Research-backed naming evaluation skill. Built from analysis of 10,029 AI company names (DomainBFF Feb 2026), 300+ YC companies (W24-W26), and portfolios from a16z, Sequoia, First Round, Founders Fund, Techstars, and 500 Global.
When to Use This Skill
- Evaluating candidate names for a new company or product
- Generating name ideas that avoid common traps
- Scoring existing names against proven patterns
- Checking if a name falls into "AI slop" territory
- Naming a B2B SaaS, infrastructure, or revenue-focused company
The Scoring Rubric
Score every candidate name against these 6 criteria:
| Criterion | Weight | Slop (0-1) | Good (2-3) | Winner (4-5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No AI/tech slop words | 30% | Contains AI/ML/Deep/Neural/Smart/Data/Labs | Minor tech-adjacent word | Zero technology words |
| Syllable count | 20% | 4+ syllables | 3 syllables | 1-2 syllables |
| Radio test | 15% | Needs spelling out, ambiguous | Minor ambiguity | Heard once, found instantly |
| No category words | 15% | Describes the product category | Hints at category | Zero category words in name |
| Domain availability | 10% | Only obscure TLDs | .io/.so/.co available | .com available or strong branded alt |
| Metaphorical resonance | 10% | Describes the technology | Neutral/abstract | Evokes the feeling/outcome |
Score ranges: 0-1.5 = Slop, 1.5-3.0 = Weak, 3.0-4.0 = Competitive, 4.0-5.0 = Winner
The AI Slop Index
Tier 1: Nuclear Slop (instant disqualify)
| Pattern | Occurrences (of 10K) | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| "Labs" suffix | 477 (1 in 20) | Never use unless you're literally a research lab |
| "AI" in name or TLD | 30% of recent YC batches | When everyone is "AI," nobody is |
| "Intelligence" suffix | 105 | Tells people what you are instead of what you do |
| "Deep" prefix | 75 | Called "now passe" by multiple agencies |
| "Systems" suffix | 93 | Government contractor energy from 1987 |
Tier 2: Heavy Slop (strong negative signal)
- "Open" prefix: OpenAI won. You can't.
- Neural / Neuro: Peaked 2018-2022. Dated.
- Cognitive / Cogni-: IBM Watson cosplay.
- "Spark" prefix: 95.5% prefix rate. Overcrowded.
- Nova / Nexus / Apex / Pulse: Sounds like Transformers.
- Smart- prefix: Implies competitors are dumb.
- Auto- prefix: 2014 thinking.
- Quantum: Used by companies with zero quantum involvement.
- Cyber-: 1995 sci-fi movie.
Tier 3: Suffix Graveyard
| Suffix | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| -ly | Dead | Peaked ~2015. Absent from YC 2024-2026. |
| -ify | Dead | Shopify won. Everything else is derivative. |
| -io (TLD) | Declining | Acceptable for devtools only. |
| .ai (TLD) | Oversaturated | 28% of YC+Techstars already. |
| -Hub | Dead | GitHub owns this forever. |
| -Stack | Niche | Sounds infra even when you're not. |
| -X | Risky | Elon-adjacent connotation. |
| -ware | Legacy | 2005 energy. |
Tier 4: Compound Slop
- Data[Thing]: Saturated.
- Cloud[Thing]: Signals 2014.
- Smart[Thing]: See prefix slop.
- [Thing]Mind: DeepMind took it.
- [Thing]Sense: 6sense took it.
The 4 Naming Tests
Run every candidate through all 4:
1. Radio Test
Someone hears the name on a podcast. Can they spell it and Google it?
- Pass: Stripe, Gong, Zoom, Slack
- Fail: Xyleme, Qwilr, unusual spellings
2. Crowded Bar Test
Mentioned once in a loud room. Remembered the next morning?
- Pass: Short real words dominate
- Fail: Multi-syllable invented words
3. Building Test
On the side of a building, does it look like a real company?
