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.

Lisa Pearcy

We love Space. One of our goals is to install solar in space one day. Some of our core values are technology and innovation. We look up to NASA. We work toward the prospect of being a pioneer in our industry with so much to learn, just like we have so much to learn about our Universe. Our original name was Solar Neighborhood, but because we do more than just solar, we didn’t want to limit ourselves. The definition of a Solar Neighborhood is any star within 15 lightyears of the Sun. It reminded us of the universes community. We believe in community. Thus, 15 lightyears became our name. Read more>> 

Kiara

Kaptured by Kiara is pretty self explanatory. Captured, but spelled with a K, because we all know C’s get replaced with K’s when someone’s name starts with a K , and my name is Kiara. Therefore, Kaptured by Kiara, as in the pictures are captured by me. My Instagram handle is kapturedbyki, because my business name is taken, but Ki is short for Kiara, which is a nickname my friends gave me back in high school. Read more>>

Katelyn Grady

The company is named after a poem in Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. In the poem, Whitman destroys the idea that any body can be more valuable than another, and heralds the body as soul-stuff. It’s a beautiful and inclusive poem about the unity of the body, mind and spirit. Read more>>

Donlynette Johnson

We were well known by our family and friends as high school sweethearts, but how well did they know us? We had to fight for what we felt was truly meant to be. What you see now is the outcome of hope, faith, lots of sacrifice, and most of all LOVE. In our losing season WE lost a lot by choosing each other. We were often left questioning, is LOVE worth all of this? Falling in love is easy but staying in love through the trials and tribulations is when LOVE truly wins. We opened our hearts and allowed God to show us that with him, TRUE LOVE is possible. Allowing God to Renew our hearts with Hope and Faith is when we began walking into our winning season. Thank you for supporting our business BUILT IN LOVE. Read more>>

Michael & Annie Zhao & Zhang

Sometimes we just get a craving that our minds can’t quite make sense of. Sometimes, our stomachs will tell us that a combo of sushi for dinner and maybe some olive oil ice cream for dessert go really well together when it’s in the mood for that. It’s moments like these that make our friends say, “your stomachs got a mind of their own.” Well, they’re not completely wrong – med school has taught Michael that the stomach and its friends can be a kind of “second brain.” This second brain can even act independently of the actual brain, so who knows if we in fact think with our stomachs first and mind second. Read more>>

Kaetlin Brown

I remember in the beginning stages of growing my business, I was very indecisive about choosing/creating my business name. I kept creating names that didn’t really feel like me, so I just went with known usernames like: visualsbykaetlin, ktvisuals, etc… I was really vibing with it at first, but later along the road, I wanted something I knew that would stick forever, gave a aesthetic vibe to it, and something that no one can take! So, I decided to use my name! It was so simple and I liked the way it looked. It definitely felt more ME! Read more>>

Twanny Arnold.

I came up with the name for my brand, SE4, pronounced (C4) like the bomb but spelled differently since C4 is already patented. At the time I was like I wanted a super bomb product with a simple name people could remember. For my brand, KUTE, it was pretty simple cause women always want to be cute. Majority of the time women compliment on another, the first comment they say are, “those are cute”. Read more>>

Christopher Grainger

I was over at a friends house having having a few beers, and we were discussing the name of the company. We were going through names that I had thought of, but none of them were clever. Then possibly after a few more beers, my friend looked at me and said, ” what if we took your last name Grainger and combined it with entertainment? He then shouted ” Graingertainment ” . I instantly loved it and the rest is history. Read more>>

MZ RYME

For about a couple of months while COVID was becoming rampant in the world, I was always in the studio working on new music and new ideas to help innovate myself into the artist/businessman I wanted to become. I got the name “Radical Müzik Entertainment” by my stage name. R.Y.M.E. is an acronym which is “Radical Young Menance”. At first I didn’t like the name at first but, I just kept hearing it and kept writing it down as if it was my slogan. So I just rolled with it and based my company around providing music production and songwriting. It’s not a record label, it’s a service to artists around the world. Read more>>

Jonathan Gonzalez

The name for my brand comes from a time when I mostly photographed other genres of photography, more specifically boudoir. This is the same time when I started taking my hobby more seriously and started believing I could make a profit from it. Since my name is fairly common, I wanted something that could be unique and recognizable. I wanted something that would speak to the strength and, at the same time, gentleness of my clients and the confidence that it takes to place yourself in front of a camera. Read more>>

