"Pigeon" "Roach" and "Rat" are right out

January 9, 2013 11:54 AM

A New York client has asked for a group of names (3 to 6) with which to market some high-end luxury residences in Midtown. The previous theme was "theater" and they'd like something different. The residences are 30+ floors up. Unfortunately the setting is pretty sleek and anonymous. I haven't been to the city in a year and without a theme, my creative fu is completely failing. (Once I have that, the individual names will probably come.) Perhaps you have some ideas? Many thanks.
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet to Writing & Language (22 answers total)

I am looking to find the article again, but I once read a piece about once-famous, now-demolished apartment houses in New York (places that were like the still-standing Dakota, but which have been lost to time). Those names could be quite evocative.
posted by ocherdraco at 11:59 AM on January 9, 2013

Not really sure what kinds of names you mean -- are these to name types of apartments, floors of a building, what? Should they be proper names or just nice-sounding New Yorky words?

Regardless...hmm...

Names of NYC museums?

Locations in Central Park?

Cocktails?
posted by Narrative Priorities at 12:01 PM on January 9, 2013

celestial stuff might work: Planets, stars, moons of Jupiter, names of constellations, or names of galaxies. Or elements (maybe from a particular column of the periodic table.. noble gasses?)

Otherwise, search around for what people name the computers on their networks. There've been a million posts on IT sites about this and some of lists might work for you or inspire something that does.
posted by aubilenon at 12:01 PM on January 9, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: http://namingschemes.com/
posted by contraption at 12:02 PM on January 9, 2013 [5 favorites]

Different from "theater" but similar, how about "art" (as in the visual arts).
posted by Rock Steady at 12:04 PM on January 9, 2013

Response by poster: Sorry, it's naming apartments/suites and the names need to be NY-related.
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet at 12:04 PM on January 9, 2013

Peregrine is a lovely word. noble falcons soaring through the heights of their city. falcon/hunting bird/raptor names for theme!
posted by supermedusa at 12:06 PM on January 9, 2013

gemstones!
posted by royalsong at 12:06 PM on January 9, 2013

Best answer: Lots of NYC parks have names that sound lovely.
posted by jabes at 12:07 PM on January 9, 2013 [1 favorite]

Maybe famous high end restaurants?
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 12:08 PM on January 9, 2013

Former Dutch names of New York neighborhoods might also work: Haarlem, Bloemendaal, Breuckelen, Bronck, Bouwerij, Greenwijck, Vlissingen, Roede Hoek, Vlacke Bos, Midwout, Krom Marisje.
posted by ocherdraco at 12:09 PM on January 9, 2013 [4 favorites]

Best answer: How about stuff in central park?
posted by aubilenon at 12:15 PM on January 9, 2013 [1 favorite]

Former Editors of the New Yorker? (Ross, Shawn, Gottleib, Brown, Remnick)

Cemeteries? Generals who have statues in those cemeteries? movies set in New York

Maybe peruse Scouting NY for ideas.
posted by vespabelle at 12:16 PM on January 9, 2013

Since the buildings are tall enough, how about "cloud"? (Though the term may not be quite as trendy in a year or two...)
posted by mark7570 at 12:26 PM on January 9, 2013

Best answer: Former Mayors/Governors
Architects
Bridges
Opera Houses
Authors
Editors
Presidents with a NY connection
Music Directors of the NY Philharmonic
NY Newspapers and Magazines

NYC lists on Wikipedia
posted by MsMolly at 12:26 PM on January 9, 2013

Best answer: I actually kind of like the Music Directors of the Phil. The Bernstein, The Toscannini, The Boulez.
Could even expand it to New York composers generally, The Sondheim, The Gershwin, The Babbitt, The Reich, The Hammerstein, The Ellington.
posted by Lutoslawski at 12:35 PM on January 9, 2013 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Members of the Algonquin Round table:

Parker (Dorothy Parker)
Benchley (Robert Benchley)
Woollcott (Alexander Woollcott)
Adams (Franklin Pierce Adams)
Heywood or Broun (Heywood Broun)
Connelly (Marc Connelly)
Kaufman (George S. Kaufman)
Ross (Harold Ross)
Sherwood (Robert E. Sherwood)
Toohey (John Peter Toohey)


I think there are enough high-falutin' sounding names to be monikers for apartment suites.

There were other ancilary members:

Tallulah Bankhead
Harpo Marx
Edna Ferber
Peggy Wood
Estelle Winwood

Also, the cat who has lived at the Algonquin since 1930 is named Matilda, so you MUST have a Matilda suite!

I love this era of New York. I think of it as elegant in spite of the depression, tongue firmly in cheek and evoking the elitist, snobby, hilarious group of people I would have LOVED to have run around with back in the day.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:35 PM on January 9, 2013 [3 favorites]

To pick up on Midtown's publishing heritage, what about names that evoke famous newspapers or magazines? Like The Eustace Tilley, The Grey Lady, The Hearst, etc.

I'm not sure that using names of real locations like parks or neighborhoods around the city would be anything but confusing.
posted by oinopaponton at 12:39 PM on January 9, 2013

Response by poster: You guys are the best. Thank you!!!
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet at 12:47 PM on January 9, 2013

You can go with NYC history


With names like

John T. Hoffman,
A. Oakey Hall,
Richard B. Connolly,
Peter Barr Sweeny
William M. Tweed
posted by kanemano at 12:49 PM on January 9, 2013 [1 favorite]

Great NYC characters from the arts, Broadway or TV

Willie Loman
Oscar Madison
Felix Unger
Annie Hall

NY Sports Figures

Babe Ruth
Willie Mays
Walt Frazier
YA Tittle
Joe Namath
Brian Leetch
Nick Fotiu
Derek Jeter
posted by JohnnyGunn at 1:25 PM on January 9, 2013

A shade ironic for some tastes, perhaps, but how about naming each property for an interesting and significant building that would be seen from the best viewpoint in each place.... if that building had not been demolished sometime in the twentieth century, and weighted in favor of buildings which were as close to the height of the property being named as possible.

Then you could include in your marketing materials pictures of the current vista along with archived pictures best approximating what it would have looked like just before the old building was torn down, as long as the comparison was not too unfavorable to the present.
posted by jamjam at 2:14 PM on January 9, 2013