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Starting a print-on-demand (POD) business selling custom t-shirts, mugs, or other merch? Your brand name is your first step to standing out. A great name grabs attention, reflects your niche, and builds recognition in a crowded market.
Studies by Global Banking & Finance Review show over 80% of investors value name recognition for decisions—your POD store’s name carries similar weight, instantly signaling what you offer and setting you apart from competitors.
This guide will show you how to choose the perfect POD business name step by step. Discover creative ideas, practical tools, and tips to ensure your name is unique, memorable, and ready to shine online. Let’s dive in!
Why does your business brand name matter?
Your print-on-demand (POD) store’s name is more than just a label—it’s your first chance to wow customers and tell your story! A great name builds brand recognition, sets you apart, and connects with your niche. A bad one? It can confuse customers or fade into the background. Here’s why brand name is important for print on demand businesses:
- Grabs attention fast: It takes just 0.05 seconds for visitors to judge your website. Your name, alongside visuals, creates that critical first impression.
- Defines your niche: Take House of Chingasos, a POD apparel brand. Its name (from Spanish slang for “punching”) screams Latino culture and streetwear humor, instantly signaling its audience.
- Tells your story: A name like Facebook hints at its Harvard roots, while Cadillac evokes luxury and class. Your name can pack a similar punch, sharing your brand’s vibe in one word.
- Boosts recognition: A unique name sticks in customers’ minds, helping you stand out in the crowded e-commerce world.
Pro Tip: Need inspiration? Check out Etsy POD success stories to see how niche-focused names drive sales by connecting with specific audiences.
Choose a name that’s bold, memorable, and true to your brand—it’s your ticket to shining online!
Check our list of best print on demand niches for Shopify business to start selling now!
How to name your print on demand business
Finding a name for your business has never been easy. It takes a great amount of consideration and thinking as well as creativity. Some people might have made their minds on the name well before starting their business. For most of us, a brand name comes as an afterthought once you set your eyes on creating a brand.
If you have no idea how to name your business, don’t worry. This is a step-by-step guide on how you can find good print on demand business name ideas to create brand identity.
1. Know Your Brand Inside Out
To pick a name that reflects your business, start by understanding your brand’s core. Ask yourself:
- What’s your niche? What products and markets are you targeting? Are you selling sportswear, anime merch, or eco-friendly home decor?
- Who’s my audience? Are your audience young people who expect something fun and interesting? Are they older practical shoppers who prefer straightforward, no-nonsense ways of communicating? Or are they luxury buyers who loves premium and exclusiveness?
- Who are you in your target market? Are you targeting the premium segment of the market? Are you reaching the lower segment with more affordable pricing? Are your products environmentally friendly?
These answers shape a mental picture of your brand, guiding you toward a name that feels just right.
Find inspiration
Ideas don’t come out of nowhere. You need to look around for inspiration. Here are a few ways that you can try to find inspiration for your print on demand business name:
- Study successful brands: There are various methods that brands used to come up with their brand names. Looking through the successful brands, you might find some particular sounds, words, or ways of combining words to form a brand name.
- Use thesaurus and dictionary: Our limited vocabulary range can pose a challenge when seeking out new and unique words and names. By using thesaurus and dictionary, you can find endless unique and beautiful words to represent your brand.
- Use name generator: A name generator offers a quick and easy way to generate brand names. By typing down some keywords and selecting a category for your brand, the name generator tools will shortly come up with endless name ideas for your print-on-demand business. More similar tools will be introduced later in this blog post.
- Check competitors: Checking your competitors is a great way to find inspiration. In each market, there might be a list of repetitive words and phrases that are commonly used. Apparel brands often use words like “Thread” or “Wear” to signal their focus. These words can make it easier for customers to identify what your stores are selling and set the right expectation.
- Look around: Inspiration is everywhere around you. You can find various unique ideas from your favorite things in the world. Draw from favorite books, art, or languages for unique twists. For example, the famous multinational coffeehouse chain Starbuck got its name from a character from “Moby-Dick”. Zara was originally named after the film “Zorba the Greek” which was later rearranged and changed into its current name.
Brainstorm business name
Brainstorming is your chance to think big, get wild, and dream up a name that pops! Whether you’re flying solo or with a team, the goal is to generate tons of ideas without judgment.
Do you know that 72% of top brand names are made-up words or acronyms (Naming Newsletter)—so let’s get inventive!
Let’s dive into fun, actionable techniques to spark POD business name ideas that stick.
