Your app’s name is the first thing people see in the store, the first thing they type into search, and the word they’ll use when they recommend you to a friend. It’s also one of the hardest things to change later: once you have reviews, backlinks and a logo, a rename costs real money.
The good news is that naming doesn’t have to be guesswork. Here’s the checklist we use with clients before a name goes anywhere near a logo or an App Store listing.
1. Brainstorm with clear criteria
Start wide. Write down 30–50 options before you judge any of them. Mix a few approaches:
- Descriptive: says what the app does (e.g. a name built around “list”, “book”, “track”).
- Evocative: suggests a feeling or benefit rather than a feature.
- Invented or compound words: easier to own, harder to explain.
- Brand + keyword: a short brand name followed by a descriptive phrase in the store title.
AI tools are useful here as a brainstorming partner. Give them your audience, your core feature and the tone you want, and ask for 50 options. Treat the output as raw material, not as the answer.
Then filter your list against a few simple criteria:
- Short: ideally one or two words, easy to fit under an app icon.
- Easy to say and spell: if you have to spell it out on the phone, it will be mistyped in search.
- Relevant: it should hint at what the app does, or at least not contradict it.
- Distinct: it shouldn’t sound like a competitor.
2. Check the App Store and Google Play
Search both stores for every name on your shortlist, including close spellings and plurals. You’re looking for:
- apps with the same or very similar name, especially in your category;
- big brands that already own the search results for that word;
- names that are free, but where the search results are full of unrelated apps you’ll have to compete with.
If a well-known app already uses a similar name in the same category, move on. Even if it’s technically allowed, you’ll be fighting for the same searches, and store reviewers may reject a listing that looks like an imitation.
3. Check trademarks before you fall in love
A name that’s free in the store can still be a registered trademark. Checking early saves you from a forced rename after launch.
- European Union: EUIPO eSearch plus and TMview, which also covers many national offices.
- United States: the USPTO trademark search.
- Worldwide: the WIPO Global Brand Database.
Search your name in the classes that matter for software (usually class 9 and class 42) and in the class of your industry. This is a first check, not legal advice. If you plan to invest seriously in the brand, have a trademark attorney confirm it and consider registering it yourself.
4. Check the domain and social handles
People will look for you outside the stores too. For each finalist, check:
- Domain: is the
.com(or your main country domain) available, or a sensible variation likegetname.comorname.app? Tools such as Instant Domain Search make this quick. - Social handles: are the usernames free on the networks your audience uses? Namechk checks many platforms at once.
You don’t need every single handle, but you do want consistency on the two or three platforms that matter to you.
5. Plan for store character limits
Both stores give you very little space, so your name has to work inside their limits:
Apple App Store
- App name: up to 30 characters
- Subtitle: up to 30 characters
- Keyword field: up to 100 characters (not visible to users)
Google Play
- App title: up to 30 characters
- Short description: up to 80 characters
- Full description: up to 4,000 characters
A common pattern is Brand – keyword: a short, ownable name plus a descriptive phrase, e.g. “Name – Shopping List”. The brand makes you memorable; the keyword helps you get found.
Both stores also have rules about what the title can contain. Avoid stuffing it with keywords, competitor names or trademarked terms, and don’t use words about price or ranking such as “free”, “best” or “#1”. Listings that break these rules can be rejected or hidden.
6. Research keywords (ASO)
App Store Optimization (ASO) is SEO for app stores. Before you settle on the descriptive part of your title and subtitle, find out what people actually search for:
- Store search suggestions: start typing in the App Store and Google Play search boxes and note the autocomplete suggestions.
- Google Keyword Planner: free with a Google Ads account, good for understanding general search demand.
- ASO tools such as AppTweak, Sensor Tower or Appfigures: they estimate search volume and competition inside the stores.
Look for keywords that are relevant, searched and not dominated by huge apps. A slightly less popular keyword you can rank for beats a popular one where you’ll sit on page ten.
7. Test the name with real people
Finally, take your top three names out of the meeting room:
- Say it out loud. Tell someone the name once, verbally, and ask them to type it into a search box. If they can’t, that’s a problem.
- The 5-second test. Show the name and icon for five seconds, then ask what the app does and what it was called.
- Check other languages. Make sure the name doesn’t mean something awkward in the languages of your markets. For a product built in Greece and launched in the US, that means at least Greek and English.
- Ask your audience, not your team. Five people from your target audience are worth more than fifty opinions from colleagues.
Your quick checklist
- ✓ 30–50 raw ideas, filtered for length, clarity and relevance
- ✓ No similar app names in your category on either store
- ✓ No conflicting trademarks in your key markets
- ✓ Domain and main social handles available
- ✓ Name + keyword fit within 30 characters
- ✓ Descriptive keywords backed by search data
- ✓ Tested with real people, spoken and written, in every market language
A good name won’t make a bad app succeed, but a bad name can make a good app harder to find. Spend a few days on it now and you’ll save yourself a rename later.
Naming a new product or getting ready for launch? Our Product & Market Research team can help you validate the idea, the name and the positioning before you build. Get in touch.
