The name you assign to the game you play will inevitably lay out the ground rules for you and your potential clients. So a bit of research and analysis is more than advisable if you want to avoid making costly mistakes.

This past week, 63 startups officially launched at Y Combinator’s Demo Day 1. Among the ideas behind the startups and the groundbreaking technology the companies were built on, along with the impressive teams that make them up, there’s also another important aspect we should take note of - the names of the startups.

When it comes to building a business, the amount of variables one needs to take into consideration seems to be endless. From building your product to keeping your customers happy to marketing your company, the list goes on and on. Because of this, upon initial thought, finding a terrific name for your company may not seem like the highest priority.

Can a bad company name hinder your business, and can a good company name help with its eventual outcome?

Much of society revolves around the latest trends - clothing, music, art, etc. Everyone wants to be seen as relevant and in style. The business world is no different. Every year, trends emerge even in regards to business names. What may have been modern just a few years ago may no longer be considered chic, which begs the question: What naming trends are currently influencing the business world?

Have you ever stopped to think about the company names and logos that you are bombarded with daily? Why do some of them strike an emotional chord while others fall flat? Why do we remember one logo and forget another? Is it all mere happenstance or is there more to it? You’ll be surprised.

Changing the name of a brand is a major decision that can have a colossal impact on its success. There are a variety of reasons why companies change their names, from shedding negative connotations of their business, to appealing to broader audiences.

In 1909, Gugliielmo Marconi received the Nobel Prize for the invention of the radio. It wasn’t until World War I, however, that the radio became a medium of mass communication. In doing so, a new method of advertising was born. According to A Brief History of Advertising in Americaby William O’Bar, “few innovations transformed the nature of advertising as fundamentally as the radio. Only the Internet would prove so revolutionary.”

A popular marketing trend is bestowing business start-ups or product lines with the names of human beings. Personal assistant apps  such as “Siri,” and “Alexa,”  for instance, can help you find the closest coffee shop or make dinner reservations, and “Alfred”–named for Batman’s trusty valet–can help you with the difficult choice between sushi or pasta for dinner.

Few letters generate more confusion than “SEO.” Appearing on the front page of Google is the stuff of online marketers’ dreams, but how to get there is a process shrouded in lore and mystery.