I am currently searching for a name that I can use for a software project. Id like to have a short one that has no real meaning associated with it. I already asked some ai’s. All names that I found sound terrible or have some meaning attached to it. . Like the name is already used for some medication or so.
How do you guys come up with names?
Acronyms, backronyms, portmanteaus, and puns
- express the project in your language in max 5 words
- merge them e.g big long table index --> blotin, blotidex, bilotadex, big ol tadex
- search for “word for $expression” and peruse the results
- translate the expression into other languages then do the same as above
- find synonyms for the words in your expression
- build an expression that is the opposite of your project and just prefix it with a negative then repeat above
- find a pun from your expression
- pick your favorite animal (or pick random one) tack it onto the expression and repeat above
- take your own name and use initials then spell out the initial e.g John Wallace -> J.W -> Jay Dub
- tack that onto the expression (or the expression it fits best) e.g Jay Dub Index, Jaydudex, Judex, Dubidex, Jadubin
Or if you want to be completely unoriginal like, take a wordlist, pick a random word from it --> tada! You have a name. (what follows ia rant). The list can be an entire dictionary, anime names, movie names, name of mythical gods from wherever in the world, etc.
Then come up with some bullshit explanation that sounds sophisticated for example you randomly picked.
For example, I went to https://randomword.com/ and got “xylary”: “of, like or pertaining to xylem.” No bloody idea why “xylem” is? Yeah, me neither.
noun Botany.
a compound tissue in vascular plants that helps provide support and that conducts water and nutrients upward from the roots, consisting of tracheids, vessels, parenchyma cells, and woody fibers.
Oho, great! It has nothing to do with a big long table index, but let’s make it so! “Xylary is a performant database index. Just like xylem are paramount to performance of plants, xylary is paramount to the performance of queries to your database.” Voilà. The meaning of xylary is botched, but who gives a fuck, it sounds COOL, starts with X, and probably unknown to the majority of the world. So now you can piss off people in the field by polluting searches with your project.
But at least you have a project name bro 😎
Don’t forget recursive acronyms
DFRA
That doesn’t work, though.
For a recursive acronym, you want something like ADFRA Didn’t Forget Recursive Acronyms.
Seems you’re putting too much thought into this. If you really can’t come up with one just try a random noun genetrator a few times until you find one you like.
Recursive acronyms.
Example? Name an alcohol library project TIPC, which stands for TIPC Is Pretty Cool
