Business Name Search/Lookup
8/17/2023
Naming a business is an important step in starting a business, for many reasons and from many perspectives - practical, branding, legal, to name a few. Naming a business is much more than using a business name generator and running the results past a few friends.
A name that is very similar to an existing business, or worse, already in use, can cause your registration to be denied. All states provide business name lookup tools (see the list of state links under business name search by state below). Search results will include currently active as well as previously active businesses, assumed business names, and their registered agents.
Let's be Practical
Examples of practical considerations for naming a business are things like, will it fit on a business card, is it a name you can get behind, is the domain name available? Spend time with this; think it through. There was a time when telephone directories were the search engines of their day, and "ACME" was on the first page of the yellow pages by the simple virtue of being alphabetically first. That was intentional. This is not to suggest you should start your business with an A, but do think beyond, "Oh, I like that."
Some people choose to name their businesses after themselves, which is great for Bob's Big Boy. Everybody can spell Bob, Big, and Boy. It's an entirely frictionless name. If, on the other hand, you've spent your life hearing, "Can you spell that for me?" every time you've given your name, it might not be a great idea. Same goes for words that are hard to spell, or
unique spellings. Sushi-Spaice may be available as a dot com, but nobody spells space with an I.
Does the name say something about your company, industry, or target audience? Dot coms are terrible at this. Google, though synonymous with search today, says nothing about what it does. To carry the example a step further, Google was originally called "BackRub," which is even worse! It implies a completely different industry and service. Google was adapted from Googolplex (yes, they nearly went with Googolplex), which absolutely would've confounded people on the spelling front.
Will the name still work as your company grows and potentially expands into nearby verticals?
Lastly, on the practical front, do some research. Do a search for your potential name. Are there a lot of results very similar to your proposed business name, are there a lot of paid ads? Either of which could point to stiffer competition to stand out. Are there results that might create negative associations? Is the domain name available? Do a search of the Way Back Machine at Archive.org for various top level domains (TLDs). A lot of domains have previously been registered and used. What a domain was used for in the past can linger, so do the searches and avoid tainted domains.
Branding
Your business name is the first component of your
brand identity, and should reflect as much. Your brand identity is a projection of your corporate personality and values. This year's notable re-branding of HBO Max is a great example of what not to do. HBO Max is now Max. Max is more reminiscent of Cinemax than HBO. A brand that reminds customers of your competitor is likely a mistake.
Legal Considerations in Naming Your Business
As mentioned above, a business name similar to an existing entity name can cause your business registration to be denied, but it could also potentially land your budding enterprise in legal jeopardy. Existing trademarks and copyrights are important considerations for that reason.
Business Name Search by State
