Try using the first letter of every word in a phrase or parts of words or names. Some real world examples are AOL (America Online), BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) and BENQ (Bringing Enjoyment and Quality to life).

Mix two or more words that are meaningful for you and your business. Some examples are Compaq (from “computer” and “pack”), Evernote (from “forever” and “note”), Groupon (from “group” and “coupon”) and Lego (from the Danish “leg godt”, which means to “play well”).

Do you have a passion for literature or history? Look no further than your Greek and Roman legends! For example, ASUS (from the mythical winged horse Pegasus) and Nike (the goddess of Victory). A character, place or object could also be a good start for a name; like Samsonite (from the Bible character Samson) or Starbucks (from Starbuck, the young chief mate of the Pequod, in Moby Dick).

Even if your audience is based in one region, a foreign name (or foreign-sounding name) can be very memorable in your customers’ native language. Just look at Audi (the Latin translation of the German name “Horch”), Altavista (Spanish for “high view”) or Daewoo (“great house” in Korean).

If you’re not convinced by any other names, why not use your own? Many of the most well-known brands were actually their inventor’s or their owner’s name, like Bayer (Friedrich Bayer was the founder of the company), Boeing (After William E. Boeing) and Grundig (named after the founder Max Grundig) and Cadillac (after the French explorer Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac).

Use a world map to get inspired, just like Adobe (after the Adobe Creek, running close to the founder’s house), Amazon (named after the largest river in the world, by volume of water) and Fuji (named after the highest mountain in Japan) did.

Another way of finding a new name for your business is trying various word combinations, such as your name and where you live. Some examples are DKNY (Donna Karan New York) and IKEA (from the founder’s name Ingvar Kamprad and where he grew up: Elmtaryd Agunnaryd).

If you’re going to partner with another entrepreneur or merge your company with another one, instead of a completely new name, make up a name using fragments from both names, just like Ben & Jerry’s or 20th Century Fox.

Using your kids’ names or nicknames might sound a little strange, but just look at companies like Mercedes (named after the daughter of one of the founders) and Danone (named after the founder’s son’s childhood nickname); they don’t sound strange anymore, do they?

Another way to come up with a business name is to take a symbol or an essential element of your work and create a new name starting from that word. Pixar, for example, is a combination of the word pixel and the initials of one of its founders, Alvy Ray Smith.