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.

Sienna Benton

The magazine’s name stemmed from these two big questions. What is life, and what is art? To me, life is Art, and art is a feeling. So the question then becomes, when do you feel most alive? For me, I feel most alive when I’m creating, and when I’m in love. Life is Art Magazine embraces the concept that any skill can be creative, and when that skill is mastered, it becomes a form of art. There’s your standard drawing, painting, sculpting, etc arts, but then there comes the less acknowledged genres. The art of conversation, culinary art, architecture, design, fashion, even math and science are unique forms of art. The chair you’re sitting in, the cup you drink out of, the font used on business logos, all of those things required someone to think creatively about comfort, esthetic, and feeling. Drinking out of mug is a different feeling then drinking out of a glass of wine. Isn’t it fascinating how something as simple as drinking vessel can evoke feelings of coziness and or sophistication? Every day we experience feeling, and those feelings are heavily influenced by the art we have surrounded ourselves with, and expose ourselves to daily. Thus, life is art. Read more>>

Blanca Diaz

My God daughters name is Celine Casanova and we call her CC. I am obsessed with her and love the two letters together so I wanted to come up with a name with the same initials, that’s how Creative Canvas was born. Read more>>

Jon Webster

I was in the process of creating a Hot Sauce Company about 16 years ago. Developing and perfecting recipes, getting FDA approval and working with a Co-bottler to scale it up for larger batches. Working on a name that would stand out in a market that has many similar products that have, let’s say, off the wall names. Some colorful and some childish. I knew I had to hit it just right. Then it happened. I found what I needed to hit all the buttons……My Son!! Read more>>

Ms. Pretty Features

I wanted my business name to be something that reflected me, so I just started brainstorming. By the end of the night, I had 3 pages worth of names to look over. “All Things Pretty” is what I initially decided on. Eager as I was, I filed for my LLC that same night. Lol! What’s funny is that my business had a whole rebrand before I even launched. I mean, I’d created my logo, filed all the necessary paperwork, and created emails and social media accounts, all under All Things Pretty. It wasn’t until months after testing vendors that I decided that All Things Pretty wasn’t the one. Then one night, I revisited my list of names and came across Pretty Features. I instantly fell in love, and my brand, Pretty Features, was born.  Read more>>

Dan Crask

My business’s original name was D&A Design. When spoken, it sounded like DNA Design, which seemed to resonate with people. There were two big problems with that name: The only URL available had hyphens in it, and the spoken version of our name–DNA Design–quickly gained more equity in the minds of our customers than our actual name. A new name was needed. One day, I was out for lunch, thinking about my dog, Jake. He was a Border Collie, and after my first child’s birth, he showed why that breed is so special. He had a herd to protect, and he loved doing it. Read more>>

Mk Rowins

Family has always been extremely important to me so when I was deciding what to name my business I knew I wanted to incorporate some aspect of my family in the name. My great grandfather, four times over, on my maternal side was the first Governor of Alabama after the Civil War. I grew up with a painting of his home, Sweetwater Mansion, in our home. I now have that same painting hanging in my house as well as a statue from their garden. I have always been fascinated with that era and the history of my family on that side in particular so I decided to name my business Sweetwater Designs. It’s a little nod to my family and my Southern roots! Read more>>

Robin Gulley

It’s a fun story, though the business name is not necessarily original. My business /company name is Robin’s Nest and my name is Robin (hence not so original). But, here’s the story behind my name. At birth my parents named me Bonnie Louise; however, after taking me home from the hospital my mother tells me I would open my mouth to nurse like a little bird. She realized then they’d not accurately named me and changed my name to Robin Renee. So this is the first part of the story. Read more>>

Loki Blaque-peak

I actually went through several name, but something about them didn’t feel right. They were basic and just kind of “meh”. I can’t recall EXACTLY how I came up with Blaque+Ninety5, but it’s basically my last name and my birth year. I knew I wanted my name in it and I wanted it to be striking but not corny. I was in the bathroom when it came to me, I remember that much. Read more>>

Sergio Martinez

I wanted to keep my logo & name traditional so I just took the ez off my last name which is Martinez & named It MRMARTINDETAILING to be more simple but unforgettable all in one .At the time there were a lot of Martinez companies around & I did not want to get my business name mixed up with like a construction 🚧 firm or any other business with the same name .It was frustrating trying to figure that out also but I went with my instincts & it payed off in the long run Read more>>

Keisha Hensley

I chose to call my business Mother’s Homemade because though we only sell chow chow now we have plans to roll out other products that will fall under that umbrella. I’m hoping my daughter will take over for me one day and she will be able to say these are my mother’s recipes. Read more>>

