Practical Component Naming for Maintainable Systems

1. Names explain intent, not implementation

Favor names that say what the component does in the product. AccountSummaryPanel or BillingAddressForm beats Panel or FormV2. When a name shows intent, engineers can decide faster whether to reuse, refactor, or retire a component.

2. Prefixes and suffixes are signals

Use consistent affixes for patterns you repeat. Examples:

• Page for route-level shells: AccountsPage
• Section for reusable layout clusters: BillingSection
• Card for content containers: PlanCard
• Field for form controls: EmailField

These signals improve search and reduce duplicates that differ only by name.

3. Avoid clever abbreviations

Short names are only better if they are clear. Avoid abbreviations that force new teammates to guess. If you must shorten, pick widely known terms (Auth, CTA, API) and stick to them. The goal is low cognitive load, not short filenames.