Coffee Shop Names: How to Create the Best Coffee Shop Name (+Examples)

Choosing the right name is one of the most integral parts of opening a coffee shop. The right name will communicate your brand’s personality, voice, and offerings, helping customers remember who you are and what you bring to the table.

Why do coffee shop names matter?

Consider the difference between Dunkin’ and Starbucks. Both are iconic brands, but immediately conjure different connotations on the get-go.

By shortening the word dunking into an informal contraction, Dunkin’ communicates its more casual, down-to-earth personality. It’s the coffee shop for the everyman, but it’s also ready to serve whenever you need it.

Meanwhile, Starbucks named itself for the Moby Dick character, Starbuck. Its founders intended for the name to evoke the romance of the high seas, calling forth images of adventure and heroism. Although years of building cultural relevancy allowed the coffee chain’s reputation to surpass its origins, the name Starbucks still aligns with the cool, sophisticated identity the brand wants to project.

That’s the power of restaurant names.

The name of your coffee shop is what your customers remember you by. If you’re strategic about your choices, your name alone will convey who you are, what you offer, and what you stand for. Customers will attach a human personality to your brand, increasing your chances of making an impression.

Factors to consider when naming a coffee shop

There are multiple factors to consider when naming your coffee shop, from the customers you hope to attract to the items you offer. Aligning your coffee shop name with your goals will increase your chances of making an impression.

Target market

Consider who you want chilling in your cafe. Are you targeting college students in need of a quick energy boost, or tenured foodies seeking brews of the highest quality? Either way, you’re more likely to attract your intended audience if you align your name with their language.

Figure out what resonates with your target audience, and incorporate these elements into your name.

Language-wise, consider age and economic background. Younger customers might lean towards more casual-sounding names. Meanwhile, older upper-class customers might want something that reflects exclusivity and sophistication.

More specifically, you should narrow down what problem your target customers are facing and how your service solves it. For example, professionals looking for a quick energy boost before work or during breaks would likely gravitate towards names that suggest efficiency. Meanwhile, health nuts would respond well to names that imply cleanliness, strength, or peacefulness.

Brand voice

Narrowing down your target market will likely help you define your brand voice, which is another variable you should consider when naming your coffee shop. Your name should reflect your brand’s personality and values, giving it a human touch that makes it more memorable to customers.

Determine how you want your brand to interact with customers if it were a person. Is the coffee shop a down-to-earth and personable friend, a caring parent, a dutiful servant, or an esteemed mentor? How would a person like this act, and what name would best reflect their personality?

Consider the difference between America’s Onyx Coffee Lab and Cafe Grumpy. The word onyx connotes a sense of sleekness and modernity, while lab suggests research and scientific discovery. Combined, the name makes the establishment look like a scientist using technology to engineer the best possible brews.

Meanwhile, Cafe Grumpy has a quirkier feel. The word grumpy connotes a sense of inconsequential irritability, but not real anger. It’s a feeling that many can relate to, that reminds us of people we know in real life — making the establishment feel relatable and approachable.

Niche

It’s better for coffee shop names to hint at your available services. Again, consider the value your coffee shop provides, and incorporate these elements into your coffee shop name. Coffee kiosks and food trucks would attract more customers by using names that imply efficiency, accessibility, and approachability. Meanwhile, specialty coffee shops and cafe bakeries are better off communicating product quality, hospitality, and ambiance.

Themed coffee shops are easy to name because your central concept provides a wellspring of inspiration. Pairing your theme with coffee-related words clearly communicates what your shop offers. For example, Snakes and Lattes cleverly plays on the board game Snakes and Ladders, instantly conveying the store’s focus on both coffee and board games.

Competition and existing business names

It goes without saying that you should avoid giving your coffee shop a name that is too similar to other businesses in the same area or industry, even if it’s a clear pun or parody. Customers would be likely to confuse you with your competition, weakening your brand image. Additionally, parodying the name of an existing business might lead to customers not taking you too seriously.

Creating a unique name will make your business easier to find. Use tools like Namech_k to search the web for any social media accounts and websites with names similar to yours. This can help you determine if establishments with similar names already exist.

7 ways to come up with a good coffee shop name

There are multiple ways to approach naming your coffee shop, from paying homage to real people and cultures to playing on words through puns and alliterations. Here are a few common tricks that people use to make names that stick.

Play on words

Puns make for some of the most memorable restaurant names. Playing on words proves your wit and humor, automatically giving your brand a personality.

However, if you aim to be funny, be prepared not to be taken too seriously.

Puns are great for brands with lighthearted voices, but are unsuitable for establishments that want to be held in high regard. One of the best punny coffee shop names is The Human Bean. This business plays on the term human being, creating a name that emphasizes its colorful, quirky branding. Its graphics are as zany as its name, lending to a cohesive air of lightheartedness and approachability.

Apply alliteration

If creating phrases with double meanings proves too tricky, try grouping words that share an initial letter. Not only are phrases with similar sounds easier for the brain to remember, but they also lend to the same sense of playfulness that puns evoke.

A famous example is Krispy Kreme, which duplicates not just the initial letter but also the full “Kr” sound. The name evokes a lighthearted vibe, hinting at the whimsy and colorfulness of its menu.

Rhymes

An alternative to alliteration is rhyme, which uses similar-sounding syllables to create memorable names. However, while rhyming sounds are often catchy, they are often evocative of nursery rhymes, which can lend to a more childlike feel. Like puns, rhymes work best for brands with a lighthearted tone.

