How do I check if a startup name is already taken before I fall in love with it?
The short answer
Do a fast five-minute sweep before you get attached: search the exact name plus your category on Google, check the domain, look up the handle on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X, and do a quick MCA company-name search if you're in India. If the top result is another startup in an adjacent space, walk away early. This is triage, not a legal clearance, but it saves you from naming heartbreak later.
Go deeper, your way
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Why we picked it
This is a plain, ordered walkthrough of the same sweep a careful founder runs: a quick web search, domain availability, social handles, trademark databases, and the business registry. It ties the scattered checks into one sequence so you know what to look at and in what order before you fall in love with a name. The registry and trademark steps are US-framed, so treat those as the shape of the check and swap in the MCA and IP India portals if you are in India.
Why we picked it
Before you get attached to a name, you want one screen that tells you if the handle is free everywhere at once. Namechk checks a name against 100+ social platforms and dozens of domain extensions in a single search, so you catch a clash on Instagram or TikTok in seconds instead of finding out after you have printed the cards. Treat it as a fast first sweep, not a legal clearance.
Why we picked it
If you plan to register in India, a free handle and a free domain still will not save you if the name is already a registered company. This is the official Ministry of Corporate Affairs search that tells you whether an identical or closely similar company or LLP name already exists, and the preliminary check needs no login. It is the one India-specific step the global tools skip.
