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the names of the property and the village in which he grew up (Elmtaryd
Agunnaryd). Zynga was named after Mark Pincus’ bulldog.

Yahoo started as “Jerry’s Guide to the World Wide Web” and then became an
acronym for “Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle.”

Where the name comes from doesn’t really matter.

Come up with ten names that aren’t ridiculous and then apply this framework to
choose the best one.

A Framework for Choosing an Acceptable
Business Name

1. Is it taken?

It’s best not to choose a name that’s already taken. I can’t provide legal advice
here on how to work out if you have the right to use a name, but as a bare
minimum you should check:

Is there a trademark on the name in your region? You can use
uspto.gov/trademarks14 in the U.S.
Is the .com taken for the name? This will often point you to whether or not
someone is actively using the name. This doesn’t necessarily mean you rule
it out, but it’s another consideration.
Is the Twitter handle taken? This can give you a good idea of how active
someone is if the name is taken. You can use knowem.com/15 to see what
social profiles are active under the name.
Are you able to register the name for your business in your local area?

None of these are absolute deal-breakers. There are plenty of businesses who
have started with names that have been used for other things. It’s up to you to
look at how the name is being used and decide if it’s an acceptable level of risk
for you to use it.