.png)
Good Names Don't Just Sound Good. They Work.
Naming is not just about standing out. It's about being understood.
A name doesn't have to say everything. But it must say something. Clearly, confidently, and in a way that fits the brand it represents.
If the first post in this series was about strategic fit - alignment with ambition, architecture, and growth - this one is about how the name actually performs in the wild.
How it's spoken, written, shared, remembered, trusted.
In short, this is about the communicative conditions of a strong name.
A Name is Meant to be Used
A good name sounds natural in conversation. It behaves well in writing. It gets remembered without effort.
This might seem obvious, but it's one of the most common failure points in naming.
Too many names look good on a screen but feel clunky in the real world.
Too many brands chase cleverness over usability.
Think of names like Stripe, Apple, or Zoom. These names do more than stand out - they fit into daily language. People say them easily, type them confidently, and recall them without friction.
On the other hand, take Häggen-Dazs. Invented in New York to sound European. It's hard to spell, harder to explain, but it works because the complexity adds to the premium story. It's performative, intentional, and well-supported. Even if there is little logic to the Nordic heritage.
However, most names don't have that luxury.
In a world of messaging apps, voice interfaces, and global search bars, a name that's hard to say or spell is a name that slips through the cracks.
Don't Overpromise. Don't Underpromise. Just Communicate.
One of the trickier communicative tasks in naming is setting the right level of expectation.
Go too far, and you oversell: delivering a name that sounds bolder than the reality behind it.
Play it too safe, and you undersell: offering something transformational under a name that sounds like a feature.
ChatGPT is a case in point. It's literal and functional but not understood. Technically accurate but difficult in use ("is it GPT or GTP?"). Inside-out thinking which made it underwhelming for a product that's changd the world's relationship with AI.
The name doesn't lie, but it doesn't inspire, either.
It leaves us users unsure of what it is, or could be. Is it a chatbot? A model? A product line?
A good name builds intrigue without overreach.
It gives people a reason to lean in, without setting them up for disappointment.
Klarna does this beautifully (apologies for blowing our own horn again). It doesn't promise the future of finance, but it suggests ease, transparency, and control. It sets the tone, and let's the product follow through.
Let the Name Grow with You
One of the most important communicative conditions is future fit.
A strong name must support where you're headed, not just where you are.
Descriptive names can be tempting at launch. They're clear. Intuitive. Obvious. But they often become constraints as the business evolves.
Think of Booking.com. A great name for hotel reservations. Not so great if you want to sell restaurant discovery or travel insurance.
Compare that to Ayden, which means "start again" in Surinamese. It says nothing about payments on the surface, but its space for meaning allows the brand to define itself.
The same is true for Microsoft, Cisco, Nivida; all B2B names that lean into abstraction, and gain meaning through use.
The flexibility to grow with the brand is not just a strategic need. It's a communicative one.
Not Everything Needs to be Explained
We tend to overestimate the value of explanation in a name, and underestimate the power of evocation.
A name doesn't always need to tell you what the brand does. It can show you how it wants to feel. What kind of world it belongs to.
Apple didn't explain computing. It rejected the language of computing altogether.
Slack doesn't define productivity, it repositions it with a wink.
Oracle doesn't clarify anything. But it creates a powerful frame for how we understand its authority.
The communicative power of a name lies as much in tone, rhythm, and symbolism as in meaning.
Sometimes, saying less is how you say more.
The Communicative Conditions: What to Look For
Here's what a name should communicate - even before the brand steps in to explain:
- Ease - Is it simple to say, write, and remember?
- Credibility - Does it match the product's tone and ambition?
- Meaning - Does it suggest something relevant, or leave space for the brand to define it?
- Balance - Is it bold qithout being overblown? Clear without being clinical?
- Flexibility - Can it stretch with the business as it grows?
- Fit - Does it sound like it belongs in the category, or challenge it with a purpose?
Not every name will hit every note. But strong names get these dynamics right because they're designed to communicate in context.
Next in the series: Linguistic Confidence
Words don't live in just one language. In the next part of this series, we'll explore how to ensure your name performs across markets, languages, and cultures or at least doesn't crash and burn. And how to prevent this and introduce with linguistic confidence.
Because it's not just what a name means. It's what it might mean, to someone else, somewhere else.
Want to talk about whether your name communicates what it should? Or how to build a name that does?
Let's connect on LinkedIn.
Joachim ter Haar
Managing Partner
.png)
