How Should I Find Out If a Proposed Name for My Corporation Is Available?

You should perform a multiple check on a proposed corporate name by following these three steps: 

1. Secretary of State. Check with the Secretary of State of the state in which you plan to incorporate to make sure someone else doesn't already have the name or a name confusingly similar to it.
   
2. Trademark. Check with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to see if someone already has a trademark similar to your proposed name.
   
3. Web search. Do a Web search on your proposed name through Google or other search engines. If someone is using your proposed name, that may have some pre-existing rights.

Once you're sure the name you want for your corporation is available, you can reserve it in most states so it will be available when you are ready to incorporate. Read Reserving a Corporate Name for more information.

Get detailed information on this and other considerations for your startup business by reviewing the AllBusiness.com Step-by-Step Guide to Incorporating a Business.