Michal Fields

My name is Michal and the name of my business is 8Twelve Balloons. I started my business in 2020 like so many others but I officially introduced my brand in 2021. I’ve always enjoyed anything that allowed me to be creative such as party planning, interior design etc. I started out doing balloons as just a hobby for my personal events and it quickly turned into a passion. I literally slept, ate and breathed all things balloon decor. The business side of the industry is and was the most challenging part of being a balloon artist. I have learned so much and still learning as this business is always evolving. My business definitely birthed a new woman in me therefore I named it 8/12 which is my birthdate. Read more>>

Cam Macneille

I came up with the name Sunbird back in 2019 when I knew I wanted to have a space of my own! I was brainstorming with my co stylist Koral (@koloredxkoral), who works with me now. We were thinking bright like the sun and free like a bird! So naturally, we ended up with Sunbird Salon. Read more>>

Aurelie Carp

Golden Night Photography is actually my first names together…I am adopted and my birth mother named me Aurelie and my mother named me Layla. Aurelie meaning Golden and Layla meaning Night. It just worked out so well! Read more>>

Kyle Scott

For myself it was no doubt going to be River of Syrup. I wanted to pay homage to my Grandparents who would host family dinners where all of our families would get together. My Grandmother would cook some amazing meals, my favorite being chili verde. What I remember most was how it brought all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins together. Everyone who walked into their house family or friend would always leave as family due to how warm and welcoming they were. It was the bonding over what was prepared that would continue to bring our family closer. It is something that I wanted to replicate when deciding to start my business. I wanted to create an environment no matter where I was tending bar, where strangers would become family while enjoying the experience I was creating with cocktails, conversations, and ambience. So putting Love and care into what I do is only a reflection of what my Grandparents shared with me, and now I am able to share with others. Read more>>

Corina Williams

I know that I wanted lashes in the name somehow, but nothing general or boring. The usual is always, “lashes by”, or “lashed by”. My business name came from the influence of fashion show modeling. All the glitz, and glamour that comes with it. Honestly, the first word that came to mind was “fabulous”, but I added a twist to it; and that’s where “fabulashes.byrina” came from. Read more>>

Matthew Smith

I wrote a children’s book back in 2019. It’s basically a rhyming poem that became a picture book called, “I Love Blue Macaroons.” In 2021, I wrote the sequel called, “I Love Blue Macaroons TOO”. My daughter was taking acting lessons at a previous theater company in our small town in 2022. After a year, the owner of the company decided to go back to college. My wife, Kristie and I knew how much our daughter enjoyed acting and we knew that she found her passion with theatre, so we decided to take over the space and create our own theatre company in town. I immediately had the name because I was of the opinion that just another “So-and-so Community Theatre” wouldn’t stand out and could have a number of limitations. It was a no-brainer. “We’re calling it the Blue Macaroon Theater Company.” So here we are. Read more>>

Louise Mcevoy

I was working with a friend who saw me as a mountaineer and an executive… so “The Climbing Executive” became the official name. At first, it seemed odd, but it’s exactly me – I climb and I’m an executive in the IT industry. Read more>>

Kimberly Duval

In April 2013, my husband and I bought our first house – something of an investment property – two hours west of Boston, where we were living at the time. The day we closed on the house, a 30 yard dumpster was dropped in the driveway, and abatement crews showed up to remove a basement full of asbestos floor tiles and pipe insulation. In the decade since, my husband and I gutted the house to the studs on both sides, and with my vision for the design, rebuilt most of the structure and completely reimaged both the house and the property.  Read more>>

Jess Lee

Tulipa, Latin for the genus of Tulip, is a symbol of charity in the Victorian language of Flowers. The topic of that language has always been fascinating, to speak with flowers. The Latin name for plants is universal, meaning it can expand worldwide and reach everyone interested. It’s a big deal to embody the idea of charity in a name, and it’s even more significant to contribute to the land and give back to it. Creating a landscape, using plants as a canvas, to represent hope, forgiveness, grace, peace, and any other emotion desired by the landowner, is a great honor. As humans, we assign meaning to everything, and this is my way of attributing deep meaning to an art form that is starting to get lost among the standard, unoriginal forms of post-modern design. Tulipa Land is my way of giving back to the land and offering an expansive space for all art forms to collide in a creative bloom. Read more>>

Laura Hernandez

The word “Latam” in “Latam Law, LLC” stems from a couple different origins. First, in the business world “Latam” refers to Latin America, and my business heavily serves the Latin American community. Second, my first name and middle name are Laura Tamarah, and my mother’s name is Tamarah. So, “Latam” is a combination of my first and middle name, in addition to being a small ode to my mother. Read more>>

Carlos Patrick

My nephew CHristopher ISaiah Holmes was born in 1999. I made a decision to name our record company CHISPA Music Group after Chris. Using the first two letters from his first and middle names, CH and IS and the first two letters of PAtrick. CHISPA is also a Spanish word, the English translation is “spark”. Christopher Holmes has grown to be a great touring drummer/ percussionist and singer. He’s listed as a producer on The Patricks LEGACY album. “With All I Got” by The Patricks features Chris on lead vocals. Read more>>