Bicapitalization, Portmanteau, and More Creative Ways to Get Business Name Ideas

We’re frequently asked, “How did you come up with your business name?”

When we get this question, we love giving the answer. We’re proud to explain that we took pieces of our grandfather’s name to create something new: Julian//West. It’s one of the most gratifying parts of our business.

We usually leave out, however, that it took us days, even weeks, to land on it. We went through hundreds of business name ideas before choosing one that (A) we both loved and (B) wasn’t already taken.

Our brainstorming process

When you form an LLC and apply for a trademark like we did, you’re sort of at the mercy of everyone who came before you. And it might surprise you to know just how many trademarked companies and established agencies there are.

Surely there’s not an agency already called Okra, we thought. Oh, but there is. What about one called Y’all? Yep, there’s one of those, too. Even Westbrook Creative was deemed too close to Westbrook Entertainment, a company founded by Will and Jada Smith.

I’m not gonna lie, it was often a disappointing process. We scoured linguistics books for unique words, Googled idioms and phrases, and researched meanings behind everything we could think of.

Finding the name Julian//West

Eventually, we started playing around with names of family members. We were close to our grandparents, and we started experimenting with variations of their names.

Our grandparents being cute

Eventually, we landed on Julian//West, and the rest is history! (Word to the wise, though—backslashes will complicate everything moving forward, so maybe don’t include them like we did.)

How to come up with business name ideas

Below we’ve listed tactics you can use for brainstorming your own business name ideas, along with examples of each. You’ll find that the tactics aren’t mutually exclusive; in fact, there’s usually a lot of overlap. After all, a portmanteau is a made-up word, and new words often come from abbreviated names and acronyms.

But as you’re brainstorming, these tactics can be a helpful way for you to pinpoint new ideas you haven’t yet considered.

• Make up a word (e.g. Sonos is derived from Sonus, a latin word meaning sound)

• Create a portmanteau - Combine words to create something new (e.g. Mastercard)

• Use bicapitalization - Often used with portmanteau, bicapitalization emphasizes parts of a word by capitalizing multiple letters (e.g. YouTube)

• Name it after yourself - Ideal for contractors and one-person businesses, your name is yours to use

• Pick an atypical word - Consider academic words and words from different languages and historical contexts (e.g. Asana is originally a Sanskrit word)

• Choose the name of someone else - If this person is still living, you’ll need their permission (e.g. Amy’s/Amy’s Kitchen is named after the founders’ daughter)

• Use several words or names (e.g. Procter & Gamble)

• Make an acronym your name (e.g. AT&T)

It’s also important to note that unique spellings and bicapitalization often won’t cut it if you’re choosing the same—or even a similar name—as another company. Companies often need to be different enough from one another, both in business type and name.

Made up brand names

Many of the brand names in this post are “made up,” but for the purpose of this list, we’re showing some of the more creative examples:

• Cigna - A combination of “Insurance Company of North America” (INA) and “Connecticut General” (CG)

• Cisco - A shortened version of “San Francisco”

• Exxon - Originally called Esso, the company eventually transitioned to Exxon

• Pixar - A faux-Spanish word meaning “to make pictures”

• Quora - A faux plural of “quorum”

• Sonos - A play on the Latin “sonus,” meaning sound

• Truist - A name created by consultants during the merging of SunTrust & BB&T

• Xerox - A word created from “xerography”

Examples of portmanteau brand names

• Adidas - A combination of the founder’s name, Adolf "Adi" Dassler

• Aldi - A combination of Albrecht-Diskont (the founders’ surname and “discount”)

• Comcast - A combination of “communications” and “broadcast”

• Costco - A combination of “cost” and “company”

• Evernote - A combination of “forever” and “note”

• Mastercard - A combination of “Master Charge: The Interbank Card”

• Mattel - A combination of the founders’ names: Harold "Matt" Matson and Elliot Handler

• Netflix - A combination of “internet” and “flicks”

• Nucor - An abbreviated/combined version of “Nuclear Corporation of America”

• Pantone - A combination of “pan,” meaning all and “tone,” meaning color

• Sysco - A combination of “Systems and Services Company”

• Tenneco - A combination of “Tennessee Gas Transmission Company”

• Verizon - A combination of Latin “veritas” (truth) and “horizon”

• Viatris - A combination of Latin words, “via” and “tris”

• Walmart - A combination of “Walton” and “mart,” an abbreviation for market

• Wayfair - A combination of “way” and “fair,” believed to be two words with positive vibes (seriously)

• YouTube - A combination of “you” and “tube,” a shorthand for TV

Image source: YouTube

Examples of bicapitalization brand names

• AltaVista

• AutoNation

• AutoZone

• CarMax

• ConocoPhillips

• DaVita

• ManpowerGroup

• MetLife

• PayPal

• PepsiCo

• WestRock

• YouTube

Examples of brands named after founders

• Ben & Jerry’s - Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield

• Boeing - William E. Boeing

• Charles Schwab - Charles Robert Schwab Sr.

