For founders · Name testing
Name testing: does your name work?
Name testing is useful before a shortlist starts to feel familiar to your own team. Put two or three candidates on the same welcome card and ask what each suggests. A business name test with verified UK adults can show an unintended association as well as a favourite. We aim for first answers in about 15 minutes in UK daytime; replies may take longer for now.
We review requests by hand.
Questions for brand name testing
Give every candidate the same setting. For NestJar and CopperSeed, show two savings-app welcome cards rather than explaining the names first.
- Example: Which savings name feels safer: NestJar or CopperSeed?
- What would you expect a company called NestJar to offer?
- Which name would you remember tomorrow?
Brand name testing can use a pick-one, a 1-to-5 rating or a first impression today. A neutral question leaves room for people to hear something your team did not intend.
What a business name test returns
Illustrative NestJar example: 14 of 20 choose NestJar; six choose CopperSeed. Some read NestJar as calmer and more familiar, while CopperSeed sounds more corporate. That helps the founder decide which name to explore, but the vote cannot answer whether either is available or memorable to actual customers. Check those separately before ordering stationery.
How to test a shortlist
- Write two or three names as text options, each within 80 characters, or upload one image showing them in context.
- Choose 5 to 50 UK adults. They answer blind, without your business name or earlier answers on screen.
- Read the vote, every short reason and the summary. Note the objections as well as the favourite.
For other decisions, browse ways to ask for a quick outside view.
What a company name test cannot tell you
Ask someone outside the business to say what the name brings to mind before you explain the product. NestJar might suggest savings; another candidate might suggest a completely different service. That first reading is hard to hear inside a team that knows the backstory. Each answer has a signed receipt listing its checks; see what the receipt does and does not verify.
Honest limit: A company name test records reactions from a mixed UK pool, not a trade mark search, domain check or study of your exact buyers. The NestJar split can guide a shortlist but cannot prove the name will work in market. Test it in context, then check UK trade marks and company-name availability separately.
What a short name check costs
Asking is free during early access. At paid launch, the quick-take example starts from 30p an answer plus 50p a question. Twenty quick takes would be about £6.50. You will see the price before posting.
Your questions, answered
How do I test a business name?
Put two or three names into the same context and ask which one fits your offer. Tell people what the business does without explaining which name you prefer. Read the reasons behind the vote; they can reveal unintended associations. A second test can check your strongest name on its own.
Which business name is better?
In the NestJar example, 14 of 20 people prefer it to CopperSeed for a savings app. Their reasons matter: they hear something familiar and calm. If that is the impression the founder wants, NestJar is worth taking forward. The vote cannot tell them whether customers will remember the name a week later, or whether it is available to use.
Can people rate my business name on its own?
Yes. Ask for a 1-to-5 rating or a first impression of one name on a card or app screen. A comparison gives you a relative preference; a single-name check can reveal what the words suggest without showing a rival. Use the format that matches your decision.
Does a name test check trade marks?
No. It records what people think a name means, not registered rights. Search the UK trade mark register and use the Companies House name checker for a proposed company name. Check domains separately and take professional advice if the name is commercially important.
How many names can I test at once?
You can put two or three names into a pick-one question today. More choices make it harder to interpret a small result, so start with a shortlist. If you are still gathering names, the naming contest, coming soon, is a separate planned feature.
What does a company name test cost?
The early-access question is free. A paid-launch example with 20 name reactions comes to about £6.50 at 30p per answer plus 50p for the question. You will see the actual quote before posting. Budget separately for the availability checks that a preference vote cannot do.
Find out what people really think.
Free during early access. No card needed.
Free during early access. We review requests by hand. Have an invite code? Join