What’s in a name? A lot apparently, as entrepreneurs, artists, and makers of all kinds spend enormous amounts of energy searching for the right name for their business, project, organization, or creation. Below, you’ll find the stories of how various successful brands, creators and entrepreneurs came up with their names.

Fernando “Juno Mars” Pagan

DITR Projects (Diamond In The Rough Projects) At first it was hard to find that one name that represented what I do and the things that I like to create. I wanted to think of something in general that would cover all aspects of my creativity. Brainstorming got a bit overwhelming and I decided to give it a rest. The idea struck on a random day having a random conversation when someone mentioned that my ideas always seemed to create something out of “nothing”. That really stuck with me and in no time I had my thoughts wrapped around that key part of our conversation. I knew that I was onto something. The practice of making something useful out of something that would probably be overlooked or not appreciated as much was my niche, it was my drive and eventually became my motto. Read more>>

Kasaundra Bryant

When deciding on a name for my company, I wanted something that would reflect our core values and resonate with our target audience. Our mission is to unite brands with their audience and increase brand equity through visual storytelling. Our creative engine is made up of authentic and organic ideas that support the evolution, elevation, and emergence of a brand. I conducted thorough research into the arts, media, and entertainment industry and identified that our services would be more than just a service but a creative engine. I wanted our name to be unique, memorable, easily pronounceable, and reflective of our industry expertise. KreativBrain Studios (KBS) perfectly encapsulates our mission to provide cutting-edge and transformative solutions to our clients. I also loved that it had my initials in it and a modern and energetic feel, which resonates with our mission. Read more>>

Todi Garay

Coming up with our name was actually easy. When my passion for baking flourished during the pandemic, I was able to get creative and could not stop thinking about the delicious crisp Belgian waffles I had experienced in Belgium during a business trip many years ago. I was introduce to the most delicious crisp waffles I have ever had and wanted to recreate them for my family and friends. I was able to import flour (and other dry ingredients) and the secret sauce to Belgian Liege Waffles – pearl sugar directly from Belgium to ensure the most authentic taste of true Belgian Liege waffles. Read more>>

Bee Johnson

Thanks for having me! Purple Ghost Apparel is a streetwear brand focusing on the concept of creating art in all forms. I think as a human race, our lives are enhanced by the fact that we can take an idea in our mind and bring it into a physical and tangible form such as clothing. My goal, when I first started my brand, is to create collaborations with artists of any genre, in any form of art. Everyone from graphic artists, dancers, writers, musicians and the list goes on. The purpose of the collabs are to give these artists a new platform that they may not have previously considered as a means to get their art as well as their message out to the world in the form of a garment while also promoting Purple Ghost as well. I wanted to be tap in to multiple communities and learn from them while bring their story to new audiences. Read more>>

William Richardson

Hip Hop is my religion is named from my passion for Hip Hop and my love for the Renaissance art. My art style is a fusion of both. I combined a mixture of Graffiti, Street Art, and fine art. My subjects are usually Religious iconography in an urban settings. Once you see one of my painting you’ll understand why Hip Hop is my Religion is the best name for my company. Read more>>

Chavon Blount

When coming up with the name of my business, I wanted something that was different and reflected an aspect of my personality. I love to travel, particularly to islands and the Caribbean. I’m the ultimate beach bum! Before I started my business in June 2020, I visited Jamaica right before everything shut down because of COVID. Irie (eye-ree) is a term they use in Jamaica that means “nice, good, or pleasing” and I felt like it was the perfect word to describe my work. I added “by Teré” (my middle name) to distinguish me from any other businesses that may have a similar name. Read more>>

Teny Chen

TENY1010: it’s my personal design brand. My parents met playing tennis, so named me Teny, after the sport. 1010 (Ten Ten) is one of my many nicknames. I merged the two, Teny and 1010, to create TENY1010. I love the balance of the four letters with the four numbers. Read more>>

