Today, locksmiths in the United States are a $3 billion per year industry, with more than 26,000 businesses in operation.
It probably feels like all the good names are already taken with that many businesses in operation, right? Furthermore, how do you find an excellent name that represents your brand and speaks to your target audience?
How do you make the final decision?
If you’re struggling to name your locksmith business, don’t worry. You’re in the right place. In this article, I cover some of the top tips for naming your new business as well as how to make sure the name is legally available for you to use.
Learn more about the locksmith industry
Tips For Naming Your Locksmith Business
Naming a business is hard, especially if you don’t have any ideas or a place to start. So, before you dive in, grab a piece of paper and a pen or open up a blank spreadsheet.
Then, use it as a place to brainstorm ideas and write down words or phrases that come to mind as you go through the tips below.
From there, we’ll talk about narrowing things down and landing on the perfect name.
1. Keep It as Short as Possible
Short business names are usually snappier, catchier, and easier to remember. Ideally, you want to stick to two to five syllables and hopefully no more than 25 characters total.
However, the shorter the name, the better.
That said, there are exceptions to this, and it’s not a hard rule. But when you think about huge, notable brands, which ones come to mind?
Nike. Apple. Ikea. Febreeze. Target. Honeywell.
They’re easy to remember because they’re short, simple, and brandable.
Obviously, there are exceptions to these rules. But typically, the shorter and simpler your name, the easier it is for everyone to remember.
2. Avoid Words That Are Hard to Hear and Pronounce
Voice-to-text and voice search are more popular now than ever before. So, it’s important to consider making your name easy to pronounce and hear.
To do this, avoid using:
- Commonly misspelled words
- Complex terms that are hard to spell
- Words that have several pronunciations
- Homophones like to, too, and two
Try to keep things as concise and simple as possible.
3. Consider Security Related Terms
Since you’re opening a locksmith business, it might make sense to use security-related words in the name, especially if you’re feeling stuck. It may help to start brainstorming terms, phrases, and words to get all your ideas down on paper.
A few examples of this could include; Mobile Locksmith Services, Speedy Lock and Key, or Lock Doctor.
For a boost of creativity, expand use the thesaurus to find synonyms around the words of what your business does. You can either use the thesaurus function from your word processor or thesaurus.com to develop additional synonyms.
From there, you can cross off bad ideas or any terms you don’t like.
4. Phrases Your Audience and Competition Uses
Your business exists for your target audience, so it’s important to consider phrases and terms they use when talking about hiring a locksmith.
There are quite a few places you can look to see what your customers (and competitors) are saying, including:
- Facebook groups, posts, and stories
- Forums related to the locksmith business industry
- Competitor websites, brochures, and flyers
- Trade journals
- Magazines or blogs
Alternatively, you can ask friends or relatives in your target audience. Hearing it directly from them may help you brainstorm and narrow down your choices.
Remember to avoid anything limiting your business’s future growth if you decide to go in another direction down the road.
5. What’s Your Specialty?
Do you specialize in a particular business segment? Maybe you focus on commercial accounts or just residential ones. Or perhaps you also do security systems.
Regardless of your specialty, consider alluding to it in the name of your business.
6. Neighborhoods, Cities, and Nicknames
Including the name of your city, street, or neighborhood is an excellent way to encourage local shopping and create a strong sense of community in your area.
You can also think about nicknames for your city or neighborhood, as well. Here are some examples to use as inspiration:
- Charleston Locksmiths
- Locksmith Services of Austin
- NY Locksmiths
With that said, make sure the name you choose isn’t limiting if you decide to move or expand your locksmith business down the road.
7. Incorporate Your Name
If you’re still struggling to find the perfect name, consider using your name, a nickname, or something personal and unique to you.
This is a fantastic way to build a personal brand if that’s something you want to do. Some great examples of this in action include:
- Casey Lock & Key
- Larry the Locksmith
- Russel’s 24 Hour Locksmiths
- Jones Locksmith Company
- Martin Commercial Locksmith Service
If you go this route, keep in mind it may make it harder to sell your locksmith business later on.
List of Catchy Locksmith Business Names
Here is a list of existing locksmith business names that may help give you some creative ideas. While many of these names may be available for you to use, be sure to check first to be sure they can be used.
Tips on how to check business name availability are after the list of names!
