The science of naming

The Denver Post Business Section ran a story January 18 about the marketing science of naming new drugs. The idea amused me, so here’s how it works and how it might apply to naming dogs.

The rules for drug names include:

  • Stay under 3-4 syllables or 9 letters
  • Try to imply what the drug does (like Lipitor deals with lipids)
  • Pay attention to the first couple letters (sc makes people think scuzzy, pu … putrid)
  • Go for something that sounds good

Then, apparently, different letters give off different feelings:

  • Effectiveness (p, t, k)
  • Calm/relaxing (l, r, s)
  • Speed (z)
  • Scientific-y (x)

Since my nickname “Rox” has an R and an X, the theory says I’m both calm and scientific. That should give those who know me well a good laugh.

And, let’s see … Lilly has 3 L’s, so she must be really calm and relaxed. That must be why we call her Silly Lilly, OR Really Silly Lilly to get the L, R, and S in there. HA! If that were the case, I’d have nothing to write about.

So, hmmm … if you wanted to name a fast & accurate agility dog, I guess something like Piz, Taz, Kez.

There’s that whole theory (a form of numerology) that says your name impacts how people perceive you, how your life unfolds. Again, not kidding, for a NY Times article last year, I interviewed some people who weren’t entirely nice to me, who told me all sorts of things about what was wrong with me and my life because my name had negative vibrations. Now, I like my name. I really do. Like it a lot actually, so you can imagine how I felt after that.

Clearly, they use a different method than the drug companies.

So, tell me … how do you choose your dogs’ names?