Chase Hill

I was thinking really hard at work one day trying to come up with a unique website domain. I tried every combination of picture, photo, and hill until it finally clicked. HillImagery.com! Then I realized I hated it because there were too many repeated vertical lines in the text, so I flipped it around and ImageryHill was born! I registered it ASAP! Read more>>

Marcellus Bowie

While working for Nike I realized that there was a real need for correct and consistent statistical tracking in the amateur athletic ranks. Coaches and athletes would inflate stats in newspapers, MaxPreps, and on social media sites to gain increased attention. It seemed between the illegitimate numbers produced by some in combination with the lack of info dispersed about others, a solution was needed for a reliable source of information at athletic events. Read more>>

Arm Of Casso

I coined the name “Arm of Casso” by merging the acronym of my own name with that of the renowned artist Pablo Picasso. As you may be aware, Picasso pioneered the art movement known as cubism. My personal artistic style is dubbed “Sharpism” owing to my consistent use of Sharpies as the primary tool for all my creations. Read more>>

Cliche Williams

I worked in hospitality for 10 years as a waitress/bartender. I love meeting new people and providing them with quality service. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in my life at the time but I knew my purpose was bigger than just being an employee behind the bar. I began to get overwhelmed of the late nights and daily routine schedule. One day I started to think of things I am good at ,that could potentially make an extra profit. Although my hometown Atlanta Is known for entrepreneurship in the hair and beauty industry ,I was never good at those things. I did have a passion for fashion ,I love to dress up in different styles and garments. Read more>>

Leslie Short

I played around with many names and I knew I wanted it to be unique but have meaning to the industry I would I would be building the business. Cavu is an aviation term and means Visibility Ultd. Pilots use the term once they are at a level they are clear to see ahead of them. When I think about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Culture I think the work never ends but there comes a point where you begin to understand others and your visibility becomes unlimited to continue to learn and understand beyond your current culture. Read more>>

Lynn Vogeler

I create the content for my blog in my 1,300 sq., ft home in Port Barrington, IL. I along with my husband of 30 years have raised three beautiful children in this small house. The name Living Large in A Small House for my blog started in 2012 but it really came to life in 2020. Read more>>

Vanessa Drews

It was by chance, and with the greatest complement ever one could receive. I had the most amazing time working for Prince and during my time there, I would often bring cheesecakes to Paisley Park for band members and staff to enjoy. Little did I know that a certain musical Icon would find them in the fridge, and enjoy. Soon after Prince began mentioning “Cheesecake Funk” on internationally viewed, via Twitter, invitations to Paisley Park. With that genuine stamp of approval, the name was born. Read more>>

Tonya Gabriel

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always dreamt of having a beauty salon that felt like a lounge with a very sexy and playful energy. A place where you can hang out but also get glammed up as if you’re getting ready at your bff’s. I decided to look for inspiring ideas and eye catching words in a book from Dita Von Teese, a beauty icon that I adore. The book was titled “Your Beauty Mark”My genius cousin quickly suggested to my sister and I “what about the book title?!” That’s when we all agreed on merging the Beauty Mark with the Lounge I’ve always wanted to create. Read more>>

Nakeitra Burse

I am not creative when it comes to business names, particularly names that have to grow with you. Early on, I was advised not to use my name as a part of my business, so that ruled out me taking the easy route. But, when I was in graduate school I learned about the six dimensions of health (physical, mental, spiritual, vocational, social, and environmental). The way the professor explained these dimensions of health from a behavioral health perspective was that, like a Rubik’s Cube, we come into the world with all of these areas balanced- i.e. all of the colors on all sides were in alignment. But, as we navigate through life, those colors won’t always have have that perfect balance/alignment. Read more>>

Scott Hoffner

Coming up with the name for Didi’s Downtown was easy. My mother’s name was Diane and very suddenly passed away. When my opportunity arose to open my own place, it just seemed like the likely fit to name it Didi’s, which was my mother’s nickname. We chose “Downtown” because we are in the heart of the original Downtown Frisco, Texas. Read more>>

