[pistoriusp]

I always start with a codename. And for the longest time I've used the surnames of foreign scientists:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_German_scientists

[nostromo]

We use Pokemon. The reason? Nobody gets too attached to the name Jigglypuff.

[GotAnyMegadeth]

That's a great idea I might steal. I'll go through the names in dex order, as I happen to know at least the first 151 in order...

Also I'm pretty sure that they make new Pokémon faster than anyone starts projects...

[TazeTSchnitzel]

Don't bet on it.

http://ajf.me/imagedump/screenshots/ihavewaytoomanyprojects....

[mkr-hn]

You can switch to Digimon if you run out of Pokémon.

[ry0ohki]

I guess you haven't seen this... http://evilbrainjono.net/pages/startup-or-pokemon.py

[vetler]

There's always Finnish lakes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lakes_in_Finland Might be difficult to pronounce for some, though.

[dugmartin]

I've used this list multiple times for personal project codenames: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rivers_of_the_Americas

[sdoering]

Funny. I use mythological figures. Right now it's "metatron", and "delphi"...

[jorde]

These are so bad for a software project that they might even work for a codename. And this coming from a Finn.

[chimeracoder]

Even better: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lakes_in_Minnesota

[xnxn]

I'm torn between Operation "Big Spunk" and "Big Sucker".

[fishtoaster]

I once came up with a great name for a product I was hacking on with my roommate, so we used that name internally. By the time we'd been coding for a few weeks, though, what the product actually was had evolved and the name was no longer relevant (despite being scattered throughout the codebase, the github repo, the directory structure, etc).

Ever since then I've been a codename fan. I go for liquor names (since I work at home across from the booze shelf)- I'm currently building Frangelico.

[saw-lau]

Norse gods here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_gods

[morsch]

Having to type in Gerðr or Þrúðr would get old pretty fast. ;)

[leonsp]

Gerthr. Thruthr.

[alexjeffrey]

now I know where tumblr and flickr got their names.

[daeken]

I generally use either the first thing that pops into my head (sometimes it's just obvious) or the song I'm listening to at the time, either name or a snippet of lyrics. SteelBreeze, ClubThing, Tain, Ronin, Arienette, etc. Works wonders.

[sspiff]

I pick hostnames from this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumerian_King_List

[vacri]

Characters from Bananaman. Not my choice, and I can't wait for the list to exhaust... though I like the idea of calling the devs VM test server 'zookeeper'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bananaman

[alanctgardner2]

The Apache foundation beat you to it!

http://zookeeper.apache.org/

It's actually a clever name for what they're doing

[mikeash]

Just be careful which scientists you use and in what context. Picking the wrong one could get you sued: http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Carl_Sagan#Apple_Computer

[yitchelle]

When I was with HP calculation division in the early 2000s, the project names came from Star Wars / Star Trek characters. Why? Because with we were working SciFi (SCIentific FInancial) calculators.

[forrestthewoods]

I use coffee shops or espresso company names, often local to Seattle. The list is quite limitless. Zoka, Vivace, Rococo, Velton, Olympia, Lighthouse, Ladro, and so on it goes.

[anarchitect]

To take the head-scratching out of the start of a project, and to give apps personality, we use surnames of film directors.

[gilgoomesh]

If I have to work on another project named after Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben, I'll quit this damn company!

[mncolinlee]

You'll never run out of microbrew beers. I mean for naming. I do run out of the real thing while coding.

[dkersten]

I used to use Japanese foods, so I've had directories named sushi, sashimi, miso, karasumi and so on.