Naming isn’t just about sounding cool; it’s also about claiming your online space, protecting your brand, and preparing for future growth.
Coming up with a unique, global-ready business name is harder than ever. A name you love might already be taken on social media. The perfect domain? Also taken! Even worse, some tools that help you search for available names might end up selling that exact name to someone else if you don’t act quickly.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you find and secure the most unique business name possible for your startup, brand, project, or idea; without falling into common traps.
1. Start With a Domain (Preferably a .com)
Before you fall in love with a name, check if the .com domain is available. While other extensions (.io, .co, etc.) are fine, a .com domain is best suited to tell you how globally unique your name is.
Search for names without hyphens (-) or numbers. For example, check "uniquename.com" instead of "unique-name.com" or "uniquename123.com".
Beware of “domain snatching”
Some popular name search tools track your searches and may resell the domains you check. To stay safe, consider using ToKnow.ai’s Private Domain Checker, which keeps your search private and transparent.
3. Need to Brainstorm Unique or Cool Name Ideas? Use AI Creatively!
Stuck for inspiration? Let AI do the heavy lifting. Tools like ChatGPT or Gemini can generate creative, unique, and brandable names tailored to your industry, values, and tone.
If you prefer offline or privacy-first tools, try running an AI model locally using:
Here’s a prompt to get you started:
Generate a list of 10 unique, brandable, globally-appealing business name ideas. The theme is [insert niche/topic, e.g., travel tech, organic skincare, remote work tools]. Avoid generic words and try to keep names under 12 characters. Prefer names that are easy to spell and pronounce globally.
Once you get a few names, run them through steps 1 and 2 above to check their availability!
4. Shortlist and Test the Winners
Write down all the names that:
- Have an available
.comdomain - Have consistent or adaptable social handles
- Feel brandable and unique
Once you’ve narrowed it down to around five promising candidates, run them through your favorite chatbot again. Ask for:
- Pros and cons of each name
- Brand story potential
- SEO and phonetic uniqueness
- Ease of pronunciation (especially internationally)
- Memorability and emotional tone
- Hidden meanings or cultural issues
Here’s a prompt you can use:
I have shortlisted the following business names: [list them]. Please evaluate each name in terms of global appeal, uniqueness, brand story potential, SEO-friendliness, and ease of pronunciation. Highlight any cultural or linguistic risks.
5. Move Fast - Ideas Have a Life of Their Own
If you’ve diligently followed these steps, you should now have a few truly unique names that pass most, if not all, of the key checks.
The next step? Register your domain name immediately and claim the matching social media handles.
Ideas have a life. If you don’t implement them, they move on to someone else.
Start building, even if it’s just a landing page. Congratulations! You’re already 30% ahead…
Use the prompt below to generate a simple landing page and publish it for FREE using GitHub Pages1 or Cloudflare Pages with your new domain:
Generate an HTML5 landing page about [insert niche/topic, e.g., travel tech, organic skincare, remote work tools] for my new business called '[YourName]'. Include a catchy headline, a short brand description, a contact form, and social media icons. Make the design clean and mobile-friendly. Include instructions to deploy on GitHub Pages or Cloudflare Pages
Disclaimer: For information only. Accuracy or completeness not guaranteed. Illegal use prohibited. Not professional advice or solicitation. Read more: /terms-of-service
Footnotes / Citations / References
Reuse
Citation
@misc{kabui2025,
author = {{Kabui, Charles}},
title = {How to {Find} a {Truly} {Unique} {Business} {Name} the
{Smart} {Way} {(Without} {Getting} {It} {Stolen)}},
date = {2025-07-27},
url = {https://toknow.ai/posts/how-to-find-a-truly-unique-business-name-the-smart-way/},
langid = {en-GB}
}