This is a great thread! Thanks to
@Dmchaka for starting it, and for all who have replied. It is a topic I have considered writing about for the NamePros Blog, and perhaps the discussion here will spur me to really research and write it.
For me, there are
certain niches that interest me, so for those I am constantly on the lookout for creating names or finding
expired/expiring names. More often than not it is not so much the expiring name directly interests me, but rather it gives an idea for a related name.
Reading news, especially tech news, discussions here on NamePros, and from social media all helps suggest ideas.
As I
walk around community, or read books, or watch tv, or especially hear commentary, constantly ideas pop into my head, most of which never find a relevant name.
I sporadically
enter naming contests at SH. While I have not been successful in making money that way, seeing what people are searching for a name in, and my own efforts in responding, are a source for ideas. A few names I have come from names I proposed but were not selected.
I have tried a
service that proposes names based on AI. While most of the names I do not like, that did generate a few ideas I would not have thought of.
I
regularly read the new names added to BrandBucket, not to closely mimic any, but often that strikes home with how effective a certain qualifier word would be.
Similarly, the SH statistics shared about things like popular leading and trailing words sometimes generate other ideas.
-Bob