The 2024 namer survey, part 3: Best, worst, and weirdest names
56 namers' take on names that entered the market—or landed on their radar—last year
There were three questions on the 2024 Namer Survey (you can read my newsletters on the previous results here and here) that asked about what namers loved, hated, and thought was notable for being weird/freaky/out there. These answers are fun, and I’m sharing some of what I thought was interesting:
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Let’s start with the bests
New faves that entered the market in 2024
Some namers nominated their own names—I want to see more of this in 2025! TOOT. YOUR. HORNS.
A lot of these names were new to me, so I’m including the language the names’ nominees so you can get a sense of why they liked them. (I couldn’t resist adding a few of my own comments though ;))
“Centersquare - I am biased because I worked on this(!)”
“DRYBABY a dating app for sober people”
“I will say that Mocha Mousse is a great name for a nauseating color.”
“I just named a company in AI called OkHuman. I’m quite fond of it.”
“Casual Magic. The name of a new podcast I heard and it fits the message, the energy, the spirit so much -- I love a name that instantly feels right.”
“"Bruti" for one of 22 newly discovered species of "thieving" wasps; each species was named for rogues, including the Roman politician Brutus who stabbed Julius Caesar.”
“I like "Nooish," the first instant matzo ball soup.”
“Abecma, extreme simplicity”
“Sibiliti. Because it's got possibilities.”
“I remember digging ANDMORE when I first saw that. ANDM( )RE. Especially knowing it replaced International Market Centers.”
“Dopamine (frozen gourmet cookie dough) - it makes everyone smile”
“Flashlyte, a electrolyte brand from Coca-Cola” (Caitlin note: I have…associations)
“CosMc's” (Caitlin note: Wink)
“Ayoh! Mayo.” (Caitlin note: This was my pick. I love that it’s a greeting AND that it’s easy to see how it signals “mayo,” the most beautiful condiment.)
“One of my favorite names this year is a recently opened New Orleans-style seafood restaurant/"oyster disco" in Fort Greene, Brooklyn called Strange Delight”
“Blazy Susan”
“I was particularly surprised by Moeve, the rebranding of Cepsa, a legacy Spanish gas station brands. The new brand should embrace electrification beyond gasoline, ditches an ugly but historic acronym and may be the ultimate greenwashing exercise but sounds gliding, contemporary and definitely Spanish.”
Look no further than Anthony Shore
Anthony Shore of Operative Words, a namer most goated with the sauce, and the very first guest on Big Names in Naming, came up in two responses:
“Anthony Shore's "Mwah!" (gelato) is a masterstroke, but I can't remember whether that was 2023 or 2024.”
“So many good options it would be an insult to pick one. If you put a gun to my head and force me to pick I'd say anything Anthony Shore has named.”
I’d agree: Anthony consistently puts out names I really admire. Some of his 2024 names: GROWL, Parasail, Authorium, Lightbird, and Avathon. Evocative real words, elegant compounds, and coinings that feel like natural language. The man has got the stuff.
Older names that won praise:
Who Gives a Crap
Crap Eyewear (Caitlin note: I guess we love crap!)
Liquid Death
Perplexity
Notion
Hims & Hers
Snyk
No Chewing Allowed!
“Humane launched a few years ago, but their product flopped this March. The name Humane I love, noting their original mission.”
“Tiny Spoon Chef - a catering service with the coziest name”
“I would nominate Solar Myth, a listening bar in Philly named after one of sun ra's orchestras — the name sets up the space perfectly.”
“My default would be any name that Alexandra Watkins created, her stuff cracks me up. Neato, Monkey Dunks, Hand Job, etc.”Weird/noteable/standout names—some we liked, some we didn’t
“Fluster Cluck a chicken restaurant. Sort of funny if that's your kind of humour.”
“Clustertruck. It suggests a naughty word, is fun to say, rhythmic with the two "u"s, memorable, and it accurately suggests the business--a delivery-only restaurant and app.”
“Cold is a cool name (pun intended) for an online platform helps businesses assess and reduce their carbon footprints.”
“Immediately "Lisa Says Gah" comes to mind. It's memorable and slightly ridiculous but also isn't that why we all love it so much? It's a reminder to me that we don't have to take naming so seriously all the time. That a fabulous name and brand might actually be...gah.”
