Tips For Naming a Coffee Shop

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Last Updated on September 29, 2020

There are close to 500,000 coffee shops in the United States alone. So, it’s no surprise settling on a unique coffee shop name can be frustrating.

Picking the right brand name gives potential customers an idea about the services your coffee shop provides, creates a good first impression, and helps you stand out from the competition.

Are all the good names already taken? How do you come up with something fresh? And is the business name available and legal to use?

Related:

If you’re not sure how to answer those questions, you’re in the right place. Keep reading to learn my top tips for choosing a great business name, idea of what names other successful coffee shops are using, and how to make sure your favorite choices are available and legal to use.

Let’s dive in!

Tips for Choosing a Catchy Coffee Shop or Cafe Name

If you’re struggling to choose a creative name for your coffee shop or cafe, one of the best things to do is to just start brainstorming. As you go through the tips outlined below, make a list of words, phrases, and terms associated with your business.

From there, you can narrow down the list and cross off ideas you don’t like.

Once you have several top considerations, we’ll walk through how to make sure you’re allowed to use them. This last step helps you narrow down your list even more so you can make a final decision.

Quick Reference

1. Consider your product

There are countless types of common terms to describe coffee, so you may consider using them in your own coffee shop. Words around coffee range from iced to espresso to mocha to caffeine to bean, etc.

Add the different types of services you want to offer to your brainstorming list.

Remember to avoid anything limiting your business’s future growth if you decide to go in another direction down the road.

2. Location-Specific Terms

Most coffee shops are specific to a geographic service area. So, if that’s true for your business, you could consider using your location’s name for your business.

You can consider things like:

City nicknames
Neighborhoods
Regions or states
And descriptive terms like Rooftop Cafe

However, consider what happens if you expand your local coffee shop to another community. Does the name become limiting? If so, it’s best to avoid it if you plan to expand or change directions later.

3. Avoid Business Names That Are Hard to Pronounce, Hear, or Spell

Despite the technological advances of voice search, assistants like Siri and Alexa struggle to understand slang and other confusing words.

This could limit how often your business shows up in voice (and text-based) search if your name is hard to spell, pronounce, or hear. Because of that, it’s important to avoid complicated words, industry jargon, and using numbers in place of letters. While having a unique cafe name is good, being too unique may not be so good.

Using a simple name makes it easy for your target audience to remember and more importantly so they can easily find you.

4. Consider Alliterations and Rhyming Words

Another way to come up with a memorable name is to used alliterations and rhymes. Because of that, they can make for creative coffee shop names.

That said, it’s not always easy to come up with them. Start with choosing a few of your favorite words from your master brainstorm list.

Then, you can Google “words that start with C” to come up with a name like Caffeine Café or J for Joyous Java or whatever letter you’re using to create an alliteration. Alternatively, you can search “words that rhyme with _____”.

It can be time-consuming, but it’s an excellent place to start.

And don’t forget to add any exciting finds to your brainstorm list while you’re at it. Try not to overthink the names you come up with in this stage. Just write them all down as some of the more interesting ones may spark better ideas later.

5. Steer Clear of Initials or Obscure Acronyms

Initials and unusual acronyms are hard to remember, so they typically don’t make a great name for a business. They can also be challenging to pronounce and confusing for voice search as well.

Furthermore, there are 325 different two-letter combination possibilities in the English language. And the odds of your customers remembering the specific letters you chose are pretty small.

6. Imagery Words

Another consideration when brainstorming name ideas is whether there are industry-related words that could also lend themselves to also be used in your own unique logo. For instance, a coffee shop could use a coffee mug or coffee bean and focus the name around the image

Related: .

7. The Owner’s Name

If you’ve made it this far and are still struggling to find an amazing name, you can always consider using the business owner’s name or the name of a family member. Doing so works well if the owner plans to also be the face behind the business.

Something to keep in mind is that using the owner’s name as the business name can make it more challenging to sell the business in the future.

8. Existing Coffee Shop Names

Here is a long list of possible names from existing coffee shop businesses across the U.S. While many of these catchy coffee shop name ideas may be available for you to use, be sure to check first to be sure it can be used.

Tips on how to check business name availability are after the list of names!

