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.

Lou Blackmon

Since the beginning of my career (and before), I have been constantly reminded that many of my ideas and personal interests, fall into a margin outside of the popular or mainstream opinion. I think that for many people born outside of the U.S., the inherent “handshake” that comes with the American Dream is one that asks us to leave some part of ourselves behind. Read more>>

Lucas Walker

The name I chose for my business is Skywalkerfoto. The origin of this name is a two-parter. The first part being ‘Skywalker’ which of course is synonymous with the Star Wars empire which combined with my name being Lucas Walker, seemed like a natural fit. The second portion ‘foto’ comes from my background & passion for speaking Spanish. Read more>>

Ms. D

I’ve always wanted to work with children- my vision was to have a variety from different backgrounds and all areas of the educational spectrum. Me, Ms. D, would be the linking person amongst these children, and teach them that coming together would be a “unifying” force. That’s really all there was to it. I didn’t know what type of business or service I would have, nor did I know how I would be the one responsible for bringing the youth together. Read more>>

Susan Crawford

Meraki is a Greek word I came across several years ago and translates into: “the soul, creativity and love put into something, it’s the essence of yourself in everything you do”. It’s like when you have a delicious meal and feel as though you can “taste the love” – that’s how I want people to feel when they experience what’s possible at Meraki Inspired. When I started my business, I knew that my company name needed to be powerful enough to remind me of who I am and why I do this work. Read more>>

Joey Greenstein

The name Lots of Practice comes from knowing that things take, well, lots of practice. It acts as a mantra of sorts for the label and for continuous learning. Starting Lots of Practice was really like taking the leap and building wings along the way. The name also partly comes from a line in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off that my mom and I would recite, believe it or not. Read more>>

Kenzie Nixon

I’ve always been creative and a very hands on person. I love making things. When I went to college, I decided to go into nursing school and became a registered nurse. A year into nursing, I felt like I needed a creative outlet. I didn’t know what I wanted to do exactly, but I started daydreaming about owning my own business someday. Read more>>

Marian McClellan

Our first show was a commercial, artistic, and personal success. It was so much fun – it felt like we had captured lightning in a bottle! So I convened three cast members shortly after to help me understand what made that performance so magical. We realized that it wasn’t only the cast of exclusively women and nonbinary folk, and it it wasn’t only the direction from Ham Kitty (an incredibly talented improv troupe). Read more>>

Cara Johnson-Graves

EPIC Everyday, the brand name and logo icon, are synonymous with positive self-reflection and assertion driven by purpose & pride. From the beginning, we wanted to create a visual and verbal affirmation brand that exceeded expectations when it comes to empowering under-represented children with creativity. When my sister Jenae and I started the company, we wanted to select a memorable company name that served as both a conversation starter and daily affirmation. Read more>>

Sam Chen

Bao & Bun Studio IN MANDARIN, BAO & BUN MEANS “BUN IS GREAT”! We call Bao (包) in Mandarin, in here people call “Bun”. also in Mandarin the pronounce of “Bun” means “great”. Studio means we focus on one thing and make it great!! Read more>>

Emily Vermeer

I was given the name of my business through a friend who was naming a conference I was hosting. The simplicity of this does not compare to the IMPACT he had on me and has on the business. I will never forget speaking with her over lunch, I can remember the exact space and the burger I ate! Read more>>

Kashif Bond

Creating my brand name was fairly simple. I believe everyone is completely different which makes us all 1 of a kind. I’m a unique person and I have a unique birth name so I wanted others to have something to relate to as well. Below is my brand mission statement: Established in 2014 1 Of A Kind™ was created as a Lifestyle brand. No matter what race, religion, gender, age, background, occupation, financial status, mental health, disability etc. Read more>>

Lisa Joshua

Rebuild Black Wall Street Foundation The story of Black Wall Street is a tragic one. In the early 20th century, Tulsa, Oklahoma was home to a thriving African American community that was a beacon of economic success and cultural pride. However, in 1921, a white mob attacked and destroyed the community, killing as many as 300 people and leaving thousands homeless. Read more>>

Dria Baum

The House of A.C.E.S. came from a few different areas of my life that I wanted my business to stand on. Even though we are a bi-coastal creative production agency and hospitality group, we were founded in Las Vegas which is not only an entertainment and gambling capitol, but home to new professional sports teams including the Las Vegas ACES. Read more>>

Grettel Cruz

As a Latina(CostaRican) woman owning a business in USA, I wanted to make that I would represent my community with my company name. I just needed to make sure it would not be imposible to pronounce. I chose Flor de Café that translates Coffee Flower. Coffee trees need to bloom their flowers to begin their season. Read more>>

Jaryl Campos

Well, it started with another lifetime hobby of mine: doodling. I created this cartoon character, a raccoon named Clingy. It’s a term of endearment that my wife gave me when she saw a raccoon clinging to a tree in front of her apartment when we first started dating. She said you’re that raccoon, clingy. Read more>>

