What Makes a Great Startup Name? Lessons from Stripe, Notion, and Figma

Some startup names feel inevitable in retrospect. Stripe sounds like exactly what a payment company should be called. Notion fits a thinking tool perfectly. Figma is the kind of name that sounds like it couldn't have been anything else.

But these names weren't discovered — they were built. Each one satisfies a set of criteria that most founders don't consciously apply when naming their own companies. Let's decode them.

Stripe: One Syllable, Clean, Evocative

Stripe is four letters, one syllable, and carries a subtle implication of streamlining. It doesn't mean 'payment processing' — it suggests simplicity, a clean line, something elegant running through complexity.

• Length: four characters. Types instantly, says instantly.
• Phonetics: hard consonant start, clean vowel, crisp ending. Easy across accents and languages.
• Brandable neutrality: it doesn't describe payments, so Stripe can expand into banking infrastructure without the name becoming a liability.
• Domain: Stripe.com. Clean. No modifiers.

The lesson from Stripe isn't to copy the style — it's that the best names suggest rather than describe. They evoke a feeling or quality rather than naming a feature.

Notion: Abstract But Memorable

Notion is a real English word meaning a concept or idea. For a productivity tool designed around thinking, it's semantically apt. But the genius is that 'notion' is just abstract enough that it doesn't lock the product into a single use case. You can have a Notion for notes, for projects, for wikis, for databases.

This category of name — a real word, loosely evocative, distinctly not generic — is the hardest to find because the obvious ones are taken. Notion worked because the word wasn't already associated with any major tech product, and it's one syllable when spoken casually.

Figma: Invented, Phonetically Strong

Figma is a made-up word. It may derive from the Latin 'figma' (meaning form or shape) — appropriate for a design tool — but in practice nobody knew that when they first heard it. It worked anyway.

Made-up words are the highest-risk, highest-reward naming strategy. Figma succeeds because it sounds like a word your brain can parse — two syllables, easy vowel-consonant pattern, a distinctive hard 'g' start. Many invented words fail because they're obviously constructed. Figma sounds like a word you've just forgotten.

The 5 Traits of Names That Scale

Looking across Stripe, Notion, Figma, Slack, Zoom, Linear, and Vercel — consistent patterns emerge:

• Short. All are under 10 characters. Most are under 7. Length is the number one operational liability in a name.
• Pronounceable on first encounter. Native speakers of different languages can attempt them without embarrassment.
• Invented or not-yet-associated. Either completely made up or a real word with no dominant tech association already attached.
• Domain available. Not always .com at launch, but they eventually controlled the primary TLD.
• No negative connotations in target markets. Requires checking — names that work in English can fail in other languages.

Mistakes That Kill Early-Stage Brands

• Being too literal. A name that describes exactly what you do today will limit you the moment you expand.
• Being too generic. Single adjectives (Smart, Simple, Clear) create brand search nightmares.
• Chasing availability over quality. A name being available on .com is not a reason to use it.
• Ignoring the spoken test. Your name will be said in meetings, on calls, and on podcasts. Say it aloud 20 times.
• Founder attachment. You fall in love with a name you invented and stop evaluating objectively. Antidote: share it with five people who have no investment in your success.

Building the Name You Don't Have to Change

The ideal startup name is one you can grow into, not grow out of. Stripe was doing payments. Now they're building financial infrastructure for the internet. The name still works. Notion was a note-taking app. Now it's a company operating system. The name still works.

Choose a name with that kind of generosity, and you'll never have to spend six figures on a rebrand.