How to Find Out if a Business Name is Taken for 2025

Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist

The name of a business or brand introduces the entire company to potential customers, investors, and employees. When strategically and creatively developed, brand names can help their bearers succeed in making a good first impression and in revenue generation in the long run.

A business name encapsulates a company’s overall identity and may associate it with descriptors for the business entity itself and the products or services it offers. For instance, Apple, which is considered the most valuable brand in the world in 2022 with an estimated brand value of $355.1 billion, may conjure the adjectives “minimal" or “pristine" in the minds of customers, thanks to its branding, spearheaded by its simple name.

However, business owners must ensure the availability of names for new ventures. They must also understand the risks that their name options may pose. To help individuals aspiring to start their own businesses even if you do not hold a college degree in business, the Research.com team created this guide discussing the importance of unique business names, the influence of distinct brand names on customer perception, and how to find out if a business name is taken using common search tools.

How to Find Out if a Business Name is Taken Table of Contents

Check “Doing Business As" (DBA) Names
Scan Trademarks and Service Marks
Take a Look at Social Media Pages
Make Use of Search Engines
Utilize Online Government Search Tools
Best Practices for Choosing a Memorable Business Name
Can Further Education Enhance Your Business Naming Strategy?
Can Professional Certifications Enhance Your Brand Identity?
How Does Your Business Name Impact SEO and Online Credibility?
Should I Protect My Business Name as a Trademark?
Should I Consider Cultural Sensitivity When Naming My Business?
How Can In-Depth Research and Academic Insight Optimize My Business Name?
Should I Regularly Reassess My Business Name for Relevance?

The Importance of Unique Business Names

Having a unique business name is foundational to eventual success. Aside from other important business aspects, names influence brand awareness and recognition, customer perception, and business reputation. Before learning how to register for business name ideas, you may find it useful to read our research team’s list of reasons why unique company names are key to establishing a business that thoroughly understands its purpose, its people, and its products, and is positioned to achieve its goals and objectives.

To establish a strong brand identity

Branding includes names, logos, taglines, ads, and websites. All are essential elements of a business identity, but a good, distinct brand name outlives other brand assets (Meyerson, 2022). It largely supports and maximizes marketing efforts, among other business activities. It catches the attention of customers and helps with their recall of the business and its products or services.

To briefly describe the business type

Effective business names help entrepreneurs explain their businesses as briefly as an elevator pitch. For example, the American automotive company Tesla, Inc., which was founded in 2003 and manufactures electric vehicles, was named after inventor and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla (18561943). Over the decades, Tesla, the inventor, became known for his inventions that generate, transmit, or use electric power. Meanwhile, over the years, Tesla, the company, has become known for its futuristic and sustainable designs of electric cars.

In 2022, Tesla became the most profitable automotive brand in the world, surpassing older car brands, such as Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW. Tesla experienced a 78% increase in brand value in one year, from about $42.61 billion in 2021 to $75.93 billion in 2022 (Faria, Statista, 2023). The electric car company grew its revenue from $11.8 billion in 2017 to $53.8 billion in 2021 (Carlier, Statista, 2022). To achieve these figures, it can be said that Tesla’s branding has helped deliver the promise of quality electric vehicles, and in fulfilling that promise, the company gained customer trust and strengthened its credibility.

To avoid potential financial costs due to rebranding and legal risks

Some companies have experienced legal battles due to conflicts in registered corporate names, trademarks, or service marks. After Facebook changed its company name to Meta in 2021 to usher in its plans of becoming a huge player in the metaverse, a small business also called META, which has offerings similar to Facebook, sued for infringement and unfair competition not long after. Meta has been making careful moves to reduce the possible financial consequences of decisions in the situation at hand. With fewer resources to spare than Meta, startups must certainly take extra precautions when choosing their brand names.

When coming up with business name ideas, it is important to note that companies with short, easy-to-identify, and morally meaningful names “will have more investors, higher per capita shares, and higher shares’ proportion held by institutional investors" (Deng & Zhou, 2018). Fortunately, different methods can help aspiring entrepreneurs learn how to find out if a business name is taken.

Best Practices for Choosing a Memorable Business Name

Choosing a memorable business name is a mix of creativity, strategy, and adherence to legal standards. A distinctive name not only captures customer attention but also ensures that your brand stands out in competitive markets. Below are practical best practices to consider:

1. Keep it Simple and Easy to Pronounce

Avoid overly complicated or lengthy names. Simple names are easier for customers to remember and share, boosting your organic word-of-mouth marketing efforts.

2. Make it Relevant to Your Business

Your name should hint at the products or services you offer. This builds brand associations in the minds of customers, enhancing recognition and relatability.

