I'm starting a business with my wife, importing small-batch Tequila & Mezcal, as well as other artisan-made Mexican goods. Initial thoughts for a name have been Nahuatl (Aztec) words related to the Magüey, the plant from which Tequila & Mezcal are distilled. The only names we determined to be usable are either taken, or the .com is being held hostage by a domain-poacher. We've had a hard time thinking of anything else. Ideally the name is something short (3 syllables or less), easily pronounceable by Americans, evokes images of Mexican culture (Think Mayans, colorful markets, rich agriculture. Not lazy mexican with sombrero passed out against a cactus with donkey in tow) and have a .com available.

How about wildagave.com? A name simply needs to spark curiosity and evoke something related to its mission.

Agreed! That's a good one, but alas the .com is taken. It doesn't have one of those "bid at least $1,000" parked pages though, so it could be negotiated. Thanks for the idea, I'm open to as many more as anyone/everyone can think of.

I always try to get one word that I'm looking for and then search for things with a prefix. In my opinion length doesn't matter as much as readability.

A few (available) suggestions:

SuperAgave.com
GetAgave.net
TopAgave.com
TequilaJones.com

Dan, Someone recommended the site panabee.com which is actually super helpful for exactly that kind of thing. Some interesting results, but what it doesn't help with is finding a real, interesting word.

The problem with most Mayan words is that they're so damn hard to spell and pronounce.

True! A great resource for our initial search was an online, searchable Nahuatl dictionary from the University of Oregon: whp.uoregon.edu/dictionaries/nahuatl/

The few names that we found to be appropriate (ie, relevant, short & easy to pronounce) are either already taken by businesses in the same space, or someone is poaching the .com

We may end up using one of the names and either add a prefix/suffix of some sort, or register with a different TLD, such as .mx or .co

Yeah, it's going to be tough to get a relavent one word domain name for your brand. Just prefix your favorite one with "crazy" or something that your target market will identify with and call it good. Also, your domain doesn't have to match your business name.

You could name yourself something like "huelmati" and your domain name could be "gethuelmati.com"

Yeah, and I'm not against coughing up the $$ down the road for a great domain name, but I assume it will only get more expensive as I establish a business around that name.

MagueyAgave.com
OleAgave.com
MagueyOle.com
MagueyCafe.com
ArtisanAgave.com
ArtisanMaguey.com

I guess I'm less looking for a domain name, and more looking for an interesting, unique name for the business.

Before you settle on a name, have you determined an image for your company? For example: Do you want to be viewed as unique and hip, or would you rather be focused on a commercial / retail business?

Depending on the route, you might end up with a unique name like, "3 Cats" that doesn't even mention your product, but is memorable and unique, or if you want a more traditional image, you might go with "PDX Tequila shop".

Figuring out your image can help narrow down your potential names.

Also, using "Shop" or "Co" in your name can really help with domain names. "CuteCo" or "PDX Import Co" probably are available.

Because Oregon is a "Control State", we can actually only export spirits to other states, or sell directly to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC), who would then in turn sell to restaurants, bars and hopefully in liquor stores. Therefor we will have no retail presence whatsoever. We want a name that is unique and memorable, but related in some way or another to the culture of the products we sell.

In some future it might be interesting to do online retail, but I think that shipping booze is a tricky business, and not a priority.