- Mind mapping: Start with a core word (e.g., “T-shirts” or “eco-friendly”) on a whiteboard or digital tool like Miro. Branch out with related words (e.g., “thread,” “green,” “vibe”). Connect ideas to form names like GreenThreadCo.
- Brainwriting: Grab a team, set a 5-minute timer, and have everyone jot down names. Pass papers around, adding new ideas inspired by others. Solo? Write and revisit your list to build on it.
- Rapid ideation: List every name that pops into your head without stopping. Use a notebook or phone app to capture the flow.
Pick one technique and try it for 10 minutes. Aim for at least 20 names!
Here are a few methods to try when generate business name ideas to follow:
- Be Literal: Straightforward names like I Like Maps scream clarity—perfect for niche stores (maps for map lovers!). Literal names work great for POD because they instantly signal your product or niche, making it easier for customers to find you online.
- Use Your Name: Add a personal touch, like Gucci or Ralph Lauren. Your name can feel timeless and authentic.
- Try Acronyms: Short and snappy, like ASOS (As Seen On Screen) or H&M (Hennes & Mauritz).
- Make Up Words: Invent something fresh by combining and making up words. These unique names intrigue customers and are easier to trademark. For example, Redbubble blends “red” (bold) and “bubble” (playful) to match its creative POD marketplace vibe.
72% of the best brand names are made-up words or acronyms.
Find your inspiration with our list of the successful Etsy print on demand stores
Shorten your list
The goal of brainstorming is to come up with as many ideas as possible. After you have created a long list of print on demand business name ideas, it’s time to shorten your lists to a few name that matches your brand the most.
This step is all about picking names that are catchy, relevant, and ready to shine in the crowded POD world.
- Score Your Names: Evaluate each name using three key criteria:
- Memorability: Is it easy to say, spell, and recall? (e.g., Teespring is short and snappy.)
- Relevance: Does it reflect your niche and audience? (e.g., EcoWear screams sustainable fashion.)
- Uniqueness: Does it stand out from competitors? (e.g., Society6 feels artsy and exclusive.)
Create a scoring table (1–5 for each criterion). Total the scores to spot your top 5–7 names.
- Test with Your Niche: Picture your name on your products and marketing. Does it fit your POD niche? For example: Anime merch: AnimeVibe feels youthful and fandom-focused. Pet-themed mugs: PawPrintCo instantly signals pet lovers. Cross off any that feel generic or off-brand.
- Say It Out Loud: Test how your names sound in conversation or ads. A name like MugMaster rolls off the tongue, while something clunky might trip you up. Say each name 5 times fast. Keep the ones that feel natural and fun to say.
- Get Feedback: Share your top names with friends, family, or your target audience (e.g., via a quick Instagram poll).
- What names to avoid:
- Too Trendy: Names tied to fleeting trends (e.g., YeetMerch) may feel dated in a year.
- Too Long: Avoid mouthfuls like SuperCoolEcoFriendlyPrints. Shorter is better for logos and URLs.
- Too Similar: Don’t mimic competitors (e.g., ThreadlessVibes could confuse customers or spark legal issues).
- Too hard to sell: ideal business name shouldn’t be hard to spell, especially when your business is operating mainly in the online space. If your customer got the spelling wrong, they are probably not able to find your store.
- Too narrow: Another don’t when choosing a business name is to use a narrow name for your business. For example, the name “I like Maps” as mentioned above is only good if you sell solely maps. If you want to expand your business and sell something like T-shirt, your customers would not think about your store first. To easily scale your business later on, you should avoid narrow names.
Check if the name is available
A great name is only great if it’s available. Using a taken name could lead to lawsuits, rebranding costs, or confused customers. Think of this step as locking in your POD store’s identity for T-shirts, mugs, or merch that shines online.
Domain:
Your domain (e.g., YourName.com) is your online ID. Domain ending with “.com” is the gold standard for credibility and searchability. It is the go-to domain suffix when people want to search for your brand.
You can go to any website that sell domain names, for example, GoDaddy, to check if your name’s “.com” is available. If the name is still available, snap it ASAP to avoid losing it.
What if your desired domain is already taken?
- Consider tweaking your business name for more alternatvies. For example, you can add new words like “Shop”, “Co”, or “Prints” to create a new domain name.
- Incorporate your niche into the name. For example, you can use AnimeSpark instead of just Spark. This name is more specific and unique than the original.
- Try make-up words or acronym. By just slightly twist the original name, you can total come up with new cool name or domain.
