HACKER Q&A
📣 milanspeaks

How do you name your product? Are there any standardized ways?


I am building an API based infrastructure tool for developers. I have been thinking for over a week to find a name but am just not able to find one. I have my UI design done, DB design done, APIs specifications ready but I couldn't come up with a name. I have thought of 1000+ names and cannot find it. I think I am now the worst person to name due to so much of overthinking.

Since my Product is about developer experience a nice name matters to me. I would wish to wear a hoodie with name daily so need something nice.

The emotions I want developer to experience is that this is something that would speed up their Dev cycle.

How do I solve this naming dillemma?

  👤 PaulHoule Accepted Answer ✓
"Tell me, Tom, have you given it a name yet?"

Tom smiled ruefully. "No. I have a harder job naming some of these things than I do figuring them out. Have you any ideas?"

"How about calling it the Spacelane Brain?" Arvid Hanson suggested.

-- https://www.tomswift.info/homepage/rocket2.html

I hate to be that guy but you can ask an LLM. I cut 'n pasted your query into Copilot and got a long personalized response addressed to me by name, but it came up with: Devique, APiha, Infirtion, Chisel, Scaffold, Launchpad, CodeSprint, CycleUp, SnapAPI, Syntax, Rapidly, Zeed.

I was in a team that made a game over a weekend at a hackathon, one member got an LLM to make up a name, we won a prize, maybe the name was 5% of that.

You might want to be smarter than Microsoft and run a trademark search before you use it!

👤 herbst
You are to deep into the name finding, first you need to get some distance. Every name will sound shit before that.

Then remind yourself that the name is not as relevant as we want it to be. If it's sounding and kinda rememberable that's usually good enough for a tech product. It also doesn't have to be a .com or .io even if it would be cool.

Personally I always try to pick one ASAP, either it grows on me and feels fitting after a while (it never feels "right") or I need to change again.

👤 VivaTechnics
Start with “A” if possible to ensure top-of-list visibility. Use “AI” as a prefix when relevant to anchor the identity in AI/infra/dev tooling. Keep it short—4 to 5 letters ideal, max 6. It must be memorable: phonetically crisp, simple, and sticky. The name should be brandable—distinct, clean, with no generics or clutter. Prioritize domain availability under .dev, .io, .tech, .host, or .xyz. Don’t obsess early; names evolve and rebranding is easy. Examples like “Aidev” balance AI-focus and clarity well. Currently, devo.host and aidev.host are available.
👤 m4jor101
I tried building this tool(https://bilgu.com/tools/ai-generated-names) to solve such dillemma, You can also get only those that have .com available.
👤 mzk_pi
Here’s how we name our products:

We always begin with a prayer — a quiet wish for how the future might change through what we’re building.

It’s not just branding. It’s a form of intention: “May this tool help create the kind of world we want to see.”

Sometimes we use words with double meanings, or sounds that evoke multiple layers. But when no name comes, maybe it’s simply not the moment yet.

Wishing you a beautiful spark of insight soon.