How to Choose an Ice Cream Shop Name + 50 Ice Cream Shop Name Ideas to Inspire You

Ice Cream Shop Name Ideas

Everyone loves a local ice cream shop. While many restaurants struggled to stay afloat in 2020 and beyond, the ice cream industry has been thriving. According to one report, dollar sales for ice cream businesses were up 13.4% to over $6.8 billion overall sales in 2020. 

If you’re considering opening an ice cream shop of your own, now’s the time to do it.

One of the first steps in building your ice cream shop is choosing a restaurant name. It’s the name that’ll lead people to your business. It will be emblazoned all over your branding, your marketing, your packaging, and your social media accounts. That means it has to be a name you like, and one that represents your business effectively in a memorable and meaningful way. 

Here are the four major steps of naming an ice cream shop, along with ideas to inspire your concept.

How do I choose an ice cream shop name?

Here's a brief overview of how to start brainstorming ideas so that you choose the perfect ice cream shop name for you.

• Write down your vision for your ice cream shop, focusing on its mission and core values

• Make sure your ice cream shop name isn’t already taken

• Play around with a name generator to spark new ideas

• Reach out to your community for ice cream shop name ideas

Now, let’s dive into further detail about each of these steps below (and then get into some cool ice cream shop name examples too!)

What are good ice cream shop names?

A great ice cream shop name should be unique to your business. It should stick in the minds of your patrons, and convey your brand, your personality, and what makes your business unique.

A good ice cream shop name also informs potential patrons of what goods and services you offer. It’s easy to spell and remember so that potential guests can easily find you on Google. 

Here are some tips to get you started.

1. Write down your vision for your ice cream shop’s mission, vision, purpose, and core values. 

Your vision for your ice cream shop is the main driver behind your business. A big part of that is understanding your ice cream shop’s mission and core values. Your ice cream shop’s mission statement describes who you are, why you’re here, and what you plan to accomplish as a member of your community. 

There is, however, much more to an ice cream shop name than just your mission statement. Let’s do a little exercise. Grab a pen and paper and write down the following:

• The type of ice cream you’ll be offering (do you serve a special kind of ice cream? Do you use unique ingredients?)

• Your ice cream shop’s core values and mission

• The intended personality and vibe of your ice cream shop

• Adjectives you’d use to describe your ice cream shop

• Your name and the name of your business partners, if any

• Any family names that are important to you

• The neighborhood or town where it will be located

The purpose of this exercise is to pull out words and phrases that describe your ice cream shop, which can make up all or part of its name. This list will also come in handy when building out your restaurant business plan. 

When you can’t think of anything else to add, read back over your list of superlatives, adjectives, and descriptors and circle your favorites. These will be the building blocks for your ice cream shop name.

2. Choose a name that isn’t already taken

To avoid copyright issues or accidentally sending your customers to another business, make sure your shop’s name is completely unique. Once you've settled on a handful of contenders, run each of the possible names through some search engines and use the following resources:

• Google search

• Google My Business

• The Yellow Pages 

• The Better Business Bureau

• The United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark database search

Be thorough with your research, as copyright infringement can be very costly. To learn more about copyright infringement, visit Copyright.gov.

3. Use an ice cream shop name generator to spark new ideas. 

Name generators can help you with writer’s block and inspire you to try different word combinations you hadn’t considered. 

Some of the following generators ask for guidance in the form of keywords, and others just assemble random combinations of words. Either way,  it’s good to have your keyword shortlist on hand. Sure, some of the suggested names and combos will be unusable, but they’ll still help you determine what you like and what you don’t. And you may just find the perfect ice cream shop name amongst the results! 

Restaurant Name Generators

• Namelix Restaurant Name Generator 

• Buzztime Restaurant Name Generator

• Fantasy Name Generators' Restaurant Name Generator

• Business Name Generator

• Kopywriting Kourse Restaurant Name Generator

4. Ask your community for ice cream shop name ideas

Most people who start ice cream shops want to build something special for their community. So why not involve them from day one by asking for input on your name? 