Camille McKenna

home is located. It all began in our kitchen –The decision to name the business after Mission Heights reflects the sentimental connection we have with our community where we bought our home and raised our children and acknowledges the starting point of our venture. Read more>> 

Eglantine Chauffour

When we looked at naming our business, ENA Wines, we first wanted a short, simple and universal word, easy to remember and pronounce in any languages. So, a 3 letters name was perfect. The acronym ENA stands for “Eglantine & Alberto” and also represents “Europe & America.” This dual significance reflects our geographic roots – being from Europe and living in America – and mirrors the blending of Old World and New World influences in our winemaking. Read more>>

ShaQuita Pope-Maxwell

I wanted something simple but effective. I also wanted my business names to represent what they can expect from me and that’s success. Hence the name Success with ShaQuita Read more>>

Joy Bogard

The name Dash of Joy was a group effort. I knew I wanted the name to include my own name in it, so between friends and family ideas were being thrown in. A friend of mine mentioned Sprinkle of Joy and I almost settled on that one, but my kiddos brought up Dash of Joy and it just stuck and I fell in love with it! Every goodie you get has a Dash of Joy in it 💜 Read more>>

Shyenne Sweet

My name is Shyenne, but my close friends often call me Shy. As a child, the nickname felt fitting simply because I was exactly that, a shy girl. I was reserved, and socializing wasn’t something I did often, I was quiet. As years went by the name stuck with me. When I started my photography business, I went through a few different names to see which one would be the perfect name for my business, including ShyenneSweetPhotography and ShySherellPhotography, before finally deciding on ShotByShy. Read more>>

Lexi Young

Strut The Yard is a riff off of the 2007 film, Stomp The Yard, a classic Black dance/stepping film I carry worn memories of seeing from over and over from the chairs of hairdressers as I swerved the hotcomb or when my Auntie Slyvia would burn incense and throw on a *whispers* PG -13 movie. Read more>>

Nadya Martinez

I am always looking for what’s new in comics, gaming and entertainment. Before studying writing and journalism I initially got my BFA in illustration and interned for NYFW and Marvel Comics in 2010 with dreams of becoming a fashion designer or a comic book artist. Before covering New York Comic Con professionally as press, I attended NYCC as an exhibitor or fan since 2007! Read more>>

LaRonda B. Cannon

Coming up with the name for my business involved careful consideration and brainstorming. I wanted a name that captured the essence of what my business does while also being memorable and unique. Salon VII (Sevyn) is named after my only daughter. I looked for inspiration in various places, such as industry-related keywords, nothing clicked for my personal story, and the values I wanted my business to represent. Read more>>

Paulina Pulawska

When I first started my Instagram page, I was using it as a fake instagram, also known as finsta, to post whatever I wanted. I then changed it to an art account while I was studying design. The first username was cathedralofpleasure, then it was honeyflly, and then it was pixellbug for awhile. I kept pixellbug for a while because that was the username that people have started to know me as. Read more>>

Avni Parekh

The name of your business has a profound effect on how it is perceived by others, as well as its ability to expand. My mindful brand – BE THE BIGGER PERSON – is a testament to a principle I’ve cultivated and demonstrated throughout my life. However, the birth of my brand all began with an epiphany I had in 2014, which led me to write my award-winning self-help book, “Be The Bigger Person: Scenarios & Solutions to Better Yourself,” in 30 days. Read more>>

Britt Bankhead

The name of my company was pretty easy. I used the last name I was born with, Bankhead and the rest fell into place. Read more>>

Dilyana Berkovska

Naming my business was one of the most difficult tasks in my early days. I have found that my clients have a hard time pronouncing my name (I can’t blame them :)). I decided to choose a name, that presents my business well and is simple and easy to remember. That’s how I came up with Ginger Studio. The ginger adds a fresh and spicy note to every taste and can’t go unnoticed. Read more>>

Georgie White

Agghhh, so I started the swimwear brand as a spin off from the retreat business I started in 2015 – Ocean Soul Retreat. And the swimwear brand is called Ocean Soul Bali. Reason behind both brands, is we are all about connection and pure essence and we are all about soul and souful connections and are also deeply connected to the Ocean. Read more>>

Dedra Brembry

I never wanted a business, per se; however, my father, the forever entrepreneur at heart, drilled into me that I should have my own “thing,” whatever that might be. In 2009, my father approached me about adding my name to a list of new business owners so I would be contacted to receive help starting up. I had never thought about the name of a business, so I pondered the idea for a week or so. Read more>>

Karlyn Green

The name of my business is a direct call to the heart of anyone who reads it or hears it. I believe that we are all born wild. What I mean by that is, that when we don’t yet have any conditioning from the world. Our hearts are wild and free of expectations of how we should live or what we should do for work. They are free of self doubt and worry. Read more>>