet. Most modern software companies need to think about Class 42, and many file in both.
A free search gives you a starting point, but trademarks can also exist at the state level or through common-law use without federal registration. If your shortlist narrows to two or three serious contenders, a professional trademark search (typically $300 to $1,000) will dig deeper into state filings, business registrations, and unregistered marks. Filing a federal trademark application itself costs $250 to $350 per class.
Screen for Linguistic Problems
A name that sounds great in English can mean something embarrassing, offensive, or just confusing in another language. This matters even if you’re only launching in one country, because software reaches global users quickly and rebranding later is painful and expensive.
Linguistic screening (sometimes called brand name evaluation for international markets) checks your name against dozens of languages for negative meanings, unintended slang, or awkward pronunciations. A screening that included markets like Israel, Greece, Portugal, and Brazil would have flagged the negative associations that Meta’s name carried in several of those languages. The Harvard Business Review has noted that even if you’re not planning international expansion now, screening early avoids costly problems later.
You can do a basic check yourself by searching your name in Google Translate across major languages, asking native speakers in online communities, and searching for the word on social media in different regions. For a more thorough evaluation, linguistic consulting firms charge anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on how many languages and markets you want covered.
Test for Searchability
Google your top candidates. If the word already returns millions of results for an unrelated topic, you’ll struggle to rank in search results and customers will have trouble finding you. A name like “Arc” or “Signal” sounds clean, but you’d be competing with existing products and common English words for every search query.
The ideal name returns relatively few results on its own, or returns results that are easy to outrank. Try searching the name plus “software” or “app” and see what comes up. If another company in a related space already dominates that search, move on.
Also test how people hear the name. Say it out loud in a sentence: “We use [name] for project management.” Ask five people to spell it after hearing it once. If most of them get it wrong, you’ll lose traffic to misspellings and make word-of-mouth referrals harder.
Get Feedback Before You Commit
Once you’ve narrowed to two or three names that are available, legally clear, and linguistically safe, test them with real people. Show each name to potential customers, investors, or peers without any context and ask what they think the company does. If the name consistently creates the right impression, or at least a neutral one you can shape with branding, it’s working.
Run a simple poll in an online community relevant to your market. Post mockups of a logo or landing page with each name and track which one gets more engagement. Pay attention to whether people can remember the name a day later without looking it up.
Don’t wait for a name that everyone loves. Naming is subjective, and no name will be unanimously praised. What matters is that the name is available, protectable, easy to spell and say, and doesn’t actively work against you. Once you’ve confirmed those things, commit and start building the brand around it. The meaning people attach to your company name will ultimately come from the product you build, not from the word itself.