How to Name Your SaaS: Lessons from Stripe, Notion, and Figma

The best SaaS names share common patterns. This guide breaks down what works, what doesn't, and how to find your own billion-dollar name.

What Makes a Great SaaS Name

After analyzing 100 successful SaaS companies, we found these patterns:

Pattern 1: Short and Punchy (2 syllables max)

Why it works: Short names are:

• Easier to remember
• Easier to type
• Look better in URLs and app icons
• Work better as verbs ("Just Slack me")

Pattern 2: Real Words, New Context

These companies took common English words and made them their own:

• Stripe - A thin line, now synonymous with payments
• Notion - An idea or concept, now a productivity brand
• Linear - Straight and simple, now project management
• Rippling - Water movement, now HR software
• Loom - Weaving tool, now video messaging

Why it works: Real words have:

• Instant pronunciation
• Built-in meaning to build on
• Emotional resonance
• Easy spelling

Pattern 3: Invented but Pronounceable

Completely made-up words that somehow feel natural:

• Figma - Sounds like "figure" meets "stigma"
• Canva - Canvas without the "s"
• Asana - Yoga term, reimagined
• Twilio - Tech-sounding but friendly
• Webflow - Combines "web" and "flow"

Why it works: Invented names:

• Are highly trademarkable
• Have no existing baggage
• Can mean whatever you want
• Often have available domains

The SaaS Naming Framework

Step 1: Define Your Brand Attributes

Before naming, answer:

• Are we playful or serious?
• Enterprise or SMB?
• Technical or accessible?
• Innovative or reliable?

Example: Stripe chose a short, sharp word because they wanted to feel fast and precise—perfect for payments infrastructure.

Step 2: Choose Your Naming Style

For Enterprise SaaS: Lean toward invented words or professional real words

• Salesforce, Workday, ServiceNow

For SMB/Prosumer SaaS: Can be more playful

• Mailchimp, Calendly, Loom

For Developer Tools: Technical but not cold

• Vercel, Railway, Supabase

Step 3: Generate Candidates

Use multiple approaches:

1. AI name generators (like namemyapp)
2. Thesaurus exploration around your core concept
3. Combining two relevant words
4. Shortening or modifying existing words

Generate at least 50 options. The best name often comes after the obvious choices.

Step 4: Filter for Availability

Critical filters:

• Domain available (.com, .io, .app)
• Trademark searchable
• Social handles available
• Not too similar to competitors

namemyapp handles this automatically—every name shown has an available domain.

Step 5: Test and Decide

Before finalizing:

• Say it 10 times out loud
• Spell it to someone verbally
• Imagine it on a billboard
• Picture it as an app icon

Then decide. Perfect is the enemy of good.

SaaS Naming Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Being Too Descriptive

❌ FastProjectManagementSoftware ✅ Asana

Descriptive names:

• Are forgettable
• Hard to trademark
• Feel generic
• Limit future pivots

Mistake 2: Clever Misspellings

❌ Taskr, Projektz, Metriqz ✅ Linear, Notion, Figma

Unusual spellings:

• Cause constant confusion
• Look unprofessional
• Are hard to find in search

Mistake 3: Including "App" or "Software"

❌ TaskApp, SalesApp ✅ Asana, Pipedrive

The word "app" or "software":

• Dates your brand
• Is redundant (everyone knows it's software)
• Uses up valuable characters

Mistake 4: Acronyms Without Meaning

❌ TCMS, RBBP ✅ If you must use initials, make them memorable (IBM, SAP)

Random acronyms:

• Are unmemorable
• Hard to search for
• Feel corporate/outdated

Domain Strategy for SaaS

TLD Recommendations

The Modern Reality

Many successful SaaS companies don't use .com:

• Linear.app
• Notion.so
• Cal.com
• Descript.com

.com is still valuable but not required. A great name with .io beats a mediocre .com.

Case Study: How Figma Got Its Name

The founders wanted something:

• Short (2 syllables)
• Easy to spell
• Pronounceable globally
• Domain available

They explored "figure" (taken), tried variations, and landed on "Figma"—invented but intuitive. The .com wasn't available initially, so they used figma.com after acquiring it later.

Lesson: Start with the best available domain. You can always upgrade later.

Generate Your SaaS Name

Ready to name your SaaS? namemyapp generates brandable names with guaranteed available domains. Every name you see is purchasable.

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