Which tool to choose
There is no single "best" tool in absolute terms: it depends on what you need.
If you want control and reasoning (explaining the why behind each name, iterating, mixing languages): use a conversational assistant like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. Even on a free plan you can search the web, upload files, and generate images — more than enough for personal use. The limit of ChatGPT's Free plan is a message cap that renews on time windows; for a naming session you won't even come close to it.
If you want short names already "branded" with a logo and domain in one shot: use a dedicated generator. Most of these services paste dictionary words together and produce long names; Namelix instead generates short names relevant to your business idea, and learns from your choices as you save your favorites. Namify adds domain and social verification and works in eight languages, Italian included.
The practical advice: start with ChatGPT for the creative phase (it gives you the reasoning and the variety), then move to dedicated generators only if you run out of ideas. An honest caveat: as naming expert Rob Meyerson observed, AI tools remain mediocre at producing good name ideas — the raw power is there, the taste much less so. The final selection stays yours.
How to do it
From a browser or an app, the path is the same. The difference between a dull name and a spot-on one lies entirely in the context you give the AI: the more specific you are, the fewer empty words you'll get.
- Open your assistant (ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini) and start a new conversation.
- Paste the prompt below, replacing the parts in square brackets with your data.
- Read the three categories of names and mark the 5 that sound best said out loud (the "I'll say it over the phone" test is decisive).
- Ask for variants of your favorites, with the follow-up prompt.
- Check the domain and trademark before deciding (see the dedicated section).
The request for the first phase:
You are a brand naming expert. I need to name this project:
- What it does: [e.g. an app that turns photographed receipts into expense reports]
- Who it's for: [e.g. freelancers and small sole proprietors in Italy]
- Desired tone: [e.g. practical, reassuring, a bit ironic]
- What I do NOT want: [e.g. technical English names, acronyms, words that are hard to spell]
Propose 21 names divided into three groups of seven:
1. Descriptive (they immediately say what it does)
2. Evocative (they suggest an emotion or an image)
3. Invented (new words, short, pronounceable)
For each one, add a line explaining the why.
Use only names of at most three syllables and easy to spell on first hearing.
The follow-up once you have your favorites:
I like these: [name 1], [name 2], [name 3].
For each one give me 5 variants: change the ending sound, try a shorter version
and one with a different suffix. Keep the tone and ease of pronunciation.
Expected feedback after step 3: if the names all seem generic or too similar, it's not your fault nor the AI's: there's a lack of specificity in the briefing. Go back to the prompt and add a concrete detail about the audience or an example of a brand you admire ("in the spirit of Satispay, not Amazon").
A concrete example
Marco opens a small gluten-free pastry workshop in Bologna and has a total block on the name. He opens ChatGPT (free plan) and pastes the prompt indicating: product "artisanal gluten-free sweets", audience "celiacs and intolerant people who don't want to give up taste", tone "warm, reassuring, artisanal", prohibition "not the word gluten-free in the name".
The AI returns 21 options. Among the evocative ones, "Spiga Lieve" stands out and among the invented ones "Glutea". Marco discards "Glutea" (it recalls the problem too much) and keeps "Spiga Lieve" and "Briosa". He asks for variants and gets "Spigamia", "Lievemente", "Briosità".
He moves on to verification. On instantdomainsearch.com he types "spigalieve": the .it is free. On TMview he searches "Spiga Lieve" filtering for Italy and EUIPO: no confusable trademark in the food class. Marco registers the domain in the afternoon. Total time: 40 minutes, cost: the price of the domain.
When it does NOT work (and how to fix it)
If the AI proposes only dull or identical names
The problem is almost always a briefing that is too vague. Rewrite the prompt adding a strong creative constraint: "use a metaphor from the world of sailing" or "merge two unexpected Italian words". Automatic generators suffer the same limitation: the worst services drown you in irrelevant names, while a well-made tool stays relevant to your sector.
If you've run out of free messages
On ChatGPT free, once the time-window cap is reached you get diverted to a reduced model. The immediate way out: switch to another free assistant and continue there. Claude's free plan offers Sonnet, a solid mid-tier model, not the smallest option in the range. Alternatively, a dedicated generator like Namelix applies no message caps.
If the name is perfect but the domain is taken
Don't discard the name right away. If your preferred .com is taken, you have several routes: extensions like .io, .co, .ai or a sector TLD suited to your brand. For a local Italian project, the .it often stays free even when the .com is taken. Check everything in one shot: Instant Domain Search checks availability across over 800 extensions simultaneously, querying ICANN-accredited registrars directly.
If you fear the name is already a registered trademark
You can't skip this check: using an already-protected name means risking an opposition and throwing away the registration money. The go-to free tool is TMview, which checks the availability of a trademark in over a hundred national and regional offices. A point many get wrong: when you filter for Italy, always also include EUIPO and WIPO, which respectively register European and international trademarks that are valid here too.
If the search finds nothing but you want legal certainty
The do-it-yourself search is a first filter, not a guarantee: the list of results is not exhaustive and your trademark can be contested even when the search produces nothing. For a serious investment, similar trademarks on related products can be challenged too. The real way out: before registering, have the final shortlist validated by an industrial property consultant. It's the expense that avoids having to do it all over again.
A tip from someone who actually uses it
The test that saves the most names is the most banal one: pronounce each candidate out loud, then try dictating it over the phone to an elderly person. If you have to spell it or repeat it twice, discard it, no matter how beautiful it looks in writing. The AI optimizes for the eye, not the ear, and a name lives mostly out loud — when someone recommends it to a friend. Generate 50 options if you like, but decide with your ears.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use ChatGPT free for this or do I have to pay?
Yes, the free plan covers a naming session without problems. The Free plan is designed for quick questions, drafts, and one-off tasks: generating and refining names falls fully within this scope, and you'll hardly exhaust the message cap before having your final shortlist.
Are the names the AI generates already "mine" to use?
No. The AI produces ideas, it doesn't verify rights. Before using them you check two things: the domain (Instant Domain Search or Namecheap, free) and the trademark (TMview, free). You can also search for free on the official UIBM, EUIPO, and WIPO databases; for important commercial decisions, a professional search remains advisable.
Better a name that says what it does or an invented one?
It depends on the channel. A descriptive name helps those who search for you on Google; an invented name is more distinctive but has to be "taught" to the audience. Ask the AI for both categories (the prompt above does this) and choose based on how you'll reach customers: if you live on word of mouth, reward pronounceability; if you live on online search, a few keywords in the name help.
In which language is it best to generate the names?
In the language of your audience, not in English out of inertia. An app for Italian sole proprietors works better with a recognizable Italian name. Namify also works in Italian, and with ChatGPT you specify it in the prompt. English makes sense only if you're targeting foreign markets from day one.
Isn't it risky that the AI gives me a name already used by a competitor?
It's a real risk, and it's the reason verification is not optional. The AI doesn't "know" what's already registered: it draws from linguistic patterns and can regenerate an existing name without realizing it. That's why TMview and the domain check are part of the process, not an extra. When you choose a trademark, first type it into a search engine and on social media; then verify that the corresponding domains are free and register them right away, before someone else does.