TWIST: U.S. partner Caitlin Barrett is the guest this week, interviewed by the great Felipe Valério, We Are Naming’s partner from Brazil.
They talk about:
- The importance of brands “just being themselves!” and not trying too hard to conform to trends
- Paths for brands coming into the U.S. with names that carry less-than-positive associations (Would *you* name your baby-diaper brand GOO.N? Probably not, but that’s not stopping a Japanese brand from giving it a try in the U.S.)
- Trademark turmoil and how to plan ahead for the headaches that trademark hurdles can bring
- Caitlin’s favorite “American” brand name, which is a gas station (and why wouldn’t it be!)
Plus Caitlin stumps Felipe with some insider powerlifting lingo, since they both speak English.
Want to go deeper? Read Caitlin’s report, What You Need To Know About Naming In the U.S., along with all the other We Are Naming reports, right here: www.wearenaming.com/reports
About Caitlin
Caitlin Barrett is the founder of the naming studio Wild Geese Studio and the naming education platform Naming for Everyone. They have spent nearly 20 years helping brand teams improve the way they name. Previously, Caitlin was a partner at the brand-language studio Doublebit and served as director of verbal identity and global head of naming at Interbrand. They were also a senior writer at Ologie and a copywriter at Martha Stewart, where they got their start naming scented candles, kitchen towels patterns, and, once, a very expensive ham.
Listen to Caitlin’s other podcast, Big Names in Naming, and sign up for their weekly Naming for Everyone newsletter, as well as their monthly enterprise naming strategy newsletter, The Naming Playbook. (You can also gather with them and dozens of other namers at The Business of Naming conference in 2026—info to be announced soon.)
About How the World Names
Building on our “What You Need to Know About Naming in…” reports, How the World Names is a limited-run interview series that dives deeper into what matters most when naming across borders. Each episode spotlights a We Are Naming partner’s home market, unpacking the linguistic quirks, cultural landscape, emerging naming styles, and practical insights that shape brand names around the globe. For more information, visit wearenaming.com.
