Choose your business name
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Choose your business name | U.S. Small Business Administration Skip to main content Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock Locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Choose your business name You can find the right business name with creativity and market research. Once you’ve picked your name, you should protect it by registering it with the right agencies. Content Register your business name to protect it You’ll want to choose a business name that reflects your brand identity and doesn’t clash with the types of goods and services you offer. Once you settle on a name you like, you need to protect it. There are four different ways to register your business name. Each way of registering your name serves a different purpose, and some may be legally required depending on your business structure and location. Entity name protects you at a state level Trademark protects you at a federal level Doing business as (DBA) doesn’t give legal protection, but it might be legally required Domain name protects your business website address Each of these name registrations are legally independent. Most small businesses try to use the same name for each kind of registration, but you’re not normally required to. Four different ways to register your business name Entity name An entity name can protect the name of your business at a state level. Depending on your business structure and location, the state may require you to register a legal entity name. Your entity name is how the state identifies your business. Each state may have different rules about what your entity name can be and usage of company suffixes. Most states don’t allow you to register a name that’s already been registered by someone else, and some states require your entity name to reflect the kind of business it represents. In most cases, your entity name registration protects your business and prevents anyone else in the state from operating under the same entity name. However, there are exceptions pertaining to state and business structure. Check with your state for rules about how to register your business name. Trademark A trademark can protect the name of your business, goods, and services at a national level. Trademarks prevent others in the same (or similar) industry in the United States from using your trademarked names. For example, if you were an electronics company and wanted to call your business Springfield Electronic Accessories and one of your products Screen Cover 5000, trademarking those names would prevent other electronics businesses or similar products from using those same names. Businesses in every state are subject to trademark infringement lawsuits, which can prove costly. That’s why you should check your prospective
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