Naming Software(s)

Let me tell you something few people prepare you for when building software: picking a name is pure hell. You think it’s just a fun little brainstorming exercise — something you can knock out between coding sprints and documentation nightmares. Nope. It’s a maze of frustration, self-doubt, and endless Google searches that somehow spiral into a full-blown existential crisis.

Why? Because naming software isn’t just slapping a label on a folder or a repo. Your software’s name has to be unique in a crowded ecosystem — think billions of existing projects, libraries, frameworks, startups, domains, and social handles all competing for the exact same handful of catchy syllables. You want something memorable, short, meaningful, and — most importantly — available everywhere, from GitHub repos to npm packages, Docker images, domain names, and Twitter handles. Spoiler: the chances of that happening are close to zero.

I’m a mechanical engineering student, so I’m used to complex design challenges, but naming feels different — more abstract, slippery. It’s like trying to catch smoke with your hands while knowing that millions of others are fishing in the same pond. I’ve spent hours hacking away at code, but the naming roadblock? It’s a monster you don’t expect.

How I try to outsmart the naming madness

My strategy is a mix of tech rigor and creative loopholes. First off, I’m obsessed with automating name checks. I script searches across GitHub, npm, Docker Hub, and domain registrars. I even peek at trademark databases. If you don’t do this systematically, you’ll waste time falling in love with names that are already taken or worse, trademarked.

Pure made-up names are the safest bet. Names like “Kurajo” (my own project) or “Dodo” are nonsense words, which means they’re less likely to be duplicates. But they still have to feel natural and easy to say or remember, or else you just created a random string with zero brand power. There’s a delicate balance here: invented names must be catchy without being tongue-twisters.

Another hack is layering your name with meaningful prefixes or suffixes that reflect your project’s domain. For example, “KurajoCI” adds that “CI” suffix to anchor it clearly in the continuous integration world. If you just name it “Kurajo” and somebody else has a Kurajo.io or Kurajo.com, you risk confusion and loss of identity.

And please, don’t just check domains. Check social media handles. It’s crazy how many projects forget this and end up with a killer name but zero presence on Twitter or Discord. Consistency across platforms is crucial for future branding and discoverability.

Cultural quirks and naming traditions

One thing I find fascinating is how naming isn’t just a technical problem but a cultural one. For example, French projects often name software after animals — sometimes because animals symbolize traits they want to embody. “Belette” (weasel) means cleverness, “Hérisson” (hedgehog) suggests protection. Naming software after animals adds personality and depth, which is rare in the sea of abstract acronyms.

I’m also drawn to the mythological and historical naming traditions. NASA’s “Apollo” program and open-source “Ubuntu” show how names can carry values and stories. They aren’t just brands — they are philosophies. I find this deeply inspiring. It makes me wonder: can our software names be more than labels? Can they be cultural touchstones or emotional beacons?

That said, I appreciate the Unix tradition of cryptic, minimalist names like “grep” or “sed.” There’s something genius and slightly rebellious in making your tool a secret handshake among insiders. But that approach can also alienate newcomers, so it depends on what vibe you want to send.

Perfect names are not perfect

Here’s a truth that hits hard: whatever name you choose now will likely feel wrong in 6 months or a year. Software evolves, pivots, and expands. Your name needs to be flexible, which often means it can’t be too literal or narrow. You want it to age well, like a good vintage, not become a prison.

Take Twitter for example — it started as “twttr,” which sounded strange but caught on. Had they gone with a boring name like “QuickMessage,” I doubt it would have scaled into the cultural phenomenon it became. So the perfect name is a moving target; it grows with your project’s story.

Also, never underestimate cross-cultural traps. Some names might be brilliant in one language but offensive or meaningless in another. Always vet globally if you’re thinking big.

Engineering disguised as art

From my vantage point, naming software is a design problem wrapped in a marketing puzzle. It’s about solving constraints with creativity. You need data, yes — searches, checks, metrics — but also intuition and storytelling. It’s part science, part luck, part art.

I treat naming like a mini project: gather a list, test pronunciations on friends, check for duplicates, imagine how it sounds when you say it out loud at meetups or on calls. If your friends stumble or forget it quickly, scrap it and try again.

Naming is not a side task. It’s foundational. It sets the tone for your code, your community, your project’s identity. Embrace the grind and maybe even have fun with it.

Final thoughts

What’s the weirdest or coolest software name you’ve encountered?

I’d love to hear your stories. The wild names that made you laugh, the brilliant ones that stuck with you, or the painfully generic ones that made you sigh. Naming software might be a pain, but it’s also a chance to be playful and creative in a very technical world.

Naming is hard, but that’s why it matters. If it was easy, everyone would have perfect names and none of them would stick. So get weird, get systematic, and name like your project’s life depends on it — because, in a way, it does.