To be frank the name never ever matters as long as it means something to you the creator. You could always create a niche outta the weirdest of names. Stick with it.
Ask HN: is poutsch a good name for a web app?
21–27 of 27 posts
Re: Ask HN: is poutsch a good name for a web app?
#22As an English speaker I'd pronounce it Pout ssh. Which doesn't sound very appealing or at least seem to relate to polling at all other than the first two letterS. And the last three letters seem to relate to your username.
Re: Ask HN: is poutsch a good name for a web app?
#23No. Sounds like "pouch". Which is not good.
Re: Ask HN: is poutsch a good name for a web app?
#24The word poutsch doesn't evoke any feelings or sense of familiarity nor nostalgia. Its pronounciation is unclear and, depending on the regions where it will be used, it may sound 'too foreign'.
Noting the criteria above, you could consider a more obvious, clear and relevant name such as Declarium. This is just an example of course, and I'm sure you can find other names with a suitable path to help u decide on the suitability criteria.
Re: Ask HN: is poutsch a good name for a web app?
#25In my case this name brought only negative associations. The first thing that came to my mind was "rotten, smashed fruit". Then II thought about a balloon loosing the air. I guess these aren't the reactions you're looking for.
Re: Ask HN: is poutsch a good name for a web app?
#26When I read the headline, my first thought was that it was just a weird spelling for "pouch." Then when I read your description, I saw the word "collect" and thought "Yup, it must be a reference to a pouch, since it's for collecting things."
Having now read the comments, it sounds like that's not what you're going for, but it seemed reasonable when I first read it. A weird spelling, sure, but no more weird than the other new startup names we roll our eyes about.
On the other hand, maybe you don't want people rolling their eyes at all. =)
Re: Ask HN: is poutsch a good name for a web app?
#27The name itself doesn't describe to me what the app does, but that's not necessarily an issue if all your other brand attributes make it a clear proposition.
Have you thought about playing around with 'Vox Pop'? Latin for something like 'voice of the people', we used to do vox pops when I worked in advertising - grabbing a camera and harnessing the opinion of people on the street.