Namecast

AI-powered brand name oracle. Generate, filter, and evaluate brand names with domain checks, social handles, similar company analysis, and dynamic persona perception forecasting.

Features

• Name Generation: AI generates brand name candidates based on your project description
• Domain Availability: Checks .com, .io, .co, .ai, .app domains via WHOIS
• Social Handle Checks: Twitter/X and GitHub availability
• Similar Company Search: Finds existing companies with similar names
• Pronunciation Analysis: Syllable count, spelling difficulty, phonetic clarity
• International Safety: Checks for problematic meanings in 7 major languages
• Dynamic Persona Perception: AI role-plays as your target audience to forecast brand perception

Installation

pip install namecast

Or from source:

git clone https://github.com/MaxGhenis/namecast
cd namecast
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Requires an Anthropic API key:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-key-here

Usage

CLI

Find names for a new project:

namecast find "A SaaS tool for tracking carbon emissions"

Include your own ideas:

namecast find "Dog walking app" --ideas Waggle --ideas PupPath

Evaluate a specific name:

namecast eval Acme

Evaluate with mission context:

namecast eval Cloudify --mission "Cloud infrastructure automation for startups"

Compare multiple names:

namecast eval --compare Acme Globex Initech

Claude Code Plugin

If you use Claude Code, Namecast is available as a plugin:

Find names:

/namecast:find A marketplace connecting local farmers with restaurants --ideas FarmLink,HarvestHub

Evaluate a name:

/namecast:evaluate Cloudify --mission Cloud infrastructure automation

The Claude Code plugin runs natively (no API calls) and is free with Claude Max.

Methodology

Scoring System

Names are scored on a 100-point scale:

Category	Points	Description
Domain Availability	40	.com = 40pts, .io only = 25pts
Persona Perception	40	Average of memorability + professionalism ratings
Linguistic Quality	20	Pronunciation ease, international safety, uniqueness

Dynamic Persona Generation

Unlike static persona sets, Namecast generates personas tailored to your specific project. When you provide a company description, the AI identifies 5 relevant personas who would interact with your brand:

• Primary customers/users - Who will use the product?
• Decision makers - Who approves purchases?
• Investors - Who might fund the company?
• Industry experts - Who analyzes this space?
• End consumers - Who benefits ultimately?

For example, a B2B SaaS might get personas like:

• CFO (50s, enterprise, values ROI)
• Startup founder (30s, fast-mover, values innovation)
• Developer (25, technical, values ease of use)
• VC partner (40s, evaluates hundreds of startups)
• Industry analyst (45, writes about the space)

While a consumer app might get:

• College student (20, social media native)
• Working parent (35, values convenience)
• Small business owner (40, budget-conscious)

Each persona then evaluates your name on:

• Memorability (1-10): Will they remember it?
• Professionalism (1-10): Does it seem credible?
• Trust: Would they use a company with this name?
• Industry guess: What sector do they assume?
• Gut reaction: One-sentence impression

Domain Checking

Checks WHOIS data for:

• .com (weighted highest)
• .io (popular for tech)
• .co
• .ai
• .app

Names where both .com and .io are taken are filtered out in the find workflow.

Social Handle Verification

Checks availability on:

• Twitter/X
• GitHub

Similar Company Analysis

Web searches for:

• Exact name matches
• Companies in similar industries
• Potential trademark conflicts

Note: This is informational only. Always consult a trademark attorney before finalizing your brand name.

International Safety

Checks if the name has problematic meanings in:

• Spanish
• French
• German
• Mandarin
• Japanese
• Portuguese
• Arabic

Pronunciation Analysis

Evaluates:

• Syllable count: Shorter is generally better
• Spelling difficulty: Easy/Medium/Hard
• Phonetic clarity: Would someone spell it correctly after hearing it?

Architecture

namecast/
├── namecast/
│   ├── cli.py          # Click CLI commands
│   ├── evaluator.py    # BrandEvaluator and NamecastWorkflow
│   ├── perception.py   # Dynamic persona generation and analysis
│   ├── api.py          # FastAPI server (optional)
│   └── tests/          # pytest test suite
├── .claude-plugin/
│   ├── plugin.json     # Claude Code plugin manifest
│   ├── marketplace.json
│   └── commands/
│       ├── find.md     # /find command (native execution)
│       └── evaluate.md # /evaluate command (native execution)
└── src/                # React frontend (optional)

CLI vs Plugin Alignment

Both the CLI and Claude Code plugin use the same methodology:

Feature	CLI	Claude Code Plugin
Dynamic personas	perception.py	Native Claude roleplay
Domain checks	python-whois	WebFetch to who.is
Social checks	httpx	WebFetch
Similar companies	httpx	WebSearch
API cost	Anthropic API credits	Free (Claude Max)

The key difference: CLI calls the Anthropic API (costs credits), while the Claude Code plugin uses Claude's native capabilities (free with Claude Max subscription).

Development

# Install dev dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run tests
pytest

# Run linting
ruff check namecast/

License

MIT

Disclaimer

Namecast provides general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Domain availability and trademark searches are informational. Always consult a trademark attorney before finalizing your brand name.