1. Pick a naming angle first
Descriptive (says what you do), evocative (says how it feels), founder-led (your own name) or invented. Choose one angle before generating anything — mixing angles is why name lists feel like noise.
2. Generate far more than you need
Aim for 30 to 50 candidates. Run the free Business Name Generator a few times with different phrasings of what you do, and keep everything that does not make you wince.
3. The phone test
Say each name out loud as if giving it over the phone. If you have to spell it, cut it. If it sounds like another word, cut it.
4. Check availability
Search the domain, the social handles you care about, and your local business registry. A name is only a shortlist candidate once all three are clear.
5. Sit with the top three
Write each one on a mock invoice, a shop sign and an email signature. The one that still looks right the next morning is your name.