Social media profile:
Consistent handles build trust and make you easy to find. According to LucidPress, brand consistency across different platforms can increase revenue by up to 33%.
You can manually check platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook, or use Namechk for a quick scan.
Trademark records
Not checking the availability of your business name on the legal record might cause regret and headache later on when your business takes off. Your competitors might get ahead and steal your name, even sue you for using their trademarked business name.
For the US-based business, check if your business name is trademarked at US Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS). If you are running business outside of the US, check specific global databases like WIPO (global) or EUIPO (Europe) for international protection.
Register your brand names
You’ve found the perfect print-on-demand (POD) name, and it’s available—perfect! Now, let’s make it officially yours by registering it. This quick step protects your brand and sets your T-shirts, mugs, or merch up for success. Fun Fact: A registered trademark can increase your brand’s value by up to 20%.
Here’s how you can lock in your print on demand name
- For US Businesses (USPTO): Registering with the USPTO is straightforward. It takes a few clicks and protects your name nationwide. Expect 6–9 months for processing.
- Visit uspto.gov.
- Click “Trademarks” → “Apply for a Trademark.”
- Select “Initial application forms.”
- Hit “Start your application in TEAS” and fill out the form.
- Submit and pay ($250–$350 per class).
- Outside the US: Every country has its own process. Check your local trademark office. Many use online portals like the US.
- Search for your country’s office (e.g., EUIPO for Europe, WIPO for global).
- Visit their website and follow their application steps. The budget for registering a trademark can range from $200–$500 depending on the region.
Tip: Use WIPO for multi-country protection if you plan to go global.
Best business tools to find business name
Naming your print on demand business can feel like a tough task. But you shouldn’t worry. There are plenty of tools that can provide you with a multitude of options in just one simple search.
Looka
Looka is a smart tool for generating business names. The generator’s suggesting mechanism is simple. You can find business name ideas by industry or niches. It also allows you to sort names with abstract ideas like “Luxury”, “Unique”, “Excellent”, “Vibrant” and more. These methods allow you to explore business name ideas based on the characteristics of your business. The suggested options are sorted into three categories:
- Invented names – unique and innovative
- Compound names – descriptive and effective
- Mutileword names – respected and elegant
- Real-word name – straightforward and powerful
This tool also allows you to search names by the number of characters, which makes it easy to find optimal names to attach to your logo.
Nameflix
Nametflix is a powerful name generator packed with unique filters that help to expand your search for newer opportunities. This tool allows users to find brand keywords – short, concise, unique, and brandable names.
The tool also takes randomness as a factor in the name generation process. You can adjust the level of randomness from low, medium, to high. Less-random names are more direct while the highly-random names are more creative and out of the box.
You can also filter business names by name styles such as Alternative spelling, Non-English words, Compound words, Two words, and Read words. It is also possible to adjust the setting that allows you to add rules for your business name. For example, you can exclude certain words, limit the number of letters, and select certain domain extensions.
Driven by AI technology, the powerful name suggestion tool can create and offer an additional logo for each suggested name.
These options allow making comprehensive name research for a potential business name.
Shopify Business Name Generator
Shopify, the most popular eCommerce platform for print on demand businesses, also develops its own business name generator tool. This business is useful to get name suggestions for your business as well as check the availability of the names for name ideas on this platform. The built-in tool is most usable for Shopify-based businesses. Otherwise, this tool provides quite limited options compared to other specialized tools.
Wordoid
What makes Wordoid different from other tools mentioned above is its ability to provide business name ideas in different languages including English, Spanish, French, Italian, and German.
Even when you are selling print on demand products in English-speaking countries, having a foreign name is one way to strike an impression on customers and create some sort of connection to the good quality of the foreign countries. For example, French names might sound expensive and elegant; Italian names sound exotic and classy.
Panabee
Panabee is another useful tool to get suggestions for print on demand business names. The name generator tool empowers users to find unique brand name alternatives with special twists. For example, the tools can suggest options like spell-backward names, merge names, drop names, Replace names, Prepend names, and Append names.
Namechk
After you select a few names for consideration, you will need to check the availability of these names on various platforms. Instead of searching names manually across different places, you can use Namechk to efficiently check the availability of potential business names before moving toward the next step in building branding for your print on demand business.
Naming your print-on-demand business is crucial to stand out. Use online tools to generate unique print on demand shop name ideas. Check name availability to avoid issues. Choose a brand name aligned to your niche that effectively communicates your pod business name ideas. An ideal name makes your offerings clear, builds recognition, and sets you up for branding success.
