Article · ~10 min read

How to Choose a Business Name: A 5-Step Availability Check

Jaiya (Carry) · Carry Free Beginner

Most naming advice stops at brainstorming, this one is a plain five step sequence for actually checking whether a name is free: trademark database, domain, a Google search for who already ranks, and social handles. It is honest that a name can be legally clear and still be a bad idea if search results are dominated by a bigger brand, which is the trap founders miss. Treat it as a starting checklist, not legal advice.

  • Run the checks in order: trademark search, then domain, then Google the name, then social handles, before you commit.
  • A name being un-trademarked and domain-available still is not safe if a larger company already owns the search results for it.
  • Register a couple of backup domain redirects early, since rebranding later is expensive and confuses customers.
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The question it answers

  1. How do I name my startup so it's not already taken, is available as a .com or .in, and doesn't get lost on Google?

Read with it

  1. Before you get attached to a name, you want one screen that tells you if the handle is free everywhere at once. Namechk checks... namechk.com Tool Namechk: Username and Domain Availability Checker Namechk
  2. This is the official government register, so if you are building in India this is where you confirm a name is not already... IP India Tool · varies IP India Trademark Public Search Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM)
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