MiMi Edouard

I was trying to think of what embodies my love for fashion and a reflection of who I am, hence the name Dose of Mi (which is part of my nickname thay could also be “Me”). Dose of Mi is for the women who acknowledges where she’s been and knows where she’s going. Her confidence is immediately felt the moment she steps into a room. She most cetrtainly doesn’t look like what she’s been through. My brand is me. Read more>>

Annette Silva

My husband and I formed our own production company a year after our son was born. At the time, he was a babbling little baby who loved to eat and had the chunkiest thighs… We called him Chunko. The name has stuck to this day and when we were brainstorming on what to name the company, CHUNKO was a clear frontrunner! Read more>>

Alec Ramirez

The name The Lash Head came to me actually pretty fast. When I was thinking of the concept behind my company and how I wanted to brand it. I knew that I loved makeup, and I knew that I loved collecting shoes, so I wanted to combine the two things. This brought me to the actual concept of our lashes being in a mini shoebox. Once I sketched out the shoebox, the name The Lash Head kept coming to my head so I added it on top of the box and played with the concept a bit longer. It wasn’t until I started designing the font and how I wanted the logo, it all snapped. I was going to name the company The Lash Head, and I was going to have the logo written in a shoelace! Read more>>

Skye Armenta

The story of how Gatsmenta Films came to be is actually very simple. Nick Gatsby and I met towards the end of 2020 and formed Gatsmenta Films, a mash-up of our names, by Christmas. When you are an artist, and you know that you will spend the rest of your life devoted to your art… having a partner or group of people in your corner who share the same dream and push you to become the best you can be without envy, rigidity, or conditions… You hold onto them. These people won’t always be your partner in life and in art. I just lucked out: Read more>>

Kortney Leet

Hickory Hills is the name of the street that I grew up on in small town Kentucky. It’s where I found my two passions, family and fashion, making it the perfect name for a fashion label that is centered around family and making memories with loved ones. Read more>>

Roxanne Arocho

I was gifted a KitchenAid Christmas of 2018 and that is really when baking became a hobby. If friends and family had a gathering, I already knew I was going to bring something sweet. I struggled for a few weeks coming up with a business name that represented us. Especially being the business took off right when COVID had everyone shut down. It was my husband’s idea to come up with the name: Sweet Roars. I loved it immediately. Our boy is a huge dinosaur lover, he could recite 20 dinosaur species at the time. Once we reached out to our friend, Ernie with Kneat, to design the logo, I knew it was gonna be a name easily to identify the home-bakery by. Read more>>

Gloria Garayua

I wanted to include the word “entertainment” in my business’ name in case I ever got into producing. “Gloshyne” came from a combination of my first name “Gloria” and my nickname in college “Sunshine”. So I named the business “Gloshyne Entertainment”. The “y” in “Gloshyne” was just me being “extra”! HAHA! Read more>>

Arzell Roulette

One day I was out and about. And this lady came up to me and ask me if I had watch this particular show she started describing the show. So I took it upon myself to look up the show and watched three episodes and I understand who she was talking about. She said I reminded her of a character in the show, and I knew exactly who she was talking about. Nova is also an astronomic term given to bright stars that appear suddenly in the sky and release powerful energy!! I picked that name because it represents me and who I am. Read more>>

Estella Martinez

When I took the leap of faith in starting my dog care business I started with three letters DFL. DFL stands for Darby, Freddie, and Leia-my own dogs and my grand dog. In the early stages of finding a name, it wasn’t necessarily in the order DFL; it could have been FDL, LDF, and so on. Then I looked for words starting with those letters that resonated in my love for dogs, DOGS FUR LIFE, LLC was the winner and a close second was Dogs Fun Life. Most of my clients simply call my business “DFL!” Read more>>