You can start by telling friends and family about your concept. By sharing your vision, it’ll make it easier for them to brainstorm names.

Another effective way to reach your community is through social media. You can ask them to vote on which name they like best. 

To build engagement around your social media post, you can offer future discounts or raffle off a free cone on opening day to anyone who helps you with this task. Or you can name a special after them!

50 Actual Ice Cream Shop Name Ideas to Inspire You

Do you want your name to be funny? Simple? Bold? Cute? Inviting? It can be helpful to take a page from other shops for inspiration. 

Here are 50 of the best ice cream shop names around the country: 

Cute Ice Cream Shop Names

1. Dairy Joy – Weston, MA

2. Sweet Firefly – Richardson, TX 

3. Honeycomb Creamery – Cambridge, MA

4. Smoosh Cookie Sandwiches – Houston, TX

5. Wanderlust Creamery – Los Angeles, CA 

6. Milk • Cream – Dallas, TX 

7. Tinys Milk and Cookies – Houston, TX 

8. Scooptacular – Phoenix, AZ 

9. Melt Ice Creams – Fort Worth, TX 

10. Butter & Cream – Decatur, GA 

Unique Ice Cream Shop Names 

1. The Ice Creamsmith – Dorchester, MA 

2. Hypnotic Emporium – Dallas, TX 

3. New City Microcreamery – Hudson, MA 

4. Coolhaus – Culver City, CA

5. Whip n' Dip – Cotal Gables, FL 

6. Loblolly Creamery – Little Rock, AR

7. Little Man Ice Cream – Denver, CO 

8. Lulu's Nitrogen Ice Cream – Miami, FL 

9. Secret Creamery – Las Vegas, NV 

10. Cremalosa – Decatur, GA 

11. Churn – Phoenix, AZ 

Clever Ice Cream Shop Names 

1. Frollz – Saugus, MA 

2. Haute Mess – Los Angeles, CA 

3. Chill on Park – Dorchester, MA 

4. Smize Cream – Santa Monica, CA 

5. The Big Dipper – Raymond, ME 

6. Where’s The Scoop? – Alpharetta, GA 

Rhyming + Alliterative Ice Cream Shop Names

1. The Scoop N Scootery – Boston, MA 

2. Sweet Southern –Powder Springs, GA 

3. Devious Desserts – Dallas, TX 

4. Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt – Las Vegas, NV

5. Mortons Moo – Portland, ME 

6. Honey Honey Dessert Cafe – Malden, MA 

7. Fat Cat Creamery – Houston, TX 

8. Catbird Creamery – Freeport, ME 

9. Howdy Homemade – Highland Park, TX 

10. Dorman’s Dairy Dream – Sabattus, ME 

11. Gorgeous Gelato – Portland, ME 

Funny Ice Cream Shop Names

1. Cookie Monstah – Boston, MA 

2. Big Daddy’s – York, ME 

3. Sweet Addiction Cookies & Ice Cream – Las Vegas, NV 

4. Gelato & Chill – Hingham, MA 

5. Wild About Harry’s – Dallas, TX 

6. Toots – South Portland, ME 

7. Queen of Cream – Atlanta, GA 

8. Tipping Cow – Somerville, MA 

9. Frozen Hoagies – Boston, MA

10. Cow Tipping Creamery – Frisco, TX 

11. Frosty Caboose – Chamblee, GA 

12. Double Chin – Boston, MA

Got a Name? Check.

Once you’ve chosen your ice cream shop name, time to build out your business plan. Soon enough, you’ll be scooping for the whole town!

Related Ice Cream Resources

• Ice Cream Shop Business Plan

• How to Open an Ice Cream Shop

• Ice Cream Shop Ideas and Concepts

• Ice Cream Shop Menu Ideas

• Ice Cream Shop Licenses and Permits

• Ice Cream Shop Design Ideas

• Ice Cream Shop Floor Plans

• Ice Cream Shop Supplies