The Thread That Never Ends
Monday: someone drops twelve names in Slack. Tuesday: eight more, plus a thumbs-up war. Thursday: your co-founder "really likes" a name nobody else mentioned. Next Monday, you're still unnamed.
Team naming fails for a boring reason. There's no process, so the loudest opinion or the last message wins. Fix the process and the name takes days, not weeks.
This is the one we'd use with a team of two to eight people.
Split the Job Into Three Rounds
Mixing brainstorming and judging in the same conversation is the root problem. People shoot down names before anyone's had a chance to build on them. Separate the stages and keep them separate.
Everyone collects names alone. No feedback yet.
- Target: 30–60 names
- Time: 1–2 days
- Rule: no criticism
One person filters against agreed must-haves.
- Target: 6–12 names
- Time: one hour
- Rule: pass/fail only
Everyone ranks the finalists privately.
- Target: one winner
- Time: 1–2 days
- Rule: ranked, not thumbs
Round One: Everyone Brainstorms Alone
Group brainstorming feels productive. It mostly isn't. The first decent name anchors everyone, and the quiet people stop suggesting.
So give each person a day on their own. A startup name generator helps here, because nobody has to stare at a blank page. Feed it the real context: what you do, who it's for, the tone you want. Each person tweaks the inputs differently, so you get genuinely different pools.
Tell everyone to tap the heart on anything that's even close. On GenName that shortlist is saved in the browser, up to 50 names per generator, no account needed. On business generators each result also shows whether the .com and the X, TikTok and Facebook handles are free, so dead ends get skipped early.
Round Two: Agree the Must-Haves, Then Cut
Before anyone looks at anyone else's list, agree what a name must pass. Write it down. Three to five rules is plenty.
- Domain: The .com is free, or a clear close variant is.
- Say it once: Someone hearing it can spell it.
- Room to grow: It doesn't lock you into one product.
- No obvious clash: No well-known company in your space uses it.
Now pool every list and have one person apply the rules. Not a debate. Pass or fail. If a name fails, it's out, however much someone loves it. The rules were agreed before anyone was attached, which is the whole trick.
Aim for six to twelve finalists. Fewer than six and someone will feel their idea never got a fair shot. More than twelve and nobody can rank them properly.
Round Three: Ranked Votes, Not Thumbs-Up
Emoji reactions in a group chat are the worst voting system there is. Everyone sees the running tally, so later voters pile onto the leader. And a name that's everyone's solid second choice loses to one name that two people adore and three people hate.
Ranked voting fixes both. Each person privately picks their top three. First choice gets three points, second gets two, third gets one. Add it up.
On GenName, the "Ask friends" tab on your shortlist does this for you. Pick two to twelve names, give the vote a title, and share the link. Teammates open it, type a first name and rank their top three. No signup for anyone. Scores update live, and the link stays open for 30 days.
| Voting method | Problem |
|---|---|
| Emoji reactions in chat | Public tally, so people follow the crowd |
| One vote each | Polarising names beat broadly liked ones |
| Discussion until agreement | Loudest person or founder wins by default |
| Private ranked top 3 | Rewards names most people genuinely like |
Share the vote outside the team too. Two or three people who match your customer are worth more than another co-founder's opinion. They'll tell you which name they'd remember tomorrow.
Set the Tie-Break Rule Before You Vote
What happens if two names finish within a point of each other? Decide that before the results come in, not after. Afterwards, everyone argues for the rule that helps their favourite.
Pick one:
- Founder call: The CEO picks between the top two. Fast and honest.
- Customer test: Five customers pick; majority wins.
- Head-to-head: Just the top two, one vote each, done.
- Agree must-haves before seeing anyone's list
- Vote privately and reveal results together
- Set a deadline for the final vote
- Claim the domain and handles the same day
- Critique names during brainstorming
- Reopen the vote because the result stings
- Let "I'll know it when I see it" run the process
- Add new names after voting starts
Stop When the Winner Is Good Enough
No name will feel perfect on day one. Slack sounded odd. So did Google. Names grow into their meaning through use, not through one more round of brainstorming.
If the winner passed your must-haves and won a fair ranked vote, ship it. Then check it properly: our guide on checking a name across domains and social media at once covers the last mile, and how to name your startup goes deeper on the naming itself.
Common Questions
How many names should a team vote on?
Six to twelve. Fewer leaves people feeling their ideas were cut unfairly, while more than twelve makes it hard for anyone to rank honestly. Cut the long list against agreed must-haves first.
What's the fairest way for co-founders to vote on a name?
Private ranked voting. Each person ranks their top three without seeing others' picks, with points for first, second and third place. It rewards names most people like rather than the most polarising one.
Can people vote on name ideas without creating an account?
Yes. On GenName, anyone with the vote link can rank the names after typing a first name. Nobody needs an account, including the person who created the vote.
How long should picking a startup name take?
A few days to a week for most small teams. One or two days to brainstorm, an hour to cut, a day or two for votes. If it's dragged past two weeks, the process is the problem, not the names.