11th Hour Coffee
1951 Coffee Co
4 Paws Coffee Co
401 Brew Street
602 Coffee House
A M Coffee
A Taste Of Heaven Coffee Shop
Able Roasting
Acre Coffee
Activity Coffee Co
Alexa Coffee Please
Algorithm Coffee
Alibi Coffee Co
Ambrose Cafe
Amsterdamn Coffeeshop
Anfilo Coffee
Anna’s Coffee Shop
Ark Coffee Co
Aroma Coffee
Aroma Mocha Coffee
Asip Coffee Roasters
Auburn Coffee Co
Aztec Coffee & Games
Bad Ass Coffee
Bad Coffee
Balboa Perk
Bardstown Coffee Co
Barista Dan
Barista Society
Bark Roast Coffee
Barrel Aged Coffee
Batavia Coffee Bar
Beach Club Iced Coffees
Bean Creek Coffee
Beanberry
Best Roast Coffee
Better Buzz Coffee Roasters
Better Coffee
Beverly Drive Coffee Co
Big Pot of Coffee
Big House Beans
Bigbee Coffee Roasters
Bird & Bean
Bison Coffee
Black Cabin Coffee
Black Lab Coffee
Black Rose Coffee & Tea
Blackstone Ave Coffee Co
Blackwood Coffee
Blendz San Carlos
Bloom Coffee
Blue Bottle Coffee
Blue Skies Coffee
Blue Streak Coffee
Bluwater Coffee
Board House Coffee
Bold Brew Coffee
Bolder Coffee
Bootstrap Joe Coffeeworks
Boss Coffee
Boutique Coffee
Brave Coffee
Break Caffe Espresso Bar
Brew Fix
Brew Ha Ha
Brew Yaya
Brewja Coffee
Brewton’s Barista
Bright Bean Coffee
Bright Eye Coffee Co
Bunch Coffee
Burlap Coffee
Cafenated Coffee Co
Caffeine Canteen
California Bean
California Coffee Authority
Cameron Park Coffee & Deli
Canoe Creek Coffee
Canyon Coffee Co
Captain Kirk’s Coffee
Carmen’s Coffee Co
Cas D’Amore (house of love)
Catfish Coffeehouse
Cats & Caffeine
Cento Coffee
Chico Coffee Co
City Heights Coffee House
Clementine Coffee Roasters
Cloud 9 Coffee Co
Clovernote Coffee Co
Clutch Coffee
Coastal Coffee Connection
Code 3 Coffee
Coffee Assistance
Coffee Attic
Coffee Bean Collective
Coffee Blocks
Coffee Can
Coffee Commissary Glendale
Coffee Concept
Coffee Corner Co
Coffee Cultures Soma
Coffee Cup
Coffee Del Mundo
Coffee Dose
Coffee Drive Up
Coffee For Sasquatch
Coffee Expresso
Coffee Gram
Coffee Hub
Coffee Love
Coffee Method
Coffee Milano
Coffee Mill
Coffee Mission
Coffee Movement
Coffee Muse
Coffee N Kream
Coffee N Talk
Coffee Of Champions
Coffee Road Plaza
Coffee Saloon
Coffee Shop Newport Beach
Coffee Studio
Coffee Time
Coffee With A Cop
Coffeenow
Coffeeology
Coffeeteria
Collaborative Coffee
Collage Coffee
Common Good Coffee Roasters
Common Grounds
Constellation Coffee
Contraband Coffee
Coolbrouwen Coffee
Coop’s Coffee House
Cornerstone Coffee
Coro Coffee Room
Craftsman Coffee
Cream & Coffee
Crostini & Java
Cup Of Coffee
Cuppa Cuppa
Curbside Coffee
D H Espresso
Daily Brew
Daily Grind
Dale Bros Coffee
Dan’s Roadhouse Coffee
Dead Eye Coffee Bar
Deja Brew
Devil Mountain Coffee Co
Double Time Coffee
Downing Coffee
Dragon Brew Coffee
Dream Coffee
Dripp Coffee
Driven Coffee Co
Duet Coffee
Duff Coffee Productions
Dukes Hawaiian Coffee
Dutch Bros Coffee
East Bay Coffee Co
Eco Delight Coffee
Eco Trek Coffee Co
Elements Coffee
Elixir Specialty Coffee
Epic Coffee Lounge
Equilateral Coffee
Espresso Cuts
Espresso Tek
Estate Coffee
Farm Cup Coffee
Farmhouse Coffee
Fast Cat Coffee
Feral Coffee Co
Fig Tree Coffee
Firehouse Coffee Shop
Foam Coffee
Forum Coffee House
Fourth Wave Coffee
Fox Coffee House
Foxwood Coffee
Freedom Eagle Coffee Co
Freshpresso Coffee
Fressino Roar Cafe
Friendly Joe
Full Nerd Coffee
Fulton Street Coffee Roasters
Garden Coffee
Gi Gi Coffee
Giving Coffee Co
Global Coffee Trading
Goat Coffee
Golden Goat Coffee
Golden State Coffee Roasters
Good People Coffee Co
Grand Parade Coffee
Granolas Coffee House
Grind Coffee
Grind Time Coffee
Grindhouse
Ground Floor Coffee
Happy Grounds Coffee Co
Harbor Coffee
Hashtags & Coffee
Hasta Muerte Coffee
Hawthorne Coffee
Hermosa Coffee Roasters
Hidden House Coffee Roasters
Higher Ground Coffee
Highlight Coffee
High-Top Coffee
Hitched Coffee Co
Hive Coffee Bar
Holy Grounds Coffee House
Honeycomb Coffee
Hot Shots Coffee Co
House Of Black Coffee Co
House Roots Coffee
Human Bean
Humbug Joe Coffee Depot
Industrial Grind Coffee
Jake’s Coffee Bar
Java 23
Java Break
Java Doc
Java Dream
Java Gold Coffee Roasters
Java Guyz
Java Joe’s
Java Junction
Java Junkie
Java Resource Co
Java Stardust Productions
Java Tech
Jazzy Grounds Coffee Bar/Cafe
Jitters Coffee House
Joe’s Coffee & Deli
Joybrewed Espresso
Joyful Cup
Joyhouse
Kafae Coffee
Kaleidoscope Coffee
Kamson Coffee
Kin Coffee & Tea
Kindness & Mischief Coffee
King Coffee
Kingdom Koffee
Kingston Coffee Roasters
Kipsy Coffee
Kit Coffee
Kraken Coffee Co
Kuju Coffee
Kuppa Joy
LA Colonia Coffee Co
Lafayette Coffee Shop
Land & Water Coffee
Lavish Coffee Bar
Lazy Eye Coffee
Le Petit Coffee Shop
Level Grounds Xpresso
Light Bulb Coffee
Local Cup
Longevity Coffee
Los Olivos Coffee
Lotta Java
Love Coffee Bar
Lucky Coffee
Mad Mike’s Coffee
Madison & Park Coffee
Make Good Coffee Co
Malibu Brew Coffee
Manhattan Mocha
Mantra Coffee
Matador Coffee
Moonshot Coffee
Native Ground Coffee Stop
Old Town Espresso
Perfect Blend
Provision Coffee Bar
Relax Coffee Shop
River Perk
Rosshouse Coffee
Royal Coffee Bar
Scooter’s Coffeehouse
Second Cup
Steam Room
Think Coffee
Tiny Coffee House
Top Fuel Espresso
Wings Coffee Co

