Why I Built a Domain Name Generator

TLDR: I have too many project ideas and not enough good domain names. That's the reason I built plenty.domains.

It Started with the AI Coding Revolution

Like a lot of people, I'm excited about what AI means for software development. Yes, there are real issues. We all need to figure out how to use these tools responsibly. But there's no denying, we can all build more stuff now.

So naturally, the ideas started piling up. Some serious projects. Some small tools. Some things just for my kids. Just one issue...

The Name Problem

I can't think about a project without wanting a name for it first. It's just how my brain works. And once I have a name in mind, I immediately think about the domain.

Finding a good .com domain in 2026? Nearly impossible.

Sure, there are alternative TLDs. But I've never fully trusted them. There some weird registries. Many started cheaper than .com and are now way pricer. It feels like a gable you can't get out of later.

So I Built Something

I started building a domain name generator for myself. Nothing fancy. Just a way to get ideas and check them quickly.

At some point I looked at what I had and thought, "I could turn this into a real product. It shouldn't be that difficult."

I'm not sure that prediction has ever been right.

Refining the generation process to get truly good domains names is hard. I tried many things to arrive at the current system. And obviously, building a good UI is also hard, even in the AI age.

Teaching AI to Be Creative

The generation itself uses LLMs. But here's the thing: it's really hard to force AI to be creative. It's a lot like working with people, actually. You get better results when you ask a whole bunch of them and give each one different input to spark different ideas.

That's how I slowly built the naming engine behind plenty.domains. It uses very different prompts and very different models to find names that are good, surprising, and diverse. No single approach would get you there. The variety is what makes it work.

Am I My Own Best Customer? Absolutely.

I've generated hundreds of domain names with it so far. Would I use most of them? No. But I've found real gems in there. Names I actually registered and am building projects around.

That's the thing about name generation. You don't need every result to be perfect. You just need a few that make you say, "Oh, that's the one."

Give It a Try

If you're stuck on naming your next project, side hustle, or random weekend idea, head over to plenty.domains and see what it comes up with.

I'm always happy to hear from people. Reach out anytime at hello@plenty.domains. Thank you for reading.