Naming

A name is remembered when its sounds fit what it promises, it is easy to say and spell, and it stands apart from the names around it. Names that state a benefit help people recall that benefit. In a multilingual market such as the UAE, the link between sound and meaning travels well, so names can be designed for Arabic and English from the start.

What the report found

1. Let the sound fit the promise. The sounds in a name carry meaning on their own. In one study, people judged an ice cream named Frosh creamier than the same ice cream named Frish, without knowing the name had swayed them.
2. Make it easy to say. Names that are easy to say feel more familiar and more trustworthy. In one study, shares in companies with easy names did better in their first day of trading than shares in companies with hard ones.
3. Make it stand apart. People remember the item that differs from its neighbours. A name that sounds like every other name in its category is easy to say and hard to recall.
4. Choose how much it says. A name that states a benefit helps people remember that benefit, and makes other messages harder to attach. Descriptive, suggestive and abstract names each suit a different plan.
5. Design for two languages. The link between sound and meaning holds across languages and writing systems, so a name can be designed to work in Arabic and English from the first shortlist.

Who it is for

For founders, brand and marketing teams, naming agencies and anyone choosing a name for a business, product or service.

How we work

Field Guides turn the evidence into principles, each with the research, a worked example and what to try and watch out for. Every claim is graded, and where researchers disagree, as they do on whether people prefer names that share their initials, both sides are set out before we say where we stand.

Cite this report

The Why We Project (2026) Naming: Choosing names people remember. Field Guide No. 14. Dubai: Why We Tech Ltd. Available at: thewhyweproject.com