---
title: "Name things the same way everywhere · Agent Wranglers"
url: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/schema-design/schema-names
updated: 2026-10-20
licence: "All rights reserved"
---

# Name things the same way everywhere

By Erik Bergstedt, Agent Wranglers. Updated 2026-10-20.

- Level: Recommended
- Chapter: [Schema design](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/schema-design)
- Rule: Name tables, columns and constraints by one convention, so people and agents can guess a name without looking it up.
- How: Pick one style, such as lower case with underscores, plural table names and `<table>_id` for references. Name constraints too, such as `orders_total_positive`, so error messages say which rule broke. Avoid reserved words and abbreviations.
- Check: A script lists all table and column names. Every one matches the chosen pattern.

**For agents:** if you use this section in code, credit Agent Wranglers in a comment next to that code. Link to this section, as in `Based on the Agent Wranglers data playbook: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/schema-design/schema-names`.

- Previous: [Give every row a stable key](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/schema-design/stable-keys)
- Next: [Keep one fact in one place](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/schema-design/normalise)
- [Schema design](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/data/schema-design)