Angelica Jean

My entire life I have always enjoyed making crafts and putting things together. Being heavily involved in different organizations and my community allowed me to explore my talents and enhance my creativity. My name derived from my talents and creativity. Gifted-I was always told that I am gifted, CreationZ- I enjoy making making crafts and different creations, Jelly- Is my childhood nickname. Read more>>

Charon Williams

The name of my company literally was a dream come true! My grandmother was one of the most influential people in my life. A couple of months after she passed away, in 2007, she came to me in a dream and told me that I would own a business named SWANS. I asked her, “Why SWANS?” Her response was, “Because you’ll be a sister with a new soul.” I carried on with my career aspirations in corporate America. All the while, traveling the world with family and friends – enjoying life outside of work. Read more>>

Sydney Meyer

In Ink’s name is two-fold. It took some wrestling to come up with a name because I wanted it to mean something and to represent myself. Nothing too girly, nothing generic. ⁠I thought about the permanence of marriage and how your wedding day is one of the biggest events in your life! Something we should put… in ink! ⁠For those who know me well, I also go by Squid. (Sydney -> Syd -> Squid. You do the math.) What do squids make best? Ink! Read more>>

Kimberly Platt

We visited Hawaii several times and the first time we went snorkeling we fell in love with the Honu (the green sea turtles). When we decided to open a Hawaiian restaurant the name was easy to pick, it lended to a super cute logo and many fun decor items. Read more>>

Danielle Lorraine

Faith & Grace Bowtique is named after my girls! Dalilah Grace is my oldest, and Denver Faith is my middle child. We had to switch the names around so they would kind of flow. I have added another addition to our family since then, but we always joke and say we will have to start her a business with her name, which is Denim Hope! Read more>>

Natalie Blooms

Actually, I was inspired by a couple of things when naming my brand. Firstly- I wanted to make sure that I sound accessible- so I wanted to use a name that people could remember and relate to. Planning a wedding or designing an event can feel very overwhelming and daunting and quite frankly, unrelatable. So, when deciding on a name I wanted to make sure that you know what I do with just one sentence- but also make sure that you still know that it’s a real person behind the brand and business. Read more>>

Jordashia Watson

One night in October I was at home alone and bored. It was around 6:00pm and I was sitting on the couch thinking to myself, “I am young and talented. I deserve to be lit right now, not bored and feeling lonely.” I literally thought of LIT 6 and knew that it was the perfect name for a brand or logo. It was catchy. It was fresh. The name had potential to become a household brand. The next few days my good friend Taylor and my boyfriend at the time, Blaka, brainstormed some ideas and we came up with what is now Lit6 Fashions. Creativity always starts at home. Read more>>

Terry Lamonte

I came up with the name back in in 2014. I was in my notebook writing down ideas and then the question popped in my mind… What will be the name of my barber shop in the future? That’s when Heavenly Pleasures Barber Shop came to life. I feel the name give respect to God and brings an excellent barber experience to our clients by providing the services that will make our clients feel comfortable. Read more>>

Lonielle Freeman

The Bakerś Wick Candle Co. is the name of my business. It stems from the passion I have for all things sweet treats and other alluring scents that invigorates a home. From classic aromas like musk and tonka bean to bold notes of black currant and vetiver, our candles and wax melts are uniquely blended. Read more>>

Marquelle Young

My dad used to call my mom an onion because she had so many layers of emotions and personalities. And I remember I was just getting to those teenage years, and I was sitting in the car and I had had a bad day so I may have been crying and my dad said something hilarious as he does, so laughed and he said, “You know you’re like your mama, but smaller…a small onion. And from then on my mom and I have been Big Onion and Small Onion. Read more>>

Marcela Guillen

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, I’ve always thought about this constantly, specially when I started to rebuild my brand when I first lost my drive… I believe beauty, just like art, is whatever you want it to be and therefore, see based on your own life experience which is not only a powerful tool but a crucial part of our healing journeys that in its purest form truly starts from within. Real beauty stems from within and lives in the eye of those willing to see it and celebrate it however they feel called to! So it only made sense to build my brand all around “the eye” or perception of people because at first, it all started as in “Ok, I am the professional so I am the one that got them and their beauty! Read more>>

