The most used seven brand names typologies:
Patronymic names are those inspired by the names of the founders. This naming method was used especially at the beginning of modern branding. Patronymic names communicate the personal involvement of a man who guarantees a business with his name.
The brand lends credibility and prestige to the founder's name.
Examples: Ford, Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, Toyota.
Descriptive names are those that directly tells the story of a brand. Communicate the field of activity. They are less creative and therefore not the most memorable.
Descriptive names are difficult to register because they define generic categories. They have the definite advantage of associating the brand with the field of activity in which they operate.
Examples: General Motors, Toys R Us, British Airways
Abbreviated names are created by combining two or more words.
Examples: FedEx - Federal Express
Made-up names are original word creations. Coined names are memorable and creative, but not based on any kind of heritage, they are harder to associate with a specific product.
Examples: Xerox, Kodak
Geographical Names are those that refer to a territory of origin for a product. Geographical Names contribute to the credibility of a brand by invoking a specialized area, with tradition, or benefiting from the capital of sympathy from the target audience.
Examples: All the cheese in Bucharest markets is from Sibiu or Mărginimea Sibiului, Pate Ardealul, Bucegi
Names Acronyms are usually abbreviations of descriptive names. These names being too long to enter the current vocabulary are used in their shortened version.
Examples:
BMW for Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
IBM for International Business Machines
Lego for Leg godt in Danish, meaning play well
Evocative names are those that communicate the personality of a brand through metaphors or references to previous experiences. Evocative names are often creative and original, therefore being easier to register.
Examples: Apple, Nike, Virgin
The Nike sculpture from Samothrace is the source of inspiration for the construction of the Nike brand.
A good name manages to be:
