Among the many rave reviews that the Jim Sarbh-starring Made In India: A Titan Story received, this one by Indian Express stole the spotlight for us: “Yes, it’s bygone, but the qualities it endorses are timeless.”
This review not only holds true for the series, but also for the brand in question. In fact, it is true for some of India’s most enduring brand names.
Vicco, Parle, TVS, Lakme: think of any Indian legacy brand, and its trust, recall and familiarity will cut across all classes, geographies and languages–no science there, only time (and earnest quality) doing its magic. But brands today don’t have the luxury of time.
And this contrast between brands then and brands now is most apparent in brand names. Let’s take a short trip down memory lane to understand the shift in India’s brand naming landscape.
When Family Name Equalled Brand Name
Fun fact #1: Jaquar (as opposed to popular perception) is an Indian brand
Fun fact #2: The name Jaquar stems from the founder’s family, his grandmother, Jai Kaur, to be precise.
The speculated origin story of Havells is equally interesting. While neither founder has confirmed nor denied it, it is speculated that the name Havells combines the names of its two founders, Haveli Ram Gupta and Qimat Rai Gupta.
Such a familial style of naming, comprising personal names and founder names, was easily accepted as it lent qualities of trust, heritage and belonging, particularly when originating from the founder’s names.
Brands like Chik Shampoo (named after the founder’s father, Chinni Krishnan) inspired aspiration as they were backed by stories of resolve and innovation.
However, with time, these aspirations changed from pioneering in India to leaving an imprint on the world. Thus, foreign-sounding names entered.
Cultural & Geographic Inspirations
Horses riding away at sunset and romantic storylines. Monte Carlo’s 90s ad campaigns went on to become an indelible part of pop culture. But the name is where it all started. For those unaware (looking at you, Gen Zs), Monte Carlo is a premium, Ludhiana-based, winter-wear label.
According to Monica Oswal (Executive Director), the brand draws its name and inspiration directly from the famous city of Monte Carlo on the French Riviera, renowned globally for its sophistication, luxury, and fashion.
The name was selected deliberately to project a cosmopolitan, global feel, blending Indian craftsmanship with international appeal and timeless style.
Lakme shares a similar story. Then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru observed a gap between demand and supply of beauty products. This need gave rise to Lakme, a French derivation of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.
So far into the chronology, if you’re inspired and impressed by the creativity and simplicity of the names, you’re not alone. However, don’t let the sheen of storytelling distract you from the effectiveness of the names.
These timeless names were effective because they were unique, while aptly fitting the brand positioning. Consistency with quality compounded the effect of familiarity and produced these lasting names.
And here’s where this equation fails for today’s brands.
Why Naming Feels Harder Today
Over time, as more businesses and brands entered the market, uniqueness itself became harder to come by, especially in brand names.
As per the need of the hour, a safe, scalable name today must pass a company name check and trademark search before looking for the preferred domain and social handles.
Enter the New Naming Style
The new-age Indian entrepreneur has continued to combine creativity and effectiveness to produce memorable names, but with the added elements of quirk, wit and vibe.
It all began with the boom of the startup ecosystem.
Acronyms, snappy names and homages to our heritage all took shape in new-age names.
On the ground, this looks all too familiar … want groceries delivered to your home in the blink of an eye? Think BlinkIt. If that’s too slow, you can even have them delivered in a zeptosecond with Zepto.
The furniture selling and lending segments witnessed exciting new entrants.
One lends furniture, the other sells it.
One says it as it is, the other evokes the feelings of its target audience. One is Furlenco, the other Pepperfry.
Do you know what Nykaa, Zerodha and Krutrim AI have in common? It’s the Sanskrit origins of their names.
Nykaa: Derived from the Sanskrit word “Nayaka”, meaning an actress or “one in the spotlight”
Zerodha: Combines “Zero” and the Sanskrit word “Rodha” (meaning barrier or obstruction), representing barrier-free investing
Krutrim AI: Takes its name directly from the Sanskrit/Hindi word for “Artificial”, reflecting its AI-driven tech services.