Checking the Availability of Your Top Considerations

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 brand 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 each one.

Trademark Search

Trademarks are the most critical, so we’ll start here.

If a name or phrase is trademarked, you’re not allowed to use it in a similar capacity. So, run a trademark search for each business name you’re considering and cross off those that aren’t available.

Popular coffee shop names like Starbucks and Cafe Du Monde are just two that are trademarked.

Learn more about

Local Search

Just because there isn’t a federal trademark on a name doesn’t mean the name you want is available. That’s because there is a trademark known as a common law trademark. A common law trademark isn’t filed anywhere but provides someone who is using that name in commerce some limited rights in their geographical area to use the name. It can be hard to define how far geographically these rights extend as each industry is different, but at a basic level, someone can’t open a business and name it the same or similar name as a competing business in town. If you think the name could potentially create confusion with customers, it is usually best to just find another one to use to avoid potential legal issues down the road.

To do a local search, open up the phone book (if you still have one), and do a Google search to see if there are any local competitors with a similar business name to the one you want to use.

Cross off any similar names from your list and take the rest and let’s keep checking.

State Entity Search (If Applicable)

If you plan to register your coffee shop as a corporation or LLC, you have to register with a unique business name. Each state requires every corporation or LLC to register a unique name for their entity. This doesn’t necessarily protect your name from anyone else using it, but nobody can register a corporation or LLC under the same name in your state.

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If you find the name is in use, cross it off your list and move on.

Domain Name Availability

Website addresses aren’t as critical as the first three searches, but it’s still worth doing. Typically, you want your domain name to be “yourbusinessname.com” without any numbers, dashes, etc.

It’s easiest for customers to remember, but these are hard to come by.

However, you can explore other configurations and extensions if your preferred domain name isn’t available. Just remember your customers may have a more difficult time finding you online.

You can start with . Type in the domain name you want to use to see if it’s available. The tool also returns other possibilities you may want to consider.

Social Media Profiles

Next, especially if you are stuck between a couple of names, check and see if anyone is already using your potential coffee business names on social media. Consider which platforms you plan to use and start with those.

Keep in mind you may have to shorten your company name for some platforms. Twitter only allows 15 characters, for example.

Start with your preferred platforms and do a quick search for your name. If nothing pops up, that likely means no one is using it, and you’re good to go.

Example: Someone is using startingyourbusiness on Instagram, so I would have to choose a different handle, making it more difficult for customers to find me.

Vanity Phone Number

An inexpensive way to make your business stick out and is easier for your customers to remember is to get a custom phone number with your business name. These are affordable too, with pricing typically around $10-$30 per month, depending on the level of features you need.

Companies like or let you type in words to quickly see if a local or toll-free number is available.

Hopefully you now have a short list of good coffee shop names. Once you have this list narrowed down to just a few and researched that they are all available, start asking friends, family, and potential customers their thoughts to get feedback and then pick your perfect coffee shop name!