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I was discussing this with a colleague recently and I figured I'd mention it on HN the next time DuckDuckGo came up.

I feel somewhat silly saying this, but DuckDuckGo is not that great of a name. I love the engine, and have gotten some great results from the few times I have used it, but I really, really wish it were not named DuckDuckGo. It seems tacky to me and it's hard to say. There's a support article that encourages users to "duck it". No thanks. I swear I would become a regular user of this product if it were named something more professional.

I know tech products often have whimsical names, and it's usually positive or at least tolerable, but something about "DuckDuckGo" rubs me the wrong way.




I have to agree. I know it's stupid, I know it's childish, I know that as a techie I really should know better than to judge a search engine by its name.

But every single time the topic of DuckDuckGo comes up, I find myself thinking that it's a bad name. And I'm not the only one - every time this topic comes up, at least one other person mentions the name thing.

I'm not saying this to be mean, and I'm definitely not saying this because I think I'm "right". I'm only saying this because I truly believe that changing DuckDuckGo's name would make it more popular, and it deserves to be popular.


Google had a funny name in 2000. And Yahoo! had a funny name in 1994. I'm sure once they get some cash they'll buy ddg.com from Donoho Design Group LLC and that'll be the end of it.


I think you're saying two things, so I'll address each.

1. "Google" and "Yahoo!" seemed funny in 1994, but we're used to them.

It's possible. This is what most people answer about DDG. I think this is wrong. Google and Yahoo!, while funny names, sound "cool". DuckDuckGo doesn't. My memory isn't great, so I can't be sure I'm right about this, but I'm pretty sure that the first time I heard "Google" or "Yahoo!", I had a much better reaction than the first (and every) time I hear "DuckDuckGo".

I also think it's not smart to cling to the "people will get used to it, Google was the same" defense. If it's true, sure. I think it's not, and it's just misleading and true-sounding enough that DuckDuckGo keeps going.

2. The domain name itself is a problem (long, annoying to type, etc.), and once they get ddg it will be better.

I agree on this point, although I do think the name is still an important point, not just for the domain. It's a brand.

I'd like to reiterate that I'm not saying this things to be a critic, or just to be mean. I really value the work of DuckDuckGo, I think it's great that there's good competition to Google, and I'm a fan of Gabriel Weinberg. I'm only saying this because it's an issue that keeps coming up, and I really think it has a bad effect on DuckDuckGo.


"2. The domain name itself is a problem (long, annoying to type, etc.), and once they get ddg it will be better."

Actually, you can already use www.ddg.gg, which redirect you to the HTTPS version of DDG.


They own the DUCK.CO domain, but use it as a community forum. I think they should use that one as a shortcut to their main product, but probably they don't want to cause confusion.

The funny thing is that the registrant of DUCK.COM appears to be Google when you do a whois lookup:

    Registrant:
    DNS Admin
    Google Inc.


I remember reading about it on TNW that it came from an acquisition. While most of the domain names Google owns don't redirect to google.com, this one is an exception (you'd wonder how it relates to search in any way). Google wants some free traffic from its little enemy?


I actually knew that, but ddg.gg seems to never stick in my memory.


On the other hand, how often do you type any search engine into the URL field? It's either bookmarked or it's automatically set as your search engine.


Actually, the use case is more for someone like me - I remember that I want to try DDG once in a while, so I decide to visit it, and then I can't remember the shortcut and am annoyed that I have to type in the whole name.

Obviously serious users of DDG don't have any problem with it.


Duck duck go, go go?


I rather wished that DuckDuckGo embraced more of their whimsical side, and due to their name having 2 ducks, added a second duck to their branding scheme.


Name it something more professional like Google or Yahoo or Bing.


This same comment is often thrown up here in response to DDG's main criticism. Maybe it will work this time? Probably not because all of those names are better search engine names than DuckDuckGo.

I hope he just changes the name. No one will be upset by this move.

Here are my reasons for not liking the name:

- 3 is too many syllables (for a search engine name, which I think should roll off the tongue quickly)

- Difficult to use as a verb

- It sounds like a Japanese game show :)


+ But it's easy to remember though.

+ Longer names are more visible.

(i was shocked that MS didnt take the name Microsoft Live Bing Home-Professional DotNET UltraGold Edition)

First time i used google i was thinking they misspelled goggles.


As I recall, google wasn't happy with people using the term as a verb for search.

Also, I assumed the name was a play on the children's game: Duck Duck Goose.


I've just taken to telling people that "I asked a duck."


"Just duck it"


The name is too long.


Google is just misspelled 10^10. I don't see how that is "professional" more than google just built its brand out of thin air.

I can definitely give credit to Google for inventing the word though. So few people try making companies without their names having some second meaning besides "my company".


10^100 I believe


It's easy to say google however. Yahoo and Bing are easy too. Compare this to spelling "duckduckgo" especially for non-English speakers.


Really? You're not going to use the product because of its naming.

I understand possible apprehension at bragging about it and proselytizing, but whatever.

I do think it's hard to sell to non-techies, though.




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