- 1 Stop Locksmith
- 24 Hour Lockmasters
- 24/7 Lock Pro Locksmith
- 50 Dollar Locksmith
- A & M Lock Service
- AAA Advanced Locksmith
- A Local Locksmith
- A Superior Lock & Security
- A To Z Lock & Key
- A1 Locksmith
- AAA Locksmith 24/7
- Absolute Lock & Security
- Affordable Locksmith
- After Hours Lock & Key
- All Day Locksmith
- Alliance Locksmith Service
- Aloha Brothers Locksmith Service
- Alpha Lock & Key
- American Lock & Key
- ASAP Locksmith
- Associated Locksmiths
- AZ Locksmith Today
- Ben’s Lock & Key
- Bluegrass Safe & Lock
- Campus Locksmith
- Cape Coral Lock Service
- Captain Lock Pick
- Car Key Locksmith
- Central Valley Lockout
- Chuck The Locksmith
- Countywide Locksmith
- Davis Lock Service
- Deadbolt Solutions
- Dependable Locks
- Dependable Locksmith
- Discount Locksmith
- Duval County Locksmith
- Eagle Locksmith
- El Cheapo Locksmith
- Emergency Lockout Service
- Eureka Lockouts & Locksmithing
- Express Locksmith
- E-Z Locksmith
- Five Stars Locksmith
- Flash Locksmith Miami
- Florida Lock Experts
- Flying Locksmiths
- Gainesville Locksmith Service
- Gary’s Lock & Safe
- Golden Key Locksmith 247
- Greeley Lockout Specialist
- Guardian Lock & Key
- Heartland Safe & Lock
- Hero Locksmiths
- Instant Keys Of Orlando
- Jax Lock Express
- Key Masters
- Key Pro Lock & Security
- Keyology Lock & Safe
- Legitimate locksmith
- Lexington Locksmith
- Liberty Lockworks
- Lightning Locksmith
- Local Locksmith Service
- Lock Boss
- Lock Hawk
- Lock Master
- Lock N Roll Locksmith
- Lock Solutions Of Broward
- Locksmith Co
- Locksmith Guru
- Locksmith Rescue
- Locksmith Services
- Locksmith Solutions
- Locksmiths San Jose
- Master Locksmith
- Mendy’s Locksmith Service
- Mike’s Lock & Key
- Mobile Key Express
- Mobile Locksmith Squad
- Ninja Lock
- Pop My Lock
- Pro Local Locksmith
- Quick Locksmith
- Rainbow Lock & Key
- Reliable Locksmith
- Reputable Locksmith
- Rita Rocks Locks
- River City Locksmith
- Rocket Locksmith
- Security Lock & Key
- Speedy Locksmith
- St Augustine Locksmith Co
- Superior Locksmith
- Sure Lock & Key
- Top Tech Locksmith
- Unique Locksmiths
- Universal Locksmith
- Unlock It
- USA Lock & Key
- Veteran Master Locksmith
- Village Locksmith
- VIP Lock & Key
- Your Lock Shop
Finding the Perfect Name: Putting It All Together
By now, you should have a lengthy list of words, phrases, and terms you can use in your business name. At this point, I highly recommend going through and removing any that are hard to spell or pronounce.
Now, you can start combining pieces together until something stands out. It may help to create a list of potential names you can use. From there, you can narrow things down to your favorites.
But before you make your final decision, it’s important that your new name passes a few tests.
Say It Out Loud
Make sure you say your new name out loud. It may look great as a logo, domain name, and on a business card. But it also needs to sound good when you say it out loud.
You can also sit down with someone and talk about your business. Does saying the name in casual conversation sound natural? If not, you may want to consider something simpler or easier to say.
Logo Design
Lastly, think about how to incorporate your new name into a logo. Logos should be simple, memorable, and indicative of your brand.
Take Apple, for example. Their business name is easily incorporated into a logo. And today, it’s a household symbol that everyone immediately recognizes.
A logo is an important part of your brand identity, so don’t forget to consider turning your name into a memorable logo as you make your final decision.
Related: How to create a logo for your business.
Is Your Locksmith Name Available to Use?
At this point, you should have several top considerations to choose from. And the best way to narrow it down further is to check each one for availability.
This step is vital because using a name that someone else is using could be very costly, time-consuming to rebrand your business, and possibly embarrassing. There are several places to look to check whether a name is available to use, so let’s walk through the most common ones.
Can the business name be registered in your state?
If you plan to use a specific business name, you may be required by the state to verify it’s available to use.
Related: How to check business name availability in your state
Is your name already trademarked?
When searching for a name for your new business, you should check that your new name isn’t trademarked by someone else. If it is, you may not be allowed to use it legally.
Thankfully, the United States Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) makes trademark searching a breeze through their Trademark Database.
A name isn’t necessarily available if it doesn’t appear in this search. Every business has some limited protection through a common law trademark. This means another business can’t open up down the street with the same name, as this creates confusion for customers. Also, check local competitors by doing a Google search and looking through the Yellow Pages.
If your name is available and you want to protect it from being used by anyone else, you can register it with the USPTO.
Related: How to check for a trademark
Hopefully, you now have some good name ideas for your locksmith business. Once you have narrowed down this list to just a few and researched that they are all available, start asking friends, family, and potential customers for their thoughts to get feedback, and then pick your perfect locksmith business name!
