One of the most creative parts of starting something new is finding a name and it’s also one of the most challenging. Below, you’ll find the stories of how various successful brands, creators and entrepreneurs came up with their names.

Sergio Escalona

Before Artonit was used to name the brand, I had the idea of having a retail store where emerging artists could display and sell their artworks on many surfaces and techniques. That was when the name Art On It popped into my mind, which I later used for the cosmetic line, as it lined perfectly with the concept. Read more>>

Rosondra Franklin

One evening I was at my close friend Danielle house having what we call “Shug Tuesday”. On this day after dinner we were discussing what my business name was going to be. I told her “I do not have a name just yet but I do know how I want the logo”. As I was describing how I wanted a wide brim and some glasses under the brim and Danielle said, “that’s it! Read more>>

JOEL INGWALDSON

Darshan Sacred Jewelry derives its name from my spiritual name, ‘Darshan,’ which was bestowed upon me after I found my spiritual teacher and embarked on my spiritual journey. ‘Darshan’ signifies a ‘blessed vision,’ symbolizing the act of receiving divine blessings. Read more>>

Ken Blackman

The focus of my business has evolved over two-plus decades—from how to make things great in the bedroom to how to co-create a great life together… from traditional man-woman dynamics to much more inclusive and individualized… from helping men grow and mature to helping couples thrive as life partners. Read more>>

David Burks

Our brand story began under the name of Sweetheart City Wines. At that time, Loveland, Colorado – the town where my wife and I had spent most of our marriage and raised our two children – was known as the Sweetheart City. Our vision back then was to craft a line of high-quality wines – from grapes sourced primarily from boutique California vineyards – right here in the place we call home. Read more>>

Joe Pari

Our name comes from the company’s co-founders, Joe Pari and Eric Augers love and passion for costume making, transformative experiences, making pretend and of course, Halloween, October 31 aka TEN31 Read more>>

Mary Jo Howell

In greek mythology there are 9 muses, and not one of them is for the olfactory. For me, the olfactory is my strongest sense, it guides me. Fragrant plants are my allies. I use these plants and their spirit to guide my clients through creating a scent that doesn’t just smell good, but speaks to their soul as well. Read more>>

Eli Gutierrez

When I first started my business my name was “cloud_9_earrings”. I sold handmade clay earrings but after awhile I decided I wanted to expand to beaded necklaces. So I changed my business name to “Dreamy creations.” As my business started to grow even more i wanted something more unique and relatable. Read more>>

Hannah Woolery

Hannah, Here and There didn’t happen over night. I knew for several years that I wanted to start a travel & lifestyle blog- but creating the name? Definitely a roadblock that took me some time to overcome. I consider myself a perfectionist, so I knew that my blog name had to encompass all of the things I wanted it to be. That was the best place to start: narrowing down exactly what my blog was going to be about. Read more>>

Moji Stanislavsky

My father studied medicine in his youth in Germany , flew to Iran and met my mother who was also studying medicine there. When the revolution happened in 1979 my parents came to the US. My father couldn’t start all over again in the medical field so he started M&D Jewelers back in 1980. Since both he and my mom were medical doctors and name is Moji and my brothers name is David., voila you have M&D Jewelers as the name of the company ! Read more>>

Marlo Marrero Fernandez

Hi, we are Creative Jam Art Co., there are three of us: Marlo Marrero Fernandez- Chief Operating Officer, BrendaLiz Ayende-Chief Customer Experience Officer, Irmie Sauntinez-Chief Information Officer. We are equal co-owners of our business. Read more>>

Nataisha Ramirez

After my weight loss journey, I came to the realization that true health extends beyond a mere number on the scale. It’s about nurturing our mind, body, and spirit. Rather than fixating on labels like ‘skinny’ or ‘thin,’ I’ve chosen to focus on being healthy because it means something different for each person. Read more>>

Rachael Hammack

Growing up in the South, Southern hospitality is something that becomes enrooted within you, you always go out of your way to create a welcoming atmosphere that is kind and charming all in one. So when coming up with the name, I knew I wanted it to be reflective of myself and my upbringing. Read more>>

Lezlie Walton

Yes, naming something that means so much to you can be a tough thing to do. I personally chose my business name by sitting back and thinking of all the things I love; the gifts God gave me, things my clients compliment me on and how I feel about whatever it is I’m doing. Read more>>

Bernie Dickson

As new moms, our vision was to transform the traditional ice cream truck experience by offering a healthier alternative and incorporating artistic and crafty elements for kids instead of conventional plastic toys. While we didn’t plan on selling traditional ice cream, we opted for popsicles as a treat to grab people’s attention. We also aimed to operate a small business, and during brainstorming sessions, the phrase “mom and pop shop” surfaced. Read more>>

Quincy Adams

Back in the early days of Hip Hop, I was a huge fan of Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew. That “Get Fresh” name stuck with me over the years but I didn’t know that it would become a household name for myself and others. I remember the Summer of 1999, getting prepared for the summer football program at Earlham College. Read more>>

Ghoust Jones

The name of my company is “Ghoust World”, I chose this name because it was the best way to encompass all that I do and will do moving forward. I often flow in and out of many different mediums and forms of creativity and that makes me a true artist. All that I do exists in this world, the Ghoust World. Read more>>

