Naming your business is among the most important branding choices you will make as an entrepreneur in India. Your business name is often the very first impression prospective customers will get of your business.
An excellent name of business can provide you with an enormous competitive edge – making your brand more memorable, easier to remember and capable of generating the right feelings and associations with your products or services. A bad name can be confusing, forgettable or offensive to customers.
With over 63 million businesses across various sectors and industries in India, coming up with an attention-grabbing and unique name is becoming harder. However, following a systematic approach and using time-tested naming principles, Indian entrepreneurs can come up with business names that work well in the market.
What Does a Good Business Name Mean?
Your name of business is a primary element of your brand identity and shouldn’t be an afterthought. A thoughtful name can give your company advantages, while a poor name selection can place you at a major disadvantage right from the start. Why getting your business name right is important:
Brand Recognition
A memorable name makes your brand memorable and memorable for customers. Brand recognition increases awareness of your product or service and helps people find your business amid the marketplace noise.
First Impression
Your business name is often the very first impression potential customers will get of your business. A great name can say what you do, define your brand personality, suggest the quality of your offerings and create critical first impressions.
Customers Perception
No matter whether it is intentional or not, your business name will impact consumer perceptions of your company’s values, authenticity and legitimacy well before your customers really try what you are offering. A thoughtful, credible name creates trust and good preconceptions.
Marketing Benefit
A unique, catchy name naturally makes for better marketing and advertising. A compelling name can inspire slogans, catchy jingles and other marketing messages that reinforce brand recall.
Long-Term Asset Value
A good brand name creates long-term equity, identity and intellectual property for your business. As you grow, your brand name becomes an appreciated asset that separates you from your competitors and represents your market position.
Top Tips to Choose a Business Name
Tips on choosing a winning business name for your Indian company:
Get Clear on Your Brand Identity & Values
Before you put pen to paper on any potential names, pause and get clear on your core brand identity and values. What words or phrases best describe your business mission statement? What tone and personality do you want your brand to project? Begin by creating a list of adjectives and brand characteristics you want associated together with your name.
For example, if you’re starting an eco-friendly clothing line, sustainable might be a top five list of desired brand attributes. If you’re starting a fun, whimsical toy company, playful, imaginative, vibrant and magical might be better words for your naming.
Know Your Audience & Industry
Who is your target customer and what names might appeal? Are there particular naming styles or linguistic elements popular or meaningful in your industry niche? Researching successful names of your competitors can provide inspiration.
For instance, names with Sanskrit origins might work for Ayurvedic wellness products aimed at health-conscious consumers seeking ancient Indian traditions. A more Western-style name might instead suit a hot new fashion brand for young urban professionals.
Explore Potential Name Categories
The best business names fall into one of a few basic naming categories:
Descriptive names specify what a company does or represents, such as FoodPanda for food delivery or EduComp for educational software.
Evocative names use metaphors or imagery to suggest a brand’s purpose, personality or values. Examples include Wildcraft for an outdoor gear brand or Licious for a fresh meat delivery service.
Invented names are invented words that give a business a blank-slate brand image. Think Airtel for a telecom brand or Zoomcar for a car rental platform.
Other common naming routes include combining existing words (like FedEx or PayTM) or using initialised names (ICICI, TATA, LIC).
Consider which naming style best matches your brand persona and goals. Descriptive names are straightforward, evocative names that raise the imagination and invented names give you a blank branding slate.
Look Into Meaningful Origins
Some of the strongest brand names derive from languages or cultures meaningful to a company’s purpose and audience.
For instance, yoga and wellness brands might use ancient Sanskrit words like satva (purity) or ananda (bliss). Companies selling traditional Indian crafts and apparel might use names derived from Hindi words such as banarasi (fine silk) or meenakari (enamelling).
If you want to develop an international brand that translates outside India, import words with positive meanings or mental imagery. For example, “nirvana” for a brand of tranquil retreats, “bodhi” for a wellness company or “shakti” for a women’s lifestyle brand celebrating feminine power.
Just be careful that any words you choose have no unintended negative or inappropriate connotations in other languages or cultures.
Make It Memorable and Unique
The best business names are easy to spell, pronounce and remember. They have a sharp sound that falls off the tongue naturally. Names with likeable letter combinations, rhyming elements, alliteration or symbolic meanings are generally very sticky in people’s minds.
Some memorable name of business in India include Haldiram’s snack foods, Marico consumer goods, DishTV satellite TV, Info Edge recruitment services, Ola cabs and Cuemath learning programs. These are unique, punchy names that will not mix with other brands.
Create a name that won’t be easily confused with competitors and that allows you to trademark your brand identity. Run potential names through online search engines and trademark databases for conflicts before you commit.
Align Form with Function
Does your potential name of business make sense with the products or services you’ll be offering? Sometimes clever names are just too clever or abstract for their own good, failing to communicate a brand’s true purpose.
A quirky name like Umbrella might work just fine for a fun, unconventional clothing brand targeting teens and young adults. But that name probably would be off for an insurance company, financial advisor or other serious professional services firm that serves more conservative customers.
Future Proof Your Name
While making your name feel current and of the moment can help you reach modern customers today, you want a name that stays. Avoid names so tied to pop culture reference, slang term or technology that they become meaningless or obsolete.
Classic, established brand names such as Dabur, MDH, Premji and Piramal – while not flashy or trendy – have timeless appeal and remain relevant across generations. The best names let brand equity build over time.
Say it Out Loud & Get Feedback
After you’ve narrowed your list to your top few potential business names, say them aloud. Sound clear and crisp. Do they sound clear? Is the spelling intuitive when you hear the name spoken? Ask friends, family members and potential customers to listen to your name options and give honest feedback about their gut reactions.
Try a free crowdsourced feedback service to poll an unfiltered audience about your top name choices instead. Useful outside perspectives might highlight possible problems with hard-to-pronounce sounds, unintended double meanings or just plain boring names.
Consider Domain Availability
Presuming you are going to have an internet presence for your business – which every contemporary Indian business needs to have – you’ll want a domain name which fits your company brand ideals. Look at domain registrars to see if your potential business name (or variations of it) has related.com or .in web addresses still available for purchase.
If the .com domain for your desired name is already taken, you may want to reconsider that name option or try to find slightly tweaked versions to boost your chances of securing a URL. That said, some companies use domains with additions such as my or hub before their name when an exact match is not possible.
Protect Your Name Choice
After you find the perfect business name that ticks all the boxes, protect that name choice legally. File for an official trademark with the Indian government to prevent your competitors from using the same or a confusingly similar name in your business categories.
Final Words
It’s also recommended to register your name of business on the central level with an online service like MCA. This helps prevent future naming conflicts in your state’s registry. Multimedia accounts and a trademarked brand name will be a long-term asset as your business grows.
Naming is among the most exciting and creative decisions for new Indian entrepreneurs. Following a process like the ones above will give you the best chance of choosing an unforgettable, unique business name that hits all your branding needs.
