Choosing a company name is actually quite a lot more difficult than I imagined. Right now my criteria for a good name is the following:

- The name must communicate the purpose of the business.
- The name must be memorable and evoke a positive image.
- The name must be easy to type into a web browser.
- The domain name of the business name must not be taken.
- There must not be any other similar businesses or products with the same name.

The last two points are turning out to be the biggest problem. I have a few names that fit all of that criteria, but it's dissappointing when your favorite names are eliminated because of very obscure products using the same name.

And domain name parkers/sellers are quite annoying.

I hope this post can help others out there who are at this same early stage I am at.

Hi there. I though I'd tell you how I picked my company name (amju). I went to www.deleteddomains.com, where you can see all the domain names which have been given up. I spent probably a couple of weeks scanning the lists for good domain names, then picked one I thought sounded good! Maybe this would work for you.

Thanks, that site is very helpful. However, it has brought up a new question in my quest for the perfect company name:

What is more important?

1. A name that communicates the purpose of your business.
(i.e. www.download-free-games.com)

2. A name that is easy to type into a web browser.
(i.e. www.google.com, www.amazon.com)

The ideal name would have both of these qualities, but it's nearly impossible to find a free domain name with both.

I guess this is different in various countries, but in Sweden you can't register a company name that encourages customers to buy your product e.g. "BuyCars!".
I'm not really sure where the line goes either though..

Here's my 2 cents. You want your name to be as memorable as possible - it's your brand, and you want to get it into your customers' heads. Generic names won't do that, and you can't have a generic name anyway because all the domains have been bought up. All new companies have to have a made-up name in order to get the domain name. You just have to get one that stands out.