A name is the first piece of documentation
Before anyone reads a manual or runs a program, they see a name. In a hobby where most visitors arrive by curiosity and word of mouth, the name does more work than it would for a commercial product. It sets expectations about tone, suggests what kind of language this is and decides whether the project can be found again later.
There is no formula, and a name that works for one language may be wrong for another. The points below are general observations, not rules.
What makes a name memorable
Names that stick tend to share a few qualities.
- Short. One or two syllables are easier to remember and to say aloud. Longer names are fine but are often shortened in practice.
- Easy to spell. If people have to guess the spelling, they may fail to search for it later.
- Easy to pronounce. A name that cannot be said in conversation is hard to recommend.
- Distinct. It should not be confused with a more famous project.
- Evocative. A name that suggests an image or a feeling gives the reader something to hold.
A name does not need all of these. A very strange name can be memorable precisely because it is strange.
Names that signal tone
In esoteric circles, the name often tells you what kind of language to expect. This is part of the culture, which is described in the article on esolang culture.
Jokes and puns. A pun or a rude-sounding word immediately announces that the language is playful. This works well for joke languages, because the name is already the first punchline.
Descriptive names. A name that says what the language does, such as a nod to a grid, a stack or a single operation, sets honest expectations. Names that share a common ending, as the Funge family does, also hint that the languages are related.
Homages. Borrowing part of an older name, as many Brainfuck reskins and variants do, signals that the language is related. This helps people who already know the original, but it can make the newcomer hard to find on its own.
Abstract names. A made-up word carries no associations, which gives it room to mean whatever the project wants. The cost is that it says nothing about the language until someone explains it.
Understated names. A plain, even boring name on a very strange language can be funny in its own right.
Search and findability
In practice, many people find a language through a search box. A few practical points follow.
- Check what the name already means. A common word may bury your project among unrelated results.
- Check for existing languages and tools with the same name. Duplicate names cause confusion for years afterward.
- Consider how the name looks in a file extension, command line or URL. Short, lowercase names are easier to type.
- Avoid characters that are hard to enter or that break in some systems.
A quick search before settling on a name takes a few minutes and can save a lot of confusion. Do this with care, because search results change over time.
Names and adoption
Does a name affect whether people try a language? Probably, though it is hard to measure and it would be a mistake to overstate it. A strong name can raise curiosity, which draws in readers who would otherwise skip the page. A weak or confusing name can make people assume the project is abandoned or unrelated to their interests. Beyond the first impression, adoption depends mostly on whether the language is interesting, easy to run and well explained, which is why clear documentation and a simple first program matter more in the long run.
One thing the name can do is set the right audience. A joke name attracts people who like jokes. A serious-sounding name attracts those looking for a rigorous project. Neither is better, but a mismatch between the name and the content can disappoint visitors.
Pitfalls
Some common mistakes are worth knowing about.
- A name that ages badly. A reference to a passing trend can feel dated within a few years.
- A name that offends. An edgy name can limit where the language can be discussed, including schools and workplaces.
- A name that is too similar to another project. Beyond confusion, this may annoy the original author.
- A name that overpromises. Calling a tiny experiment something grand sets the reader up for disappointment.
- A name that is impossible to say. Symbols and unusual punctuation look clever but resist conversation.
If the language is meant for classrooms, which is discussed in the article on classroom use, a name that is friendly and easy to say is usually a safe choice.
A short checklist
Before you publish, try the following.
- Say the name aloud to someone and see whether they can write it down.
- Search for it and see what comes up.
- Check that it fits comfortably as a command, an extension and a heading.
- Ask whether the name matches the tone of the language.
- Sleep on it. Names that seem brilliant at midnight are sometimes embarrassing at breakfast.
You can also change the name early on without much cost. Once other people have written programs, links and tutorials, renaming becomes harder, so it is worth making the choice deliberately rather than keeping a temporary name.