App name ideas: how to name an app, with methods, checks and a worked example

What makes a good app name?

A good name does three jobs: people can say it and spell it after hearing it once, it hints at what the product does or how it feels, and it is not already taken in a way that causes legal or search problems. Cleverness comes fourth. Many strong names are plain.

A name does not need to describe the product forever. It needs to survive the first version and the next two. If your idea may grow beyond one narrow feature, avoid a name that locks you to it.

How do you come up with app name ideas?

Do not wait for inspiration. Pick two or three of these methods and write ten names with each. Quantity first; judging comes later. The sample names are invented for illustration and were not checked for availability.

1. Write the one-sentence description of the product, and underline the verbs and nouns. These are your raw materials.
2. List synonyms and related images for each. Use a thesaurus; add words from user reviews of competitors.
3. Combine and trim. Join words, cut letters, try prefixes and suffixes. Write at least 30 names, including bad ones.
4. Read them aloud. Strike anything you stumble over.
5. Sleep on it, then circle your top ten.

An AI model can help with volume. Ask for a long list of names under constraints, then do the checking yourself, since a model cannot see live trademark records. The prompt in the next section is built for that.

I am naming an app. Here is what it does: [one sentence]. Here is who it is for: [one sentence].

Give me 40 name candidates, grouped as: descriptive, compound words, metaphors, invented words, and action phrases.

Rules:
- Maximum 14 characters each.
- One or two syllables per word where possible.
- No existing famous brand names, and no names that are just a common dictionary word.
- Easy to spell after hearing it once.
- Avoid numbers and special characters.

For each name, add a short note on why it fits. Do not claim any name is available or unregistered; I will check trademarks, stores and domains myself.

What should you check before you commit to an app name?

Run every shortlisted name through the checks below, in this order. Stop a name at the first hard failure. The cheap checks come first.

A word on the trademark check. The USPTO says one of the most common reasons applications are rejected is a likelihood of confusion with an already registered mark, meaning customers could think the goods or services come from the same source. It also says a comprehensive clearance search covers the federal database, state databases and the internet, and that the examining attorney only checks the federal database. A hit that is close in sound or meaning and sold in a similar area is a problem even if the spelling differs.

Store limits can change, so confirm them on the linked official pages before you file. As of October 2026, the Apple and Google pages above both state 30 characters. The App Store Connect page also notes that you can edit the name until you submit the app to App Review, and later when you create a new version or the status permits.

What does naming look like on a real shortlist?

Here is the process on the invented pet-sitter handoff app. It started with 36 candidates from three methods. A first pass on the sound test removed 20. A scorecard gave points from 1 to 5 on six criteria, each weighted by how much it matters for a small web app with no budget for ads. The scores below are illustrations of the method, not research findings.

Weighted total is the sum of each score times its weight, out of a maximum of 50. “Sitly” scores highest because an invented word searches well and is more likely to be clear. Then the hard checks start. Suppose a USPTO search shows a live mark for similar software with a nearly identical name. “Sitly” is out, whatever its score, and “PawNotes” becomes the pick if it passes. This is why checks come after scoring and can overrule it.

1. Score the shortlist; keep the top three.
2. Run the hard checks on #1. If it fails, drop it. Do not argue with a failure.
3. Run the checks on #2 and #3 until one passes.
4. Buy the domain and claim handles the same day. Record the date you started using the name.
5. Say the name to three strangers and ask them to write it down. Count how many get it right.

Name | Say it (weight 2) | Search it (3) | Fit it (1) | Mean it (1) | Own it (3) | Weighted total
[name 1] | 1-5 | 1-5 | 1-5 | 1-5 | 1-5 | (2xSay + 3xSearch + 1xFit + 1xMean + 3xOwn)
[name 2] | | | | | |
[name 3] | | | | | |
[name 4] | | | | | |
[name 5] | | | | | |

Hard checks (pass or fail, any fail removes the name):
- Apple name 2-30 characters: ___
- Google Play title 30 characters or less: ___
- USPTO search: no similar mark for similar software: ___
- Store search: no close competitor with this name: ___
- Domain available: ___
- Main handle available: ___
- No bad meaning in main markets: ___

Pick: ______ Date I started using it: ______

Should the app name include keywords?

A little, within the rules. The store title and subtitle are limited, so a name plus a short descriptive subtitle is a common pattern: a brand name that people remember, and a subtitle that says what it does. Do not stuff the title with search phrases. Apple's guidelines say not to pack metadata with trademarked terms, popular app names, pricing information or other irrelevant phrases, and Google's policy lists similar restrictions.

• Brand first. The name is how people tell others about the app. Keep it short.
• Keywords in the subtitle and description. That is where words like “pet sitter” and “checklist” belong.
• Do not name yourself after a competitor. Using another product’s name in your title can get a listing rejected under Apple’s rule against popular app names in metadata.
• Plan for a rename. Names can be changed in the stores, but links, reviews and habits attach to the old one. Choose as if you will keep it for years.

If you are still deciding whether the product should exist, hold the naming until after the validation week. A name is easier to choose once you can describe the user in a sentence.

What if your favorite name is taken?

• Check what it is taken for. The same word used for a restaurant is a different situation from the same word used for software. A lawyer can tell you how close is too close.
• Add a distinguishing word, such as a verb or a descriptor, but only if the result still sounds like your brand and not like theirs.
• Change the form. A new word, a different compound, a different language root.
• Move on. You have 30 other candidates. Falling for the one you cannot have is the expensive mistake.

Not sure what to build in the first place? Browse the board for problems other people posted, or post one yourself. Every idea has a ready build prompt, and the name can wait until the thing exists. If you need to explain the product while you choose a name, the Launch Copy Generator drafts a tagline from a product name, a user and an outcome.