Authored by Kunal Vora, Founder-Partner, ABND

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.” That’s how I open most of my conversations on brand naming. Good ol’ Shakespeare, casually dropping branding wisdom 400 years ago.

And honestly, he had a point.

Some legacy brands live this truth. Names like Haldiram, Vadilal, or Karachi Bakery, they’re not exactly masterstrokes of naming strategy, but they have stood the test of time. The aloo bhujia tastes the same no matter what you call it. The fruit biscuit survives every Indo-Pak headline. These are brands where product love came first. The name just tagged along for the ride.

But that’s legacy. That’s a different game.

If you’re launching a new brand today in a saturated, hyper-competitive, globalised, trademarked-to-death market then no, not just any other name will smell as sweet. It might not even smell at all.

I love brand naming. It’s one of my favourite parts of building brands. Over the last decade, we’ve had the fortune of creating names that have gone on to succeed in their categories. We’ve even helped clients navigate legal challenges around naming. So, from whatever little I’ve learned, here’s why some names age like wine, getting better with time while others go sour.

When your name is a trend, not a brand

Cute? Maybe.

Catchy? For a year.

Memorable in the long run? Not a chance.

Some names are born out of trends. They sound current, even cool for about 18 months. Then they become cringe. Take Clubhouse, a name that rode the lockdown-era wave of exclusivity and invite-only audio chats. It felt fresh then. Now? It’s that one app you forgot to delete. Or Yo, an app that raised $1 million to do exactly what its name said. You sent someone a “Yo”. That’s it. Quirky and viral? Sure. Sustainable? Nope.

These names weren’t bad, they were trend-locked. They worked in the moment, but didn’t age well. Because when your name is a trend, your brand gets old the moment the trend does.

How elastic is your brand name?

Let’s talk about name elasticity – the ability of your brand name to stretch, evolve, and scale beyond your original product or service. This is especially critical for startups that pivot or grow into new categories.

The best names are emotionally elastic. They stretch over time and grow with your brand’s evolution. Nike started as a shoe company named after a Greek goddess. Today, it’s a global symbol of ambition, hustle, and belief.

In most cases, logical names are limiting. Emotional names build meaning as they move forward, they don’t get stuck in the moment they were born.

Take Amazon. It launched with books. But it wasn’t called BooksNow or ReadKart. It was Amazon – a name rich in metaphor (the world’s biggest river, scale, flow, diversity). That allowed it to later offer everything from cloud storage to streaming to space dreams without flinching.

Now compare that to Flipkart. The moment “kart” enters your name, you’re psychologically boxed into e-commerce. You may branch into content, payments, or travel, but it’s always a cart trying to do more. The name doesn’t kill the business, but it limits how people imagine the brand.

Elasticity gives you room to evolve. Lack of it puts your brand on a leash. And that’s a serious problem when you don’t have the funding to carpet-bomb the nation with advertising (think Flipkart without Flipkart’s marketing budget).

Names that fly vs names that get stuck at immigration

I’ve always been a fan of family names as brand names. They don’t just build your own legacy; they lift everyone who shares that last name and allow you to easily become a conglomerate with diverse businesses. Think of Ford, Adani, Hilton, Birla, Godrej, Mahindra, and of course, Tata.

Last names and locations were once the go-to ingredients for naming a business. They still work, especially when they’re short, clean, and globally legible.

Take Tata – two syllables, easy to pronounce, universally charming. Whether you’re in Tokyo or Texas, it rolls off the tongue. It’s also a masterclass in restraint. No need for “Tata & Grandsons Industrial Conglomerate Pvt. Ltd.” Just Tata. Simple. Sharp. Scalable.

Now flip the coin. Legacy food brands like Bhikharam Chandmal, Chhotelal Gajak Wale, or Laxmi Misthan Bhandar evoke massive trust in local markets. But try saying that at a branding workshop in Berlin. It’s a linguistic hill climb and a URL nightmare. There’s nothing wrong with using a family name. But when the third-generation steps in with global ambitions or wants to pivot into another category, it becomes a challenge.

Same goes for location-based names. Take Bombay Shaving Company, a brand that nailed the urban millennial vibe. But it also carries geographic baggage. As it scales across India or outside India, “Bombay” may feel colonial, outdated, or irrelevant. Not everyone aspires to “Bombay” (think: traffic, smog, Virar Fast). Worse, the name “Shaving Company” paired with “Bombay” feels inherently masculine and so restrictive. So, when they wanted to expand into women’s grooming, they had to launch a whole new label – Bombae. Cute workaround, yes. But a workaround, nonetheless. (Also: “bae”? That’s trend trap.)

That’s the problem with names rooted too deeply in where you started. They age fast. They box you in. And eventually, they force you to rebrand, stretch awkwardly, or build a parallel identity.

Swapping letters: Please stop making ‘Easy’ into ‘Eazy’

We need to talk about the plague of Z-for-S, K-for-C, and RR-for-R.

You’ve probably heard founders say: “It’s called Easy, but with a Z.”

Which is exactly the problem. If you must explain your spelling every time, your brand name is already leaking credibility.

A better example? Vimeo – from “Video + Me.” Not Vydeohh. Please, no.

Vimeo is inspired, intentional, and unique. It does not require any supporting narrative to explain the spelling.

Replacing letters for the sake of it makes your brand harder to remember, impossible to search, and a nightmare for word-of-mouth. Worse still, trademarking becomes a circus.

Numerology names: where the “wine” really turns into vinegar

Now, let’s get into the wild world of numerology naming. This is where things go off the rails. It’s like the holy grail of common sense-defying decisions.

I get it. People believe in these things. That’s fine, I respect that. But let’s be real – have you ever thought about it from your customer’s point of view?

If you’re aiming for global recognition, the numerology rabbit hole is a slippery slope. Sure, in India, adding extra Ks and tweaking vowels (thanks, Ekta Kapoor, or should I say Ektaa Kkapor) might feel magical. But to a global audience? Not so much.

Imagine trying to sell a product with a name that defies every known grammar and spelling rule. Your customer can’t type it. Can’t find it. Can’t remember it.

Numerology names are an SEO disaster and a word-of-mouth dead-end, and the worst part? You’ll be left explaining the “significance” of your extra letter to anyone who listens. Trust me, no one wants to hear that story.

Final pour

So, how do you name something that won’t spoil in two years?

Don’t chase trends. Build timelessness, not TikTokability.

Avoid spelling stunts. If you must explain it, it’s broken.

Think beyond today. Your name should grow with your business.

Future-proof legally and linguistically. Check trademarks, domains, languages.

Channel emotion, not ego. It’s not about what you like. It’s about what your audience will remember.

Stay away from astrology, unless your product is horoscopes.

A great brand name is more than a label. It’s the first line of your story. It sets the tone, signals your promise, and shapes perception.

Some names earn love over time. Others become a burden.

Don’t pick a name that needs a pitch every time you say it. Pick one that earns memory, love, and respect.

Because in branding, it’s not just about how the rose smells, It’s about whether people remember what it’s called.

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Originally Published : https://www.adgully.com/post/3494/why-some-brand-names-age-like-wine-others-like-milk