“I like Feeld. It’s a funny play that only hints at what it is but once you see it, you get it.” (Caitlin note: 😎)
“Lady Parts and Dude Wipes which seem to be part of an emerging personal care category! I guess the category is more standout/weird than the names in an of them selves, but they did make me snicker!”
“nuuly isn't a new name, but I feel like it's an example of a coined name that I actually see/hear regularly used (and remembered) among friends”
“Baby Bathwater Institute. As they say, "your strategy is showing [and it's very eh]."”
“I think the name change from Otta >> Welcome to the Jungle is a cool move.”
“MeroMero is a line of backpacks I just discovered, and I just love saying it. I love the repetition. The double MM lends itself to a mountain-style logo. Seems like it would work in lots of languages (although now that I'm saying it out loud it kinda sounds like 'marrow', but I'm sticking with it!).”
“I like how Cotopaxi does their product naming. The Spanish is approachable, reinforces their values, and makes it feel more exotic.” (Caitlin note: Love a naming systems find!)
“Donald Trump’s Fight Fight Fight cologne. :)” (Caitlin note: Hope I never smell this.)
“We wanted to name an orthodontist chain "Snaggle" but understandably, they were reluctant.”
“Not a name, but a title of a coloring book: “Ojalá caiga una avalancha de mierda y te pille bostezando” (I hope an avalanche of shit falls and catches you yawning).”
“ULTRADERP! LOL 😂 Incredible. It's a diss but captures the endearment of owner/doggo. It's perfect.” (Caitlin note: This is an Eli Altman-created name. We allllll know I’m obsessed with Eli Altman. This is a side project he launched at the very end of 2024. Great name. Cute product. I’m allergic to dogs or I’d buy 12.)
“Mrs. Cleaver for woman who sells meat (my name)” (Caitlin note: I LOVE THIS)
“Sink Design - I love them taking a chance with a name that has such positive and negative connotations!”
“Bitkarvy's pretty weird. And Talz.”
“Fatso nut butters—I love leaning into what would normally be a "negative" thing to reference”
“Given the Jaguar kerfuffle, I'd nominate "Type 00" as a standout name for 2024.”
“I was particularly surprised how a new brand of night trains in Europe was called Nightjet. At the beginning it looks like a mistake because a train is no "jet" but when you see they are positioning themselves for substituting short flights with night trips everything clicks. A super obvious path that however, I would not have dared to take.”
“I think the "name it so Google finds it" trend is killer (e.g., a restaurant named Thai Food Near Me™)”
And finally, the fails
RIP Twitter
Even though it’s technically a 2023 story, seven of the 56 responses called out the rebrand of Twitter to X as the biggest naming fail on their minds. Lost a ton of brand equity, chose a name that’s very challenging to protect (and comes up against a ton of pre-existing registrations that are the same or similar…), and is just kind of…nothing. Personally, I think the kind of brand building that would be required to make X a beloved brand name isn’t exactly the priority of its current owner.
Speaking of legal risks
“The biggest surprise for me was Google rebranding Bard to Gemini—a name that was fraught with legal risks.”
Very Fuck You
“Picked this one up from Ignasi Fontvila: Verifactu. His comments were about how the logo makes the "a" look like a "u" so it seems to read "Veryfuckyou", but I picked that up without the logo. Awful construction regardless.”
Infantilizing your audience won’t take you far
“Renfe, the former national train company of Spain, renamed their fidelity points "Renfecitos" which sounds childish taking into consideration the biggest users of the program are business users.”
A “Let them eat cake”-style name
“Came across a restaurant in Paris named 'Starving Club' that I thought was super tacky and tasteless.”
Too clever for its own good
“Banca 121 was initially conceived as a one-to-one banking concept, but in Italy, no one really understood it because people kept calling it simply by the number.”
Sounds bad, man
“Worldle, who I believe is getting sued (or already lost) by NYTimes and Wordle. "Worldle" is a terrible name anyway and they should've changed it rather than let it get to a lawsuit.”
Looking at the last chapter of the 2024 Namer Survey: What’s to come?
Next week, a snapshot of what we think 2025 might bring, and where we’re at with this whole AI thing.
Happy naming!
Caitlin
Want to become a better namer?
The full Foundations of Naming self-guided class series is finally here—take one class or the complete series, and boost your naming confidence.
Download free booklets from the Truth in Branding series on naming and trademarks.
Check out an episode of Big Names in Naming, the podcast where I interview namers about…naming.
All typos are left in to humanize me 🤪