The Psychology of Brand Names: Why Some Names Stick and Others Don't

Your Brain on Brand Names

Every time you hear a brand name, your brain performs dozens of unconscious evaluations in milliseconds. Is it familiar? Does it sound pleasant? Does it trigger any associations? Understanding these psychological mechanisms gives you a massive advantage when naming your business.

The Sound Symbolism Effect

Certain sounds carry inherent meaning across languages. Linguists call this "sound symbolism," and it directly impacts how people perceive your brand.

Hard vs Soft Sounds

• Hard consonants (K, T, P, X): Convey strength, speed, precision. Think Kodak, Tesla, PayPal.
• Soft consonants (L, M, N, S): Suggest smoothness, luxury, comfort. Think Lululemon, Moleskine, Nissan.

Vowel Sounds

• Front vowels (ee, ih): Associated with smallness, speed, lightness. Wii, Mini, Visa.
• Back vowels (oh, oo): Associated with largeness, power, slowness. Google, Roku, Volvo.

Choose sounds that match your brand personality. A luxury spa shouldn't sound like a power tool.

The Processing Fluency Principle

People prefer things that are easy to process mentally. This is called processing fluency, and it's one of the most important principles in brand naming.

Names with high processing fluency are:

• Easy to pronounce on the first try
• Easy to spell after hearing them once
• Short — fewer syllables means less cognitive load
• Familiar-sounding — even invented words can feel familiar if they follow common phonetic patterns

Research shows that stocks with easier-to-pronounce ticker symbols actually outperform harder ones in the short term. That's how powerful fluency is.

The Mere Exposure Effect

The more people encounter something, the more they like it. This means your brand name doesn't need to be loved at first sight — it needs to be encountered repeatedly without friction.

This is why seemingly odd names like Google, Yahoo, and Etsy work. They felt strange initially but became comfortable through repetition. The key: the name must be easy enough to repeat without effort.

Emotional Valence

Every word carries an emotional charge. "Blossom" feels positive. "Grim" feels negative. Even invented words carry emotional associations based on their sounds and visual appearance.

How to Test Emotional Valence

Ask 10 people to rate your brand name candidates on these scales:

• Warm ↔ Cold
• Strong ↔ Weak
• Modern ↔ Traditional
• Playful ↔ Serious
• Premium ↔ Budget

If the ratings don't match your intended positioning, the name is working against you.

The Von Restorff Effect

Also called the isolation effect: items that are distinctly different from their surroundings are more easily remembered. In a sea of descriptive names like "QuickShip Logistics," a name like "Flexport" stands out.

This doesn't mean being weird for the sake of it. It means being different from your competitors. If every company in your space has a two-word descriptive name, consider a single invented word. If everyone uses tech-sounding names, try something human and warm.

Anchoring and Associations

Your brand name activates a web of associations in the listener's mind. "Amazon" triggers thoughts of vastness, exploration, nature. These associations transfer to the brand itself.

Strategic Association Mapping

1. Write your candidate name in the center of a page
2. Ask 10 people to write the first 5 words that come to mind
3. Map the associations — do they align with your brand values?

If "Budget" keeps appearing for your luxury brand name, you have a problem.

The Bouba/Kiki Effect

In a famous experiment, people consistently matched the round shape to "bouba" and the spiky shape to "kiki." This cross-sensory mapping means your brand name's sounds create visual and tactile impressions.

• Round-sounding names suit approachable, friendly brands
• Sharp-sounding names suit edgy, innovative brands

Applying Psychology to Your Naming Process

1. Define your target emotions before brainstorming
2. Choose sounds deliberately — match phonetics to brand personality
3. Prioritize fluency — if it's hard to say, it's hard to remember
4. Test associations — what people think matters more than what you intended
5. Differentiate — stand out from competitor naming patterns

Put Theory Into Practice

Psychology gives you the framework, but you still need to validate that your name is available and uncontested. After narrowing down your psychologically optimized shortlist, run every candidate through BrandScout to check domains, social handles, and trademarks instantly.