7 Proven Tips to Make Your Brand Name More Memorable

Why Memorability Is Everything

If people can't remember your brand name, they can't search for you, recommend you, or come back. Every dollar you spend on marketing is less effective when your name doesn't stick.

Memorable names share specific linguistic and cognitive properties. Here are seven you can apply.

1. Keep It Short

Cognitive load increases with every syllable. The most memorable brand names in the world are overwhelmingly short:

One syllable: Slack, Stripe, Square
Two syllables: Google, Apple, Nike
Three syllables: Amazon, Spotify, Nintendo

The sweet spot is one to three syllables. Beyond that, people naturally abbreviate — which means they're renaming your brand for you.

Action: If your name candidate is four or more syllables, look for ways to shorten it or verify that the natural abbreviation works as well as the full name.

2. Use Uncommon Letter Combinations

Names with unexpected letter patterns catch the eye and engage the brain. "Xerox" uses an unusual X-opening. "Quora" starts with Q. "Zillow" has double-L.

Unusual doesn't mean unpronounceable. The name still needs to roll off the tongue — it just needs a visual or phonetic hook that makes it distinct.

Action: After generating name candidates, look at the first and last letters. Common starts (S, C, M) and endings (-tion, -ly, -er) blend in. Unusual ones stand out.

3. Create Sound Symbolism

Certain sounds carry inherent associations:

Hard consonants (K, T, B, D): Feel strong, direct, fast — Kodak, TikTok, Bold
Soft consonants (L, M, N, S): Feel gentle, smooth, calm — Loom, Murmur, Serene
Short vowels (a, e, i): Feel quick, small, precise — Bit, Hex, Snap
Long vowels (oo, ay, ee): Feel expansive, open — Google, Yay, Breeze

Match the sounds to your brand personality, and the name will feel right before people even understand why.

Action: Say your name candidates aloud. Do the sounds match the feeling you want to create?

4. Leverage the Von Restorff Effect

The Von Restorff effect states that items that stand out from their surroundings are more easily remembered. In naming, this means being different from competitors.

If every competitor has a two-word descriptive name, a single invented word stands out. If competitors all use tech-sounding names, a nature word stands out.

Action: List your top ten competitors' names. Find the dominant pattern. Choose the opposite.

5. Use Concrete Over Abstract

Concrete words — things you can see, touch, or picture — are significantly easier to remember than abstract concepts. "Apple" beats "Innovation Labs." "Amazon" beats "Global Commerce Solutions."

Even invented names can feel concrete. "Spotify" sounds like "spot" + "identify" — both are concrete concepts.

Action: For each name candidate, ask: "Can someone picture this?" If the answer is no, the name is harder to remember.

6. Build in Repetition or Rhythm

Names with internal repetition are stickier:

Alliteration: Coca-Cola, PayPal, Best Buy
Rhyme: StubHub, FitBit
Reduplication: TikTok, Bonbon
Rhythmic stress: Ama-ZON, Spo-TI-fy

These patterns exploit the brain's preference for musical structure. They feel satisfying to say, which makes people say them more.

Action: Read your name candidates out loud three times fast. The ones that feel rhythmic and satisfying have built-in memorability.

7. Avoid the "Sounds Like Everything Else" Trap

Generic naming conventions destroy memorability:

Adding "-ly" to words (Grammarly worked; the hundred copycats didn't)
Starting with "i" (the ship sailed with iPhone)
Dropping vowels (Flickr pioneered it; Tumblr copied it; now it's noise)

When a naming trick becomes a trend, it stops creating distinctiveness and starts creating confusion.

Action: If your name uses a popular naming convention, make sure the base word is distinctive enough to compensate.

Testing Memorability

Before committing, run this simple test:

Tell ten people your brand name in conversation
Wait 24 hours
Ask them what the name was

If fewer than seven remember it correctly, the name isn't sticky enough. Pay attention to how they mis-remember it — their errors reveal what's actually memorable (or forgettable) about the name.

Find a Name That Sticks

A memorable name saves you money on every marketing dollar you'll ever spend. It's worth investing time to get right.

Use BrandScout to generate memorable brand name ideas and instantly check their availability across domains, social media, and trademarks.