# Naming

> Name the product, company or feature, then check it survives contact — domain, trademark, handles and store collisions. Use when naming products, companies, features, or checking domains.

- Skill: `poorvith-mp/naming` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add poorvith-mp/naming`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/poorvith-mp/naming/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: poorvith-mp (https://skillmd.com/u/poorvith-mp)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/poorvith-mp/naming

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# Naming

Product and company naming is linguistic positioning and risk mitigation. A great name is phonetically memorable, semantically evocative, easily spelled upon hearing, and legally defensible. The naming process requires generating vast candidate pools, stress-testing against domain and handle availability, conducting trademark clearance, and evaluating international linguistic safety.

## 1. The 5 Structural Naming Typologies

Classify naming directions across five proven naming constructs:
1. **Descriptive / Functional**: Clearly declares what the product does.
   - *Examples*: The Weather Channel, PayPal, Booking.com.
   - *Trade-off*: Easy to understand immediately, but hard to trademark and difficult to expand beyond the initial niche.
2. **Invented / Neologism**: Completely fabricated words.
   - *Examples*: Spotify, Xerox, Kodak, Figma.
   - *Trade-off*: Pristine trademark and domain availability, but requires substantial marketing capital to educate the market on meaning.
3. **Metaphorical / Evocative**: Evokes a vivid image, attribute, or feeling associated with the core benefit.
   - *Examples*: Apple (approachable/fresh), Nike (Greek goddess of victory), Amazon (vastness), Antigravity (weightless ease).
   - *Trade-off*: Emotionally resonant and highly defensible; requires careful alignment with brand positioning.
4. **Compound / Blend (Portmanteau)**: Combining two familiar words or concepts.
   - *Examples*: YouTube, Instagram (Instant + Telegram), Skillary (Skills + Library).
   - *Trade-off*: Highly memorable and intuitive; blends established meaning with unique brand identity.
5. **Acronym / Arbitrary**: Letters or historical surnames (e.g. IBM, HP, Cisco). Generally avoid for early-stage software.

## 2. The Stress-Test Battery: Testing for Real-World Survival

Subject candidate names to the 5-point contact test:
- **The Radio Test**: Say the name out loud to someone who has never heard it. Can they spell it correctly on their first attempt without asking "with a C or a K?"
- **The Global Linguistic Check**: Verify that the name does not translate into an offensive, obscene, or embarrassing term in major international languages (Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, Hindi, Japanese).
- **The Mobile Autocorrect Test**: Type the candidate name on iOS and Android keyboards. Does autocorrect mangle it into a different word?
- **Domain Availability Hierarchy**:
  - Gold Standard: `[name].com`
  - Acceptable Software Standards: `[name].dev`, `[name].io`, `[name].ai`, `[name].so`
  - Actionable Prefixes: `get[name].com`, `use[name].com`, `try[name].com`
- **Social Handles & Package Registry Footprint**: Verify handle availability across X, GitHub, LinkedIn, npm (`npm view [name]`), and PyPI.

## 3. Preliminary Trademark Clearance Protocol
Before purchasing domains or ordering branding assets:
1. Search the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) TESS database (`uspto.gov/trademarks/search`).
2. Search relevant Nice Classification codes:
   - *Class 009*: Computer software and downloadable applications.
   - *Class 042*: Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and technology hosting services.
3. Check common law usage: Run comprehensive Google search queries for `"[Candidate Name] software"` and `"[Candidate Name] app"` to identify un-registered active commercial competitors.

## Critical Rules
1. Never commit capital to branding, logos, or legal incorporation before conducting preliminary trademark clearance.
2. Avoid names that require explanatory spelling ("It's like Cloud with a K and three Zs").
3. Do not fall in love with a single name early; develop at least 3 viable finalists through trademark clearance.

## Verification Checklist
- [ ] Candidate names categorized across the 5 structural naming typologies.
- [ ] The Radio Test passed: non-users can spell the name upon hearing it spoken once.
- [ ] International linguistic screen passed across major languages.
- [ ] Domain and package registry availability confirmed (npm, PyPI, GitHub).
- [ ] USPTO Class 009 and Class 042 preliminary trademark searches completed.

## Anti-Patterns
- NEVER select a name that directly infringes on an existing competitor's registered trademark.
- NEVER spend $25,000 on an exact-match `.com` domain before validating product-market fit.
- NEVER choose an obscure, unpronounceable name solely because a cheap domain was available.