For founders who want a name they can proudly say out loud for years to come.

A great name isn’t chosen by consensus. It’s chosen with clarity, conviction and courage.

If you’re down to a shortlist and having trouble pulling the trigger on a final name, this checklist will help you move forward with confidence.

Grab your finalists. Run them through this. No wrong answers... Just honest ones.

1. Identity Resonance

Does this name feel like your company who your company is at heart — not just today, but who it will become?

✔️ I can picture this name on a keynote slide five years from now.

✔️ It feels aligned with my ambition, not timid or temporary.

✔️ It represents who we are, not who we think we have to pretend to be.

Your name should continue to align with the core of your business as it grows.


2. The Pride Test

Would you say this name with pride — to your team, your board, a stranger on a plane?

✔️ Saying it out loud feels energizing, not apologetic.

✔️ I don’t feel compelled to over-explain it.

✔️ I can imagine bragging about this name and telling people why I love it.

You shouldn’t feel like you have to make excuses for your name. 


3. Vibe Match

Does this name communicate the attitude you want your company to carry? Choose the closest fit to describe the name, and the closest fit to describe your company. Do they match?

✔️ Bold and muscular

✔️ Calm and enduring

✔️ Smart and elevated

✔️ Inventive and future-leaning

✔️ Human and empathetic

If it’s not a match, well… it’s not the right fit.


4. Emotional Durability

If you’ve worked with us, you’ve heard us say it: Names grow on you over time. With just a couple days and some perspective, some names will rise up while others fall by the wayside.

How does this name make you feel after a couple days of sitting with it?

✔️ It grows on me, not away from me.

✔️ The edges I had at first are becoming strengths.

✔️ It feels more inevitable with time.

Ideally, you’ll check all of these boxes.


5. Real-World Chemistry

Test-drive the name to see how it feels in the real world. Try the following:

  • Say it 20 times
  • Leave yourself a voicemail using it
  • Slip it into a pitch deck
  • Mock up a Slack or LinkedIn profile with it
  • Introduce it to someone out loud

How did it go?

✔️ It feels natural in use

✔️ It looks good on the page

✔️ It holds up in the wild


This is an important one. If you checked these boxes, you’re heading in the right direction.


6. The Legacy Lends

Would future-you be proud you chose this name?

✔️ This name is worthy of the company we’re building.

✔️ It contributes to the long arc of brand equity.

✔️ It feels like a name future employees will be proud to represent.

Great names are in it for the long haul.


Final Thought

If you checked most (or all!) boxes for a name, it sounds like you have a winner on your hands. Cheers!

If not, that’s okay: you’re just not done yet. Need professional naming support? Tanj can help! From naming strategy and legal screening to linguistic validation and rollout support, we help brands move from idea to impact — with names built to last.


The Founder Gut-Check Checklist (Free Template)

Use this editable checklist to guide your final name selection.

You can copy it into Google Sheets, Notion, or your favorite project management tool.