• Ford Motor Company - Henry Ford

• GT’s Kombucha - George Thomas “GT” Dave

• Gucci - Guccio Gucci

• JC Penney - James Cash Penney Jr.

• Johnson & Johnson - James Wood Johnson and Edward Mead Johnson

• Kohl’s - Maxwell Kohl

• Kroger - Barney Kroger

• Mary’s Gone Crackers - Mary Waldner

• McDonald’s - Dick McDonald and Mac McDonald

• Nestlé - Henri Nestlé

• Purely Elizabeth - Elizabeth Stein

• Tim Hortons - Tim Horton

• Walgreens - Charles R. Walgreen, Sr.

• Walmart - Sam Walton

Examples of brand names created from atypical and unique words

• Adobe - Named after Adobe Creek

• Alibaba - Named after the character, Ali Baba, from One Thousand and One Nights

• Asana - From a Sanskrit word used in yoga

• Chevron - Latin for rafter or pattern of design

• Danaher - Named after a Montana tributary

• Facebook - originally a name for a college directory

• Fuji - Named for Mt. Fuji

• Google - Derived from Googol

• Lancôme - Named after the castle ruins of Le Chateau de Lancôme

• Nike - Greek goddess of victory

• Oracle - Named after a code-named project; “oracles” were also prophets in Greek mythology

• Pandora - Derived from Greek mythology, Pandora received the gift of music among her many gifts

• Reebok - Alternate spelling of rhebok

• Roku - From the Japanese word for six

• Starbucks - Named after Starbuck, a character in Moby Dick

• Yahoo! - Named after the word “yahoo,” which first appears in Gulliver's Travels

Image source: Starbucks

Examples of brands named after loved ones or other people

• Amy’s Kitchen - Named after the founders’ daughter

• Clif Bar - Named after the founder’s father, Clifford

• House of Deréon - Fashion line named after Beyoncé’s grandmother

• McSweeney’s - Named after the founder’s mother’s maiden name

• Mercedes-Benz - Named after one of the founder’s daughters

• Mr. Gatti's Pizza - Named after the founder’s wife’s maiden name

• Pamida - Grocery store named after the founder’s three sons

• Tesla - Named after Nikola Tesla

• Wendy’s - Named after the founder’s daughter

Examples of brands with multiple words/names

• Bath & Body Works

• Bed Bath & Beyond

• Ben & Jerry’s

• Best Buy

• Campaign Monitor

• Capital One Financial

• Cleveland-Cliffs

• Dollar General

• Dollar Tree

• Fruit of the Loom

• General Motors

• Johnson & Johnson

• Mary’s Gone Crackers

• Rite Aid

• Sherwin-Williams

Examples of acronym brand names

• AIG - American International Group

• ASICS - Anima Sana In Corpore Sano ("You should pray for a healthy mind in a healthy body")

• AT&T - American Telephone and Telegraph

• Aflac - American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus

• Arby’s - Based on “R” and “B” after Raffel Brothers

• BP - British Petroleum

• CNET - Computer Network

• CNN - Cable News Network

• H&M - Hennes and Mauritz

• HP - Hewlett-Packard

• IBM - International Business Machines

• IGN - Imagine Games Network

• IKEA - Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd

• KFC - Kentucky Fried Chicken

• UBS - Union Bank of Switzerland

• UPS - United Parcel Service

Conclusion

If you’re trying to brainstorm business name ideas and getting overwhelmed, we completely understand. We’ve been there!

After all, there are so. Many. Brands. But as you can see from our examples, even household names have been through lots of changes, often transitioning into names made from combinations, abbreviations, and acronyms. That means however you brand yourself now, it doesn’t always have to be permanent. So, don’t sweat it too much.

What’s more, there are lots of ways to come up with a name you like now that isn’t already taken. So, keep thinking and good luck! And once you’ve named your business, you may find yourself needing help with the branding side. Remember, we’re just a free consultation away. Happy naming!