How do I check if a business name is already taken?

Run three checks. Search your state's business entity records, because most states will not register a name another entity already holds. Search the USPTO trademark database for a conflicting mark. Then check whether a domain is free. In Delaware, for example, a new entity name must be distinguishable from names already reserved or registered in the state.

Does a company name have to be one word?

No, but most are. Of the 43 companies in our Index, 39 (91 percent) are a single word with no space. A few run to two words, such as Hugging Face and Mistral AI. One word is common, not required.

How long should a company name be?

Short is the norm. Among the 43 companies in our Index, the median name is 7 letters, ranging from 4 (Wise) to 12 (MyFitnessPal). Twenty-one of the 43 run just 6 or 7 letters.

Is registering a business name the same as trademarking it?

No. Registering a name with your state lets you operate under it, but it does not give trademark rights. A trademark is a separate, national right you search and apply for through the USPTO. The SBA notes that even with a DBA, trademark infringement laws still apply.

Should my company name match my domain name?

It helps, but it is not required. The SBA says a domain does not need to be the same as your legal business name. ICANN notes a domain must be unique and is meant to be easy to remember, so a close, clean domain is worth more than an exact one with hyphens or odd spellings.

How to Name a Company: The Three Checks That Matter

A strong company name is short, easy to say, and free to use. Choosing one is mostly three checks: whether your state will register the name, whether it steps on someone else’s trademark, and whether a domain is open. On November 1, 2026, we counted the names of the 43 companies listed in our Index. The median name runs 7 letters, and 39 of the 43 are a single word.

How long the company names in the Index areThe 43 companies listed in TheCompanyIndex, counted by the number of letters in the name, read November 1, 2026

4 to 5 letters	2
6 to 7 letters	21
8 to 9 letters	13
10 to 12 letters	7

Most are short: the median name is 7 letters, and 21 of the 43 run 6 or 7.

Source: TheCompanyIndex, the 43 company names listed, read November 1, 2026

What makes a good company name?

Three qualities show up again and again: a name is short, it is easy to say and spell, and it is free to use. The companies we list bear this out. Their names run a median of 7 letters, 21 of the 43 use only 6 or 7, and 39 of the 43 are a single word with no space. Short and plain is the pattern, from Wise and Figma to Stripe and Notion.

A name does not have to be a real word. Many on the list are coined, such as Calendly, Mailchimp and Typeform. A few run to two words, such as Hugging Face and Mistral AI, and two carry a number, 1Password and 99designs. The common thread is that each is easy to type and say once, then remember.

The part that trips founders up is the last quality, free to use. A name you love is worth little if another company already holds it, so the real work of naming is three availability checks.

The three checks that decide if a name is free

Check	What it means
State entity name	Your state will not register a name already taken
Trademark	A national right; search the USPTO database first
Domain	A web address, must be unique; use a registrar

1. The state entity name

When you register a company, your state checks the name against the ones it already holds. The US Small Business Administration puts it plainly: “most states don’t allow you to register a name that’s already been registered by someone else”. Delaware, where many companies incorporate, requires that a new name be “distinguishable from corporations or other entities reserved or registered under the laws of Delaware”.

Each state runs a free business entity search on its Secretary of State website. Run it early, before you grow attached to a name.

2. The trademark

A state registration lets you operate under a name. It does not stop a company in another state from using it. That protection is a trademark, which the USPTO defines as “any word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination of these things” that “identifies the source of your goods or services”. A trademark is national, and it applies within an industry.

Before you commit, the SBA says to “check your prospective business, product, and service names against the official trademark database”. The USPTO runs that database, and the search is free. A name that is clear in your state can still collide with a registered mark in your field.

3. The domain

The third check is the web address. ICANN, which coordinates the domain name system, notes that a domain name “uses letters, numbers, and hyphens to form a name that is easier to remember” and that the address “must be unique”. The SBA adds that a domain “doesn’t actually need to be the same as your legal business name”, and points founders to an accredited registrar to buy one.

An exact-match domain is nice. A short, clean one that people can type without thinking is worth more than a long or hyphenated version of the perfect name.

Is registering a name the same as owning it?

No. The two are separate. Registering with your state lets you do business under the name. A trademark is the right that stops others in your field from using it, and the USPTO treats the brand and the legal mark as different things: “a brand is a marketing concept that encompasses how people feel about your product or service”, and “it is your choice whether to protect your brand under trademark law”. Even a registered DBA does not clear you of trademark duties; the SBA warns that “trademark infringement laws will still apply”.

For a small company starting out, the order is: search the state records, search the trademark database, buy the domain, then register. A trademark application can follow once the name is earning its keep.

A quick naming checklist

Run a shortlisted name through these in order. If it fails one, move to the next name.

1. Say it out loud.   Can a stranger spell it after hearing it once?
2. State records.     Is the name free in your state's entity search?
3. Trademark.         Any conflicting mark in the USPTO database?
4. Domain.            Is a clean domain open at a registrar?
5. Other meanings.    Does it mean anything odd in another language?

The first and last checks cost nothing and catch the names you would regret. The middle three decide whether the name is yours to use.

Add your company to the Index

Once a name clears the checks and the company is open for business, you can add it to TheCompanyIndex for free. A person reads every entry before it goes live, and an approved entry gets its own page with a followed link, listed under its name and what it does.

What this page could not check

The 43 names are mostly software and consumer-tech companies in our Index, where short, coined, one-word names are in fashion. A law firm, a restaurant or a local trade would name differently, and these numbers would shift.
Counting letters and words is objective, but we did not try to judge which names are coined and which are real words.
Name availability and trademark rules vary by country and by US state. This page is general information, not legal advice, and a lawyer should clear a name that matters.
The Index grows, so the median length and the one-word share will change as more companies are listed.
Each finding is due for a check after May 1, 2027.

Sources

US Small Business Administration, “Choose your business name”, read November 1, 2026.
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “What is a trademark?”, last updated November 30, 2023.
United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Trademark, patent, or copyright”, last updated February 3, 