3. Check for Domain Availability

In today’s digital age, securing a matching domain name for your business is crucial for online presence. Use domain search tools to confirm availability and consider alternatives if your desired domain is already taken.

4. Avoid Trend-Based Names

Trendy business names may seem catchy now but could become outdated over time. Opt for a timeless name that can grow with your brand.

5. Test It

Run your shortlisted name options by focus groups, friends, or family. Gauge their reactions to determine which name resonates the most. Ensure the name has positive connotations and doesn’t unintentionally offend or alienate potential customers.

By employing these practices alongside the strategies to check business name availability, you can craft a memorable name that aligns with your brand identity and sets you up for long-term success. For further tips, you can explore what can I do with an accounting degree or other business degree that can boost your knowledge.

How to Check if Your Business Name is Still Available

Deciding on a business name can be a laborious responsibility as it may entail extensive research and spent resources. However, ensuring that the name you finally register ticks all the boxes for you, especially in the availability department, sets your business up toward a forward trajectory and prevents unexpected financial expenses brought about by legal challenges and rebranding efforts.

Fortunately, learning how to check if your business name is still available can be effortless. With even just a WiFi-connected smartphone, you may already begin confirming the availability of corporate names, “doing business as" (DBA) names, trademarks, and service marks with the help of online business search tools on government websites, social-media platforms, and search engines.

1. Check “Doing Business As" (DBA) Names

DBAs are operating names that companies use in place of their registered names when conducting business (Entrepreneur, n.d). Your county, city, or state may require your company to register its DBA or fictitious name to provide individuals or other entities that are customers or clients of your company with your identity as the company owner.

Despite fictitious name registration not granting exclusive rights to use the name or not being a trademark or copyright, sporting a brand name that is similar to those of others may negatively impact all entities involved. Name recognition and association is important to marketing businesses and eventual sales.

2. Scan Trademarks and Service Marks

Trademarks and service marks are words, phrases, symbols, designs, or a mixture of these elements identifying and differentiating the source of the goods—for trademarks—and services—for service marks—of one business from the offerings of other businesses (United States Patent and Trademark Office, 2020). They protect brand names and logos placed on products and services.

Notably, a business-name registration does not automatically provide companies with trademark and service mark rights. Considering this, checking trademarks and service marks can help you narrow down your name options and prevent you from choosing a business name that other entities have already protected for their exclusive usage through their own trademark or service-mark registration.

In 2021, an estimated 73.7 million registered trademarks were active worldwide, with 37.2 million located in China, 2.8 million in the United States, and 2.6 million in India (World Intellectual Property Organization, 2022).

If you do not know where to look, it can be difficult to know how to find out if a business name is taken. Browsing social media platforms is a convenient way to start. More than 200 million businesses use Facebook—the most-used social media platform globally—to engage with customers (Zuckerberg, 2021) and to market to the social-networking site’s almost 3 billion monthly active users as of late 2022 (Dixon, Statista, 2023).

Even if the inspirational business names you find on social media are not yet registered, using a brand name that has been engaging with customers online for some time may not work in your brand identity’s favor. Keep in mind that you may want to include digital-marketing channels in your overall marketing plan so that you can increase awareness for your own brand and reach your target audiences more easily.

Digital-marketing channels are equipped with search tools and methods that make seeking out information from social-media pages easier. You may use keywords to narrow down your search results and filter them as allowed by the platforms. To familiarize yourself more with their search features, you may read through useful articles on the help centers of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

4. Make Use of Search Engines

Using search engines, such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo!, may help with your cross-verification of registered brand names, considering that many companies have their own websites nowadays. A 2022 survey of small business owners reported that 98% have business websites. Forty-one percent of the survey respondents said that they launched their websites to make their brands more visible; 40% wanted to achieve better search engine results for their brands; and 38% aimed to persuade audiences of their credibility (Expert Market, 2022).

Search engines go through indexed web pages to provide users with the information that they need using the keywords that users input for the search. You may choose any keyword relating to your search intent—in this case, the business name that you are interested in. Basic or generic keywords may be enough, while adding more descriptive words that you see fit may get you more specific results. Google indexes hundreds of billions of web pages and is more than 100,000,000 gigabytes in size (Google, n.d). Thus, with a few words typed in, you may already learn if a business name has been taken.

