# Creative Naming

> Use when naming a product, app, feature, or company. Generates distinctive, memorable names and bans generic AI naming patterns (-ly/-ify, Smart-/AI-/Get-, generic Hub/Cloud tails). Includes evaluation criteria and availability checks.

- Skill: `stevenfackley/creative-naming` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add stevenfackley/creative-naming`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/stevenfackley/creative-naming/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra
- Author: stevenfackley (https://skillmd.com/u/stevenfackley)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/stevenfackley/creative-naming

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# Creative Naming

Constrained models name everything the same way: `Taskly`, `SmartNotes`, `GetFlow`, `DataHub`,
`AI-Anything`. Competent, forgettable, and usually already taken. This skill forces distinctive,
ownable names.

## Step 1 — Extract the essence
One line each: what it does · who it's for · the feeling it should evoke · 5–10 seed words (the
domain, a metaphor, the benefit, the emotion). You name from the seeds, not from thin air.

## Generate across SEVERAL techniques (don't stop at the first)
- **Evocative metaphor** — a concrete image that captures the feeling (Stripe, Glacier, Anchor).
- **Coined / invented word** — blend or alter roots into something ownable (Spotify, Zillow).
- **Classical / mythological root** — Latin/Greek for gravitas (Nike, Aegis, Lumen, Corvus).
- **Borrowed foreign word** — a fitting word from another language (Hulu, Miro, Audi).
- **Oblique real word** — an everyday word used unexpectedly (Apple, Slack, Notion, Arc).
- **Portmanteau / juxtaposition** — two ideas fused (Pinterest, Snowflake, Microsoft).
- **Phonetics-first** — short, punchy mouthfeel; plosives + open vowels read confident.

Generate **15–20**, then cut. Quantity first, judgment second.

## Evaluate the shortlist
- Memorable & pronounceable on first read? Spell-able after hearing it once?
- Distinctive in the space — not a near-clone of competitors?
- Ownable — no awkward acronym, no unfortunate substring, no bad meaning in another language?
- Extensible — works as a brand and product line, not just one feature?
- Mascot/visual potential — can it become a logo or character? (Strong brands often can.)

## Availability — check BEFORE committing
- Domain: `.com` first, then strong alternates. If a `domains_check_availability` /
  `domains_suggest` tool is configured (e.g. the GoDaddy MCP), use it; otherwise check manually.
- Sanity-check social handles and run a trademark search in the relevant class.

## Banned patterns — reject on sight
`-ly` / `-ify` suffixes · `Smart-` / `AI-` / `Get-` / `e-` prefixes · generic `Hub` / `HQ` /
`Labs` / `Cloud` tails · literal-descriptive compounds (`TaskManagerPro`) · anything you've
already proposed for a different product this session.