Amanda Behl

It’s kind of a funny story. When my husband and myself decided to venture into the small business world, we took a dive. Myself with a background in law enforcement and Jason with some familiarity in business, having a background in retail, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy, and naming a business is crucial. Jason was seeking to correlate the name with what we did. Read more>>

Llewelyn Thomas-Wood

Welcome to Buddha Beauty Skincare, where natural beauty and mindfulness combine. A place where transformative skincare products have been crafted with love and care to enhance your skin’s natural health and radiance while the delicate aromas have been chosen to lift your spirits or provide calm when the mind needs it. Read more>>

Kimberly Griggers

One question everyone has is who’s CJ? Naming a business is very hard. You’re wanting something that stands out and also has meaning. My name is Kim and when I was asking others of suggestions, they were giving suggestions using my name like Kim’s Coffee. I knew from the very beginning I did not want my name used in the business name. I wanted the business name to have its own identity. Read more>>

Gabrielle Reid

.Soljoy Creative, the brilliant brainchild born from the fusion of two enchanting concepts: Read more>>

Lydia Doyen

When we decided we wanted to start a business we knew we needed a good name. We thought about it for a while and decided to go with Northern Roots Engraving. We choose the Northern Roots part because we are from NH. That is where our family roots are. We love and miss our home state so why not honor it in our business name. Read more>>

Lindsey Peusch

I love this question! I can be a very indecisive person, so I knew when I was naming my boutique I had to come up with something that I would never get tired of. I wanted the name to be something short, sweet, and easy to remember; but also something meaningful. Read more>>

Michelle Rochester

The story behind how I came up with my brand, it came to life from one of my other businesses MNR Catering. A lot of my supporters/clients were interested in trying out my catering but did not have any events to book my services. I received a much of feedback and that’s when I decided to do something different. I decided to keep an event, where I offer all my menu items all in one night. Read more>>

Grant Clyman

I remember sitting with my wife in our living room, me with my notebook, her with her laptop, and both of us brainstorming ideas and logos. I wanted a name that meant something, a name that represented what our martial arts school was about. it wasn’t easy. Some things sounded too cheesy, others too ostentatious. Read more>>

Narkis Eserig

oming up with the name for my business took a bit of time to describe what I love and make it catchy at the same time. My love to travel has been a big part of my life, which I wasn’t able to travel much as a child… as I grew older and started making my own money I decided that no matter what life throws at me I will make time and put the money aside to take that trip, which I do live by it. Read more>>

Julissa Benitez

I have always believed in the idea that how we are remembered in this life is the light that we shared with others. So being a light to others is something I have always tried to do whether it be through my sense of humor, kindness, or service. In 2022, I was going through a lot of adversity in both my personal life and my career so I was not sure what the next steps would be. Read more>>

Ashley Williams

Creating a brand name is a very personal and creative process. Read more>>

Jamilia Cain

Naming my business was one of the most difficult tasks to do when I was getting started. I didn’t necessarily want to use my name but it was the more safest and easiest to do. KIBIBI is my middle name which is a notoriously known name in Swahili. It means little lady. When I presented the name to my team they instantly loved it compared to some of the other names that we were coming up. Read more>>

Carmel Katumba

ZONKY, a term steeped in its dual meaning of “odd” and “weird,” serves as a perfect metaphor for my identity and what I connected with growing up. It’s not just a word but a symbol of embracing the extraordinary and breaking free from the constraints of conformity. In a world that often pushes us towards uniformity, I found my own path by embodying the spirit of a zonkey – a rare and fascinating hybrid of a donkey and a zebra. Read more>>

Sarah Wang

This traces back to 2014 when I was still working as the COO of a jewelry company. At the time I was pretty involved in the entertainment industry in the Chinese community in my region. I was singing at music venues, and events, and also teaching singing on the side as music is my passion. I have been thinking about possibly going into music full time either as a performer or an instructor or both, but to be honest I don’t think the income was enough to justify this shift. Read more>>

Danielle Calcara

I was sitting in a board meeting with the CEO and Marketing Director of the company I was working at, at that time, where I had come to be miserable, realizing I was not a 9-5, sit behind a desk and look at spreadsheets all day type of human. One of my bosses was complementing me on my taste in aesthetics, I looked back at her and just blurted out “Yea, I’m aesthetically obsessed.” In that moment, a lightbulb went off in my brain and that phrase “Aesthetically Obsessed” kept replaying on a loop. Read more>>

Luisa Gonzalez

The name of my company, FH&J Group, holds a deeply personal meaning for me. It stands for “Family Huertas Johnson,” which encompasses the last names of my beloved parents. This business is more than just a name on paper; it symbolizes a legacy, a testament to the hard work and dedication of my family. Read more>>

Mogul Marz

So Marz is a derivative of my last name, (Marshall). I am big on legacy and understanding the importance of maintaining the reputation associated with that name for many reasoning. So for me, adopting the name as an alias early on was not something I had to give much thought to, just being honest. Read more>>

Mark Landon & Krista Angelucci

HomesNash, a name that resonates with clarity and purpose, represents our dedicated real estate team within the dynamic market of Nashville, operating under the banner of Crye-Leike Realtors. The inception of our name, ‘HomesNash,’ was a thoughtful process aimed at encapsulating the nature of our business – providing real estate solutions in Nashville. Read more>>

Katherine Reedy

The name Rebel Daughter is a nod to my dad, whose nickname was “The Rebel” in his race car driving days. Read more>>