5. Utilize Online Government Search Tools

Different states in the U.S. have government websites made for the benefit of businesses. These websites offer various services, such as document requests, verification of certifications, and business name and trademark search tools. The following are some of the online search tools provided by U.S. state governments that you can look up:

California’s bizfile Online Business Search
Connecticut’s Business Records Search
Hawaii’s Business Express Business Search
Illinois’ Registered Business Names Search
Maryland’s Business Express Entity Search
Massachusetts’ Business Entity Search
New Jersey’s Business Entity Name Search
New York’s Corporate and Business Entity Database
North Dakota’s First Stop Trademark Search
Virginia’s Corporation & Business Entity Search

Researchers have also developed models and processes for creating distinct brand identities. In the study titled “Naming businesses: Names as drivers of brand value" published in the Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal incorporating Journal of Global Competitiveness in 2012, B. A. Alserhan & Z. A. Alserhan proposed a method for assessing the uniqueness of business names: “The model that this paper constructs introduces new concepts to the name game. These include catch words, similarity indicators, usage frequency, name distinctiveness scale, and trade name classifications. The model provides a practical guide that will help nominators compose names that are highly distinctive and unique; names that will help the company stand out from the crowd."

Can Further Education Enhance Your Business Naming Strategy?

Advanced education in business equips entrepreneurs with analytical tools needed to evaluate market trends, conduct consumer research, and refine brand positioning. Focused studies in marketing, branding, and law enhance the ability to integrate data-driven insights into the naming process, ensuring a more strategically sound decision. Investing in these educational opportunities, such as pursuing highest-paying degrees, cultivates the creative and technical skills that lead to a competitive edge in brand naming.

What are the consequences of ignoring business name availability checks?

Overlooking the process of checking business name availability can lead to several consequences that can affect your business’s legal standing, brand reputation, and financial stability. These consequences go beyond simple inconvenience and can create long-term challenges for your enterprise.

Trademark Infringement Lawsuits: Using a name already trademarked by another entity can result in costly legal battles. Defending against or settling such lawsuits can drain resources and damage your brand’s reputation.
Forced Rebranding Costs: If your chosen name conflicts with an existing business, you may be required to rebrand, including changing logos, marketing materials, and digital assets. Rebranding not only incurs financial costs but also risks losing existing customer trust and market recognition.
Limited Market Recognition: Sharing a name with another business, especially in the same industry, can confuse customers and dilute your brand identity. It becomes challenging to stand out in a competitive market when customers struggle to differentiate your business.
Loss of Digital Real Estate: The unavailability of matching domain names or social media handles for your chosen name can hinder your online presence and digital marketing efforts. Securing alternate domains or usernames might weaken brand consistency and lead to customer misdirection.
Regulatory Challenges: Failing to meet state or local naming regulations could delay your business registration or result in fines. Certain jurisdictions may reject your application if your name is too similar to an existing entity, even if it’s not trademarked.

How to Mitigate These Consequences:

Conduct comprehensive checks across trademark databases, state registries, and social media platforms.
Secure your business name and related digital assets early in the process.
Consider consulting a trademark attorney or branding expert for professional guidance.

Can Professional Certifications Enhance Your Brand Identity?

Acquiring specialized certifications can elevate a company’s market standing by reinforcing leadership credibility and demonstrating a commitment to excellence. Recognized credentialing programs offer advanced insights and practical skills that refine brand messaging without duplicating existing strategies. Such certifications can also signal industry expertise to investors and customers, increasing trust and opening up enhanced growth opportunities. Exploring opportunities for high paying certificate jobs may provide the practical advantages needed to strengthen your brand identity in dynamic markets.

Should I Consider Cultural Sensitivity When Naming My Business?

In today’s global market, evaluating business names through a culturally sensitive lens is crucial. A name that resonates positively across varied regions and languages helps avoid misinterpretations and negative associations in different cultural contexts. Leverage targeted market research and balanced focus groups to identify potential cultural or linguistic pitfalls before finalizing your decision. Incorporating insights from multicultural experts and data-driven analysis can ensure your business name supports both local appeal and international growth. Supplement your approach with educational resources that offer frameworks for understanding global market trends, as seen in the easiest bachelor degree to get.

How Can In-Depth Research and Academic Insight Optimize My Business Name?

Decisive business naming benefits from comprehensive research and academic insight that go beyond conventional practices. Leveraging detailed market studies and targeted academic programs can uncover nuanced consumer trends and foster innovative naming strategies. This approach supports evidence-based decisions to differentiate your brand effectively and position it ahead of competitors. For professionals seeking to deepen their expertise in these areas, exploring the shortest PhD programs can provide accelerated, specialized knowledge to further refine strategic business naming.

Should I Regularly Reassess My Business Name for Relevance?

Regularly evaluating your business name can uncover shifts in market trends, customer perceptions, and competitive positioning that might not have been evident at launch. Periodic audits—using both qualitative feedback and quantitative insights from analytics tools—ensure your business name remains aligned with your evolving brand identity and overall strategy. This proactive approach can reveal opportunities to refresh branding elements without compromising recognition. Moreover, keeping informed through ongoing education, such as exploring fastest online bachelor's degree programs, can provide the analytical and strategic insights necessary to adapt to market dynamics.

Take the Next Steps for Business Success

Because naming businesses can be difficult for new entrepreneurs, it has inspired some to become “professional namers"—for instance, brand consultant Rob Meyerson—and to create name production tools such as Shopify’s business name generator.

As Meyerson pointed out in his 2022 article published by the American Marketing Association, a balanced blend of creativity, strategy, and technicality on the part of entrepreneurs may ultimately provide them with a gold mine of a business name. And if you are still starting out in the business world, you may want to consider getting a business degree, such as in business management or international business, to gain more industry-standard knowledge, experience, and confidence in the field.

Fortunately, you may find out about the availability of quality business names easily using the above-mentioned methods. After learning how register a company name to get started with your own path to business success.

How Does Your Business Name Impact SEO and Online Credibility?

A strategically chosen business name not only reinforces brand recognition but also plays a pivotal role in enhancing search engine visibility. Distinctive names that organically integrate relevant keywords can facilitate improved indexing and ranking on major search engines. This approach minimizes name conflicts and duplication, thereby supporting a more coherent online identity and overall digital reputation. Furthermore, a well-crafted business name contributes to content strategy by aligning with user search intent and clarifying market positioning. For those seeking to bolster their industry expertise through further education, consider the quickest masters degree online.

Should I Protect My Business Name as a Trademark?

Securing a trademark for your business name reinforces legal rights and shields your brand from future disputes. It establishes exclusive ownership, deters potential infringements, and increases overall brand value. Businesses should evaluate the merits of trademark registration early on and consider consulting an intellectual property specialist to navigate the application process effectively. Proactive trademark protection can facilitate smoother growth, offering strategic advantages when expanding into new markets or launching products. For additional insights on building and safeguarding your brand, review resources offered by cheap online colleges that accept FAFSA.

Key Insights:

Strategic Importance of Business Names:
- A well-crafted business name helps create a strong first impression and supports long-term revenue generation.
- Unique business names are crucial for brand awareness, customer perception, and overall business reputation.
Components of a Strong Brand Identity:
- A distinct brand name is a key element of a business identity, enhancing marketing efforts and customer recall.
- Effective business names can succinctly describe the business type and convey its core values and mission.
Legal Considerations and Risk Management:
- Ensuring the uniqueness of a business name helps avoid legal disputes, financial costs of rebranding, and trademark infringements.
- Legal conflicts, such as the one between Facebook (Meta) and a small business named META, underscore the importance of thorough name checks.
Methods for Verifying Business Name Availability:
- Utilize multiple tools and platforms, including DBA databases, trademark registries, social media searches, search engines, and government search tools.
- Online resources and digital marketing channels can aid in the comprehensive verification of business names.
Professional Naming and Business Success:
- Entrepreneurs can leverage professional naming consultants and tools like Shopify’s business name generator.
- A mix of creativity, strategy, and technical knowledge is essential for crafting a successful business name.

FAQ:

Why is having a unique business name important? A unique business name helps establish a strong brand identity, enhances customer recall, supports marketing efforts, and prevents legal disputes and rebranding costs.
What elements make a business name effective? An effective business name is distinct, easy to remember, and conveys the business type and core values succinctly. It should support the overall branding strategy.
How can I check if my desired business name is available? You can check the availability of your business name through DBA databases, trademark and service mark registries, social media platforms, search engines, and online government search tools.
What should I do if my desired business name is already taken? If your desired business name is taken, consider brainstorming alternative names or variations. Ensure the new name still aligns with your brand identity and conduct thorough availability checks.
How can professional naming consultants help in naming a business? Professional naming consultants, like Rob Meyerson, provide expertise in creating unique and strategic business names. They can offer creative insights, conduct market research, and ensure legal availability.
What are the legal risks of not checking business name availability? Not checking business name availability can lead to legal disputes, trademark infringements, and financial costs associated with rebranding and litigation.
Can I use a business name that is already used on social media but not registered? Using a business name already in use on social media can lead to brand confusion and potential legal issues. It’s advisable to choose a unique name that is not associated with existing online entities.
How do trademarks and service marks protect my business name? Trademarks and service marks protect your business name and logos from being used by others, granting you exclusive rights to use them for your products and services.
What role does a business name play in digital marketing? A business name plays a crucial role in digital marketing by enhancing brand visibility, aiding in search engine optimization (SEO), and helping engage with target audiences online.
Is it beneficial to get a business degree for naming and starting a business? While not mandatory, obtaining a business degree can provide valuable industry knowledge, strategic insights, and confidence in making informed business decisions, including naming your business.