How do you find out if your preferred business name is available?

You should start your search on your preferred search engine, notes Nolo.com. If it appears that no one is using your preferred name to conduct similar business, then a more exhaustive check for registered trademarks is recommended by both Nolo.com and the Small Business Administration.

For legal purposes, the most important thing for you to do is to find registered and unregistered trademarks. You can use the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s trademark search tool to find whether a similar business name is trademarked. You can also contact a business filing office in your state to search for a similar name. If the name is unique, then you should apply for trademark protection.