Checklist
Business naming checklist: from ideas to a shortlist
Use this checklist at your next naming review. Check a task only when you have recorded the answer. An unresolved check stays open, even when everyone likes the name. The checkboxes below are temporary and reset when you reload; download the CSV to keep your own copy.
By Esmii · Practical resources for your naming process
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Agree on the brief
Start here so each person evaluates the same problem. Keep requirements short enough to use in a meeting. If the team disagrees about the audience or future product range, resolve that before comparing names.
Build a useful shortlist
Keep early ideas together instead of spreading them across messages. Record why each finalist belongs on the shortlist. Keeping that reason makes later feedback easier to interpret.
Test how each name works
Use a consistent script. Introduce the name without explaining it, ask what it suggests, and ask the listener to spell it. Keep the observations separate from your interpretation.
Record separate research results
These tasks organize research; a tick is not legal clearance. Domain availability, business registration and trademark rights are separate. Record the source and date of every result, and get qualified advice for unresolved legal questions.
Make and document the decision
Review evidence and preferences side by side. A popular name can still have an unresolved requirement. If the team cannot decide, identify the missing fact or the real trade-off instead of adding more names immediately.