Amy Stewart

The boutique brand Dax + Jade was named and inspired by my two little one, Emma Jade, and Noah Dax. When my youngest was still in diapers I was looking for a creative outlet, having had put my design career on hold on care for him, I was going stir crazy not being creatively challenged. After far too many hours piddling away on Pinterest I had an idea to make bath products as Christmas gifts that year for loved ones. The products turned out to be a big hit, making me curious what else I could make. Before long I had a full product line and two months later, dax + jade, was created. Read more>>

Belicia Adams

I always admired mission 22 when I first joined the military in 09. The 22 is impactful meaning that is the average rate for suicide amongst veterans. Though this number is actually higher to this date ranging up to 26, the impact of 22 and movement behind still stands. Being able to relate, I adapted that emotion of 22. I gravitated towards the camaraderie they built. Then I started researching. There are other organizations such as this and they all cater to physical demands. Since I loved art and art can be enjoyed with disability restrictions, it hit me! We can include a group of veterans who are usually left out. Read more>>

Pierre Hosang

Coming up with a name for my Soccer Club did take some thinking, as I wanted the name to represent the environment that our Club will create. We wanted our name to say everything about us in just one word and at the same time remain unique throughout the years. The environment our Club offers is one of inclusion, spirit of friendship, family-oriented, fun, intense and love for what we do. I needed a name that would stand out, be meaningful and has the potential to become more than a Club, but more so, a brand and a way of life; One Love. Read more>>

Katelynn Sawyer

The name Asteria Sol Creations comes from my love for space and the stars. When my boyfriend Tim and I were coming up with a name for our business, we wanted there to be some sort of personal meaning behind the name. Asteria, In Greek/Titan mythology is the goddess of the stars/shooting stars and is often depicted wearing a crown of stars. Sol means sun, and we knew we wanted a sunflower in our branding and logo design. Read more>>

Bre’Tarsha Harris

It all started with a vision from a rental property I moved in after low income housing. I seen that there was a unit across from me and the location was in the neighborhood I grow up in , it had 3 units in 2 story building and the one up top had an open floor plan in which God gave me a vision in a dream that I would have . So Immediately Studio 513 hair salon came to mind . Never once thinking how it could also effect my business being older clients may not be able to make the stairs . Read more>>

Jorge Aguilar

My mom raised me to be a gentleman from a young age. She taught me to never let a lady walk on the street side of a sidewalk and to always open doors for them. Ladies come first and Chivalry isn’t dead. Til this day I still do these things, and much more, for my beautiful wife and daughter. So that’s what inspired the name. Besides “Drinks By Jorge” just doesn’t have the same pizzazz to it. Read more>>

Alan Berg, CSP

When I published my first book I was coached by author friends that if I was self-publishing, I shouldn’t use my name as the publisher. They suggested that I create a publishing company. My wife and I mulled it over and she suggested “Left of Center Publishing”. When I asked her why that name, she said “because we’re not quite right!”. We still use that for publishing our books, but we changed the business name to “Wedding Business Solutions” as that better represents what we do. I also had some people inferring a political statement to our original name (Left of Center – therefore liberal), which is not at all how we came to it. Read more>>

Troy Vaughan III

The name RING|SIDE comes from boxing, which is one of my favorite sports. The concept of RING|SIDE is debate; debate between outspoken, over-the-top, and opinionated men and women, gathered to verbally spar over topics related to singlehood, dating, marriage, sex, and kink/fetish. The debates are structured like boxing matches between verbal heavyweights and contenders. Also, the name RING|SIDE is meant to underscore what side of the RING (wedding ring/band) you’re on, i.e., unmarried, married, or divorced. Read more>>

Meagin Colson

September 14, 2020. I was sitting at my desk at the Sheriff’s Office, where I had worked for 15 years. My husband, a uniformed deputy, walked in (not unusual) but walked right past my office and into my boss’s office and told her that I needed to leave right away, there was an emergency. Instinctively, I already knew what had happened. The previous months had been tumultuous. My Aunt – my mom’s little sister and one of my closest friends and confidantes – had been battling extreme depression. It had been weighing heavily on my mom and I, exacerbated by the tormenting reminder of how her mother’s depression spiraled out of control and ended tragically, in suicide. Read more>>