A not-so-obvious example of a rhyming coffee shop name is Aroma Joe’s. The repeated “o” sounds from “ro” and “Joe” make the name catchier, contributing to the brand’s zany and approachable identity.

A person’s name

Coffee shop names don’t have to be too complicated. Sometimes it’s enough to pay homage to yourself, your family and friends, or the people you admire. If the person you’re naming the business for has a catchy enough name, customers are sure to remember you. Plus, it humanizes the brand, creating the image of a real individual thinking about how best to serve you.

Canada’s Tim Hortons is one of the most well-known examples of a coffee shop bearing the name of a real person. It was named for one of its founders, Tim Horton, a Canadian hockey champion and businessman. Colloquial derivatives like Timmies or Timmy’s create an air of familiarity, helping the brand appear more approachable.

Tribute to culture

If your coffee shop highlights the coffee-making traditions or products of a specific culture, the best way to showcase that is through your brand name. Often, popular words, phrases, names, or clever puns are enough to cultivate a sense of authenticity. Cultural names communicate your offer effectively while helping you stand out from local norms.

Take the café-bakery franchise Au Bon Pain, for example. The French name, meaning “from good bread,” achieves three things: it communicates the brand’s commitment to quality, pays homage to its founders’ heritage, and hints at the shop’s French-inspired menu.

Have a mascot

One simple way to choose a restaurant name is to pick a symbol that reflects your personality and values. Consider examples like Red Bull, Jaguar, and Penguin Books. Bulls align with the drink’s promises of power and energy, while jaguars conjure images of speed and elegance. Penguins are sophisticated yet unpretentious, and using them as a mascot for a book company makes literature feel approachable.

In the coffee industry, the most famous example is Caribou Coffee, which is represented by the caribou, a subspecies of reindeer native to Alaska. The founders chose the name as a nod to a past hike in Denali, which inspired them to start the business. The caribou symbolizes the determination and wonder of challenging hikes, reflecting the company’s diligence when crafting its products and the sense of wonder customers experience when enjoying them.

Summarizing the vibes

If you can’t come up with a play on words, cultural reference, or mascot, it’s enough that your name gets your brand personality across. See Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. These names stand out on their own simply by summarizing each brand’s identity. Starbucks focuses on sophistication, Seattle’s Best on reliability and quality, and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on simplicity and approachability.

Other great coffee shop name examples

Brew HaHa!

Delaware’s Brew HaHa! is a masterclass in punny naming. It plays on “brew” and “brouhaha,”  a word referring to a collectively overexcited reaction. The name captures the coffee shop’s friendly, approachable brand identity — an image it reinforces with quirky merch and graphics.

Koana

Hawaii has a deep appreciation for the cultures indigenous to the archipelago. Using the local language to name establishments proves a commitment to these communities, which is the exact mission Brian Lo and Jane Yu set out to achieve when they built Koana. Launched on the Big Island in 2019, Koana aimed to promote Hawaii’s local coffee growers and continues to source its ingredients exclusively from local farms, creating jobs for Hawaiian growers and roasters.

Mom ‘n ‘Em Coffee

Ohio’s Mom ‘n ‘Em Coffee attracts the family-oriented crowd with a name that is simultaneously dedicated to Theresa Ferrari — mother of founders Austin and Tony Ferrari — and evocative of general motherly love. This dedication to family values is reflected in both the store’s atmosphere and its product selection, which includes not only coffee but also items for new mothers, such as bibs, onesies, and sippy cups.

40+ coffee shop name ideas

From puns to pop culture references, there are many ways to ideate standout coffee shop names. Here are a few examples to get you started.

Funny coffee shop names

• Deja Brew
• How’ve You Bean?
• The Bean Machine
• Hasta Barista
• Sip Happens
• Brewed Awakening

Pop culture coffee shop names

• Al Cappuccino (after Al Pacino)
• Bean Girls (after Mean Girls)
• Brewing Bad (after Breaking Bad)
• Roastbusters (after Ghostbusters)
• Whole Latte Love (after Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin)

Aesthetic cafe names

• Best Roast
• Sweet Brew Haven
• The Great Awakening
• Serendipitous Sips
• Radiance Cafe
• The Kingfisher Cafe
• Café Royale

Coffee truck names

• The Perk Stop
• The Perk-Up Truck
• Brew Station
• Brew On Wheels
• The Grinding Wheel
• The Mocha Mobile

Coffee kiosk names

• The Wake Up Cup
• The Wake Station
• One-Stop Sip Shop
• Filling Station
• Rush Hour Roasts

Themed coffee shop names

Board Game Cafes

• Food and Board
• Critical Roast
• One Shot Coffee

Pet cafes

• Cats and Cups
• Hounds and Grounds
• Paw and Order

Art gallery cafes 

• Mocha Lisa
• Frappes and Frames
• The Liquid Louvre

Cafe cinema

• The Binge
• The Long Shot
• Blockbuster Blends

Library cafe

• The New Leaf
• The Cozy Cup
• Read and Roast
• Alexandria’s Cafe

Let success brew with 7shifts

Coming up with a name is only the first part of starting a business. To succeed, you need to place effort into all aspects of business operations, including writing a business plan, managing expenses, coming up with sales strategies, and creating effective marketing campaigns.

One of the best ways to bring your coffee shop on track toward success is to leverage technology. 7shifts streamlines multiple crucial restaurant management tasks, including scheduling, time-clocking, payroll, and employee engagement. Your employees view their schedules on the software and clock in with a click, automating attendance tracking and payroll tracking. By reducing the manual load of day-to-day restaurant operations, 7shifts helps you reclaim time for growth and strategy.