These diverse names represent a milestone in the shift in brand naming. The shift from “what does the name of my brand mean” to “what does the name of my brand make people feel, remember and expect?”
What a Modern Name Has to Survive
Today, one brand name has many functions to perform.
Intelligent, effective, available and memorable, a lasting brand name must be all these, at least.
It must be easy enough to say on a customer support call, type from memory into a search bar, and repeat to a friend without handing them a spelling guide.
It also has to travel through Indian languages and accents. A business selling in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Punjab needs feedback from its intended customers, without assuming everyone in a state speaks the same way.
Beyond category boundaries of descriptive names, evocative names and coined names, the linguistic appeal of a name must shine above all.
To check all these boxes, don’t set a benchmark for your brand name; test it instead.
Say It, Hear It, Search It
There are multiple ways to run pronunciation testing of your brand. You can ask a vendor to test the name in a market, or say the name out loud yourself and ask a customer to spell it.
No matter the method, your goal is to assess if the name is easy to say, especially among your target group of customers and distributors.
The next set of tests covers the legality and digital presence of your brand name: early-stage trademark availability and domain checks. These checks are best undertaken while there are still several names on the table.
Lastly, but most importantly, conduct cross-linguistic screening and cultural validation checks for meanings and associations in different languages.
Hot tip: domain availability does not mean the trademark is clear.
The Practitioner’s War Room
At Tiepograph, we encounter several entrepreneurs who hit a wall after rummaging through hundreds of names. “We’re not able to settle on a name” is a common sentiment they approach us with.
We are able to untangle that because of our linguistics-led naming approach. We obsess over the science of sound symbolism to deliver a name that sounds just right!
Let’s understand with an example.
You liked the feel and fit of a pair of jeans. Now, how likely are you to buy it if the name of the brand is FashionTales vs. if its name is Daglor?
Similarly, if you pass by two stores—Wasshential and Clezo—where are you more likely to drop your laundry?
If you answered Daglor and Clezo (good taste!), you just got a taste of the effectiveness of sound symbolism (and a bit of our genius!)
To arrive at such names, we conduct phonosemantic testing and pan-India sound testing across accents and languages, cultural checks, and early trademark and domain screening. Most importantly, we build intelligent names with a structured system using a library of 7,500+ morphemes
In the case of Clezo, for instance, we assessed the need for a clutter-breaking name that stood out among the sea of “wash” and “clean” references in the express laundry segment. Additionally, focusing on the founder’s goal of expanding the business with chains across multiple Indian cities, it was essential to keep the name short, modern and easy to pronounce across accents.
Thus, Clezo was born, a name that hints at the service—that of an express laundry—while being memorable, simple and scalable.
Despite being fundamental, naming a brand appears last in the chain of events, and that reflects in countless conversations we have with entrepreneurs. We’re often their last pitstop, with everything from numerology to artificial intelligence preceding us.
Yet, naming a brand at inception is not as expensive as renaming is. Here’s why.
The Cost of Bad Naming
Renaming a brand means bearing the massive costs of collateral updates and a digital overhaul, essentially upturning the brand identity and brand equity. In practice, this includes changing logos, packaging, employee uniforms, business cards, signage, and rebuilding websites and email domains.
On the legal front, renaming entails hiring legal experts to secure trademarks and copyrights, while the loss of momentum and the cost of reacquiring trust remain unquantifiable but leave an unmissable dent.
That brings us to the deeper context between naming an Indian brand in the 60s vs. 2026.
The Real Lesson Between the 1960s and Now
Essentially, the qualities of a lasting brand name have not changed:
- Simple
- Memorable
- Easy to pronounce
A few more checkboxes are now added to the list:
- Exclusively yours
- Truly clutter-breaking
- Scaleable
- Digitally available
As for today’s entrepreneur, you now have the luxury of professional expertise to guide your brand naming process.
We at Tiepograph want to, and have the ability to, help you name your venture or rebrand.
Tell the team what you are building, where you hope it will go, and which names have already started an argument at home, while leaving the human judgment, cultural screening, and trademark review up to us.
