Recent startups have more outlandish name and domain name combinations than ever before. These new businesses tend to reach for more imaginative types of names over the more descriptive names that were previously expected. Curious about naming and domain name trends, we set out to quantify trends of new venture funded startups and to reveal possible reasons for these trends.
We conducted a study on 700 companies to determine possible naming and domain name trends. We also interviewed naming and branding thought leaders for insights into some of these trends and to uncover what makes a company name successful. …
Trademark and domain name limitations are possibly a direct reason for the surge in names that are invented or have odd combinations of various words. Kristen Pembroke, the director of client services at the branding agency Catchword, reveals that many recent trends are attributed to these limitations.
“A lot of what goes on with naming styles and trends stems from the challenges of securing a domain or trademark. It’s gotten to be so challenging for major startups, and for everyone really, and so there are a variety of ways for businesses to get around that.”
— Kristen Pembroke, Catchword
There are increasingly less real word names and less real word combination names that are available from both a trademark and domain name perspective. However, there are different ways that recent companies attempt to elude trademark and domain obstacles. …