- Pass: Anthropic, Stripe, Linear
- Fail: Names that are too cute or too clever for enterprise
4. Tell-a-Friend Test
Can a customer recommend you without spelling it out?
- Pass: "Check out Gong." That is the whole recommendation.
- Fail: "Check out Proximitty, that is P-R-O-X..."
What Winners Actually Do
The Data
- 82% of unicorn SaaS companies use single-word names
- 47% action/verb-based (Stripe, Slack, Zoom)
- 31% abstract/invented (Figma, Notion, Vercel)
- 55-60% of all YC names are real English words or compounds
- ~90% of top YC performers by valuation use real words
- 2 syllables is the statistical sweet spot
The 7 Naming Patterns (ranked by success rate)
- Recontextualized Real Words: Single dictionary word, new meaning. THE winner pattern. (Stripe, Ramp, Notion, Slack, Zoom, Maven, Clay, Cursor)
- Transparent Compounds: Two real words combined. (Dropbox, Coinbase, DoorDash, Instacart)
- Invented CVCV Words: Made-up but phonetically natural. (Twilio, Figma, Vercel)
- Metaphorical / Evocative: Suggests attributes through metaphor. (Gong, Clari, 6sense, Chorus)
- Human First Names: Rising trend. (Harvey, Jasper, Oscar, Ada)
- Literary/Mythological (Palantir, Anduril, Asimov)
- Name + Descriptor: Declining. (Scale AI, Norm AI)
Revenue Intelligence Winners Specifically
- Gong: sound of a closed deal
- Clari: clarity into your pipeline
- 6sense: sixth sense for buyer intent
- Chorus: sales team in harmony
Pattern: Every winner uses a metaphor or sensory word, not a description.
Category-Specific Guidance
B2B SaaS / Revenue / Infrastructure
- Short, sharp, competent: Ramp, Vanta, Clay, Stedi
- Avoid whimsy: credibility and recall efficiency matter
- Real words that sound sturdy and institutional
B2C / Consumer
- Whimsical, emotional, memorable: Spotify, TikTok, Robinhood
- Human first names gaining ground
- Two-word story names: Warby Parker, Blue Apron
Developer Tools
- Descriptive compounds: Databricks, LangChain, Retool
- .io acceptable here
- Action verbs: Factory, Crunched
How to Use This Skill
Evaluate a Single Name
Score the name "Ballast" for a B2B revenue intelligence platform
Generate Candidates
Generate 20 two-syllable real-word candidates for a
compliance-focused revenue engine
Compare Finalists
Compare and score: Timber vs Mandate vs Vertic
for a governed revenue intelligence platform
Workflow
- Gather context: What does the company do? Who buys it? What vertical?
- Generate candidates: Use Pattern 1 (real words) and Pattern 4 (metaphorical) primarily
- Score each name: Apply the 6-criterion rubric
- Run the 4 tests: Radio, Crowded Bar, Building, Tell-a-Friend
- Check the Slop Index: Flag any Tier 1-4 violations
- Domain/trademark screen: Check .com, .so, .io availability + USPTO classes 35, 36, 38, 42
- Present top 3-5: With scores, test results, and domain status
Constraints to Respect
When the user has established naming constraints, honor them. Common constraints:
- Syllable count limits (e.g., 2-3 max)
- No "AI" in the name
- No specific letters (e.g., no X)
- No specific suffixes (-ly, -ify, -io, -ai, -hub)
- No compound words
- No fake Latin/Greek assembly
- Must pass coffee shop test
- Must look good "on the side of a building"
- Trademark-clean in relevant classes
Sources
- DomainBFF: 10,000 AI Company Names Analysis (Feb 2026)
- NameStormers: "Name Slop" analysis
- River + Wolf: AI naming trends
- Crunchbase: Multi-year startup naming trends
- SmartBranding: YC batch domain analyses (W24, F25, W26)
- namemy.app: SaaS Naming Guide (unicorn analysis)
- YC company directory and unicorn list
- a16z, Sequoia, First Round, Founders Fund portfolio analysis