Businesses with pseudo-futuristic names like Syrn, Skylrk, and Cyklar are impossible to pronounce and even harder to remember. Long gone are the days when the name Goop seemed silly or when anyone famous still put her government name on a line of lipsticks or hot sauces.

The Rise of Unconventional Branding

The buzziest new brand names are increasingly difficult to pronounce and recall. Take, pronounced “siren.” Or Skylrk, as in “sky lark,” a streetwear label from Justin Bieber. One of the most popular new launches at Sephora is a line of lotions from influencer Claudia Sulewski called Cyklar, pronounced “sike-lure.” Even names that are easier to sound out, like Alix Earle’s Reale Actives, are likely to cause headaches.

Trademark Troubles and Legal Hurdles

This trend has been building since at least 2024, when Serena Williams launched Wyn Beauty and Beyoncé debuted her hair-care line, pronounced “sacred.” Trademark databases are clogged, blocking Instagram handles and forcing entrepreneurial celebrities everywhere to declare war on the dictionary to score their coveted domain names. Suddenly, even a name as baffling as the RealReal seems reasonable.

“Any time you have to explain your name, you’re essentially apologizing for it,” says Alexandra Watkins, the founder of naming firm Eat My Words, who named Wendy’s Baconator. She notes that brand names are getting worse, despite her deal-breakers including names that “look like a typo” and are “hard to pronounce.”

The Complications of Availability

Chris Black, a podcaster and creative consultant, recounts a recent experience where a client’s two favorite skin-care brand names were vetoed by their lawyer. “There were enough red flags and similar categories that had the same name or a similar name, or it had been dormant for ten years, but we would have to contact them and try to buy it,” he said. “It’s just too complicated at a certain point.”

David Placek, founder of Lexicon Branding, the agency that named Febreze, BlackBerry, and Sonos, explains that clearing trademarks is becoming increasingly difficult. “We are approaching an inflection point in the difficulty of clearing marks,” he says. He notes that requests for names based on stars or Greek gods are common.

The Value of Memorability vs. Creativity

Placek’s agency now finds that only about ten out of 100 potential names “survive” legal review, down from 50 two decades ago. While he doesn’t dislike Syrn, he agrees it’s confusing, stating, “That could be a bank name.” He emphasizes that creative spelling doesn’t solve trademark issues if the pronunciation is similar to an existing brand. Securing URLs is also a challenge; Skylark.com is a travel site, Sacred.com sells domain names, and Siren.com is for sale for $1.75 million.

Watkins argues that founders often prioritize securing a “.com” domain over a memorable name. She believes today’s shoppers prioritize visual names over exact URLs.

Celebrity Strategy and Long-Term Vision

Sierra Tishgart, co-founder and former CEO of Great Jones and founder of naming agency Big Name, compares the trend to the early tech internet with names like Flickr, Tumblr, and Grindr. She notes that consumers often simply refer to “Sydney Sweeney’s brand.”

Celebrities often avoid using their full names to facilitate future sales of their businesses, as seen with Jennifer Aniston and Living Proof. Conglomerates also prefer neutral names to avoid negative associations with founders, as demonstrated by the rebranding of Kat Von D’s makeup line as KVD Vegan Beauty.

Even using middle names isn’t foolproof, as Hailey Bieber discovered when she was sued by a clothing line with the same name, Rhode. Despite the lawsuit, Rhode, the beauty brand, was later valued at $1 billion.

The Power of the Celebrity Behind the Brand

Black successfully launched his menswear line, Hanover, without trademark issues. He believes that a brand’s success ultimately depends on the celebrity who promotes it, with the name being secondary. He predicts Syrn will succeed despite its name.