TippingSprung, a Manhattan-based brand consultancy, observed that few regular surveys focus on trends in brand naming. Consulting with a panel of branding experts, TippingSprung designed a brand-naming survey to help answer key questions: Which names are most popular? Which are most effective? What are some of the major trends in brand naming today?

Results from TippingSprung’s first annual survey of brand names revealed the top brand names in a number of key categories. Major trends in brand naming were also uncovered. The survey focused on names and products that had been released within the prior 18 months.

Choosing a name is one of the most important decisions a company can make when launching a brand. While packaging, taglines, or even product formulation can change on a regular basis, the name is the one element of the brand that remains constant.

said Martyn Tipping, president, TippingSprung.

The following are a few of the trends noted in the survey:

Authenticity and simplicity rule.

The survey shows that companies are gravitating towards real-word names rather than coined or made-up names. This reflects the consumers’ desire to connect with brands that communicate authenticity and simplicity.

Marketers are stuck in the middle between consumers and lawyers.

Corporate trademark lawyer may like coined names like Verizon or Altria that can be registered and protected in multiple classes. Savvy marketers are trying to satisfy the needs of both audiences by developing coined names that have instantly recognizable roots and meaning. One approach is to “embed” a real word prominently in the new name, as in the examples of Achieva, Genworth, and Scenium. Another approach is to bring two words together to create a new name, as in the case of PureVision, SoundDock, or CallVantage.

As companies get more complicated, so do the names.

With a resurgence in corporate merger and acquisition activity, TippingSprung believes that consumers should brace themselves for a new onslaught of coined names.