Free domain name ideas generator

How to pick a name from the list

Treat the list as a starting point. Say your favourites out loud: if you have to spell a name when you tell someone, it is probably too hard to remember. Short names that sound natural usually win, and hyphens and numbers make a name harder to share.

Before you commit, search the name at a domain registrar to see whether it is free, and look at what is already online under similar names so customers do not mix you up with another business. You can also search the UK trade mark register on GOV.UK to check that nobody holds a similar mark in your line of work.

Choose the ending that fits your customers. Once you have bought a name, switch on auto-renew and keep the contact email current, so you do not lose it. Our domain name basics guide explains how.

Domain name ideas: five patterns to try

Most good small-business names follow a few simple patterns. The generator above uses the first four; the fifth is worth trying by hand.

• Word plus an ending word: your main word with shop, studio, works or hub after it, such as cakeshop or cakestudio.
• A short word in front: get, my, hello or try before your main word, such as getcakes or hellocakes.
• Word plus place: your town or area before or after the word, such as bristolcakes or cakesbristol. Good if your customers are local.
• Word, "in", place: such as cakesinbristol. Longer, but it reads clearly.
• Your own name plus trade: such as annascakes. Easy to remember and hard for anyone else to claim.

Mistakes to avoid

• Names that look like a competitor's or a well-known brand: check the UK trade mark register on GOV.UK first.
• Clever spellings such as "kwik" or "4u": people type the normal spelling and end up somewhere else.
• Very long names: if it does not fit on a van or a business card, it is too long.
• Letting the name lapse: switch on auto-renew and keep the contact email current.