How to check if a business name is taken

Check three places, because a name can be free in one and taken in another: your state's business entity search, the USPTO trademark database, and the domain registries. At the USPTO, look for similar-sounding names in your line of business, not just exact matches. A state registration alone will not protect you nationally.

Updated October 22, 2026 · 5 primary sources, listed below

The three checks, and what each one protects

Where	How to check	What it covers
Federal trademark	USPTO Trademark Search (free)	The whole US, for the goods and services the mark is registered for
State entity name	Your Secretary of State’s business entity search (free)	Your state only; most states refuse a duplicate entity name
Domain name	tld.expert checker (free, every ending at once)	Worldwide, for as long as the owner keeps renewing

Coverage per row is from the SBA’s guide to choosing a business name: an entity name protects you at the state level, a trademark at the national level, and once you register a domain nobody else can use it while you own it.

1. Search the USPTO for similar names, not just yours

An exact-match search is not enough. The USPTO’s likelihood of confusion test says marks “don’t have to be identical to be confusingly similar”: they can be similar in sound, appearance or meaning. It also weighs whether the goods or services are related, which is why Dove soap and Dove ice cream bars coexist. Search spelling variants and sound-alikes in your category. The USPTO recommends a comprehensive clearance search before filing, and its examining attorney searches the federal database anyway.

2. Search your state’s business registry

Register your LLC or corporation with the state and it will block exact duplicates there. A DBA (trade name) is weaker: the SBA notes several businesses can share the same DBA in one state, and registering one gives no legal protection by itself.

3. Check the domain on every ending at once

A name is only practical if you can get a domain for it. Type it below: the checker runs it across the endings that fit and only marks a row available after a registrar confirms it.

Live check against the registries and registrars, with the cheapest price we found and the renewal next to it.

Just the one domain? See how to check if a domain is taken.

If someone already has it

Taken as a trademark in your field: pick another name. Rebranding later costs more than renaming now.
Taken only as a domain: use the name on another ending or with a short modifier. Avoid domains that copy someone else’s trademark: under ICANN’s UDRP a trademark owner can have a bad-faith registration cancelled or transferred to them.
Free everywhere: register the domain first (it is the fastest to lose), then the entity, then consider a federal trademark. The USPTO’s electronic base application is $350 per class.

Still looking for the name itself? Start with how to come up with a business name.

Common questions

If my state lets me register the name, am I safe?

Not nationally. The SBA says an entity name protects you at the state level, while a federal trademark protects a name across the country, and businesses in every state are subject to trademark infringement lawsuits.

Can two businesses have the same DBA?

Yes. The SBA notes that multiple businesses can go by the same DBA in one state, and that registering a DBA gives no legal protection by itself. Most states still require you to register one if you use it.

How much does it cost to trademark a business name?

The USPTO's electronic base application fee is $350 per class of goods or services, before surcharges such as $100 for insufficient information or $200 for free-form descriptions instead of the ID Manual.

Can someone take my domain because of their trademark?

Yes, under ICANN's UDRP, if they show the domain is identical or confusingly similar to their mark, you have no legitimate interest in it, and it was registered and used in bad faith. The panel can cancel it or transfer it to them.

Sources

U.S. Small Business Administration, “Choose your business name” (retrieved October 22, 2026).
USPTO, “Trademark Search” (retrieved October 22, 2026).
USPTO, “Likelihood of confusion” (retrieved October 22, 2026).
USPTO, “USPTO fee schedule (trademark application fees)” (retrieved October 22, 2026).
ICANN, “Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy” (February 21, 2024).

Extensions on this page

.com .co .io .net