Four checks before you use a name
The generator gives you ideas, not permission. The U.S. Small Business Administration lists four separate kinds of name registration, and each is legally independent of the others:
| Registration | What it does | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Entity name | Protects the name of your LLC, corporation or other entity at the state level | Your state's business registration office |
| Trademark | Protects your name at the federal level | USPTO Trademark Search system |
| DBA ("doing business as") | Lets you trade under a name other than your own or your company's; no legal protection by itself | Your state, county or city |
| Domain name | Reserves your website address for as long as you renew it | An accredited domain registrar |
Search the trademark database first
The SBA warns that businesses in every state can be sued for trademark infringement, which can be costly, and advises checking business, product and service names against the USPTO's trademark database. Search there before you order signs or a logo: a name that is free as a domain can still belong to someone else as a trademark.
Then check your state's rules
Most states won't let you register an entity name someone else has already registered, and most require you to register a DBA if you trade under one. If you trade as yourself under your legal name, the SBA says you won't need to register anywhere. Rules differ by state and sometimes by county, so check with your state before you file.
What makes a name easy to live with
- Say it on the phone. If you have to spell it every time, customers will mistype it in search and email.
- Leave room to grow. A name tied to one product or one street is hard to keep if you add a second.
- Keep the domain short. The generator shows each name as a .com spelling; the shorter and plainer that is, the fewer typos.
- Use the same name everywhere you can. Most small businesses use one name for the entity, the trademark, the DBA and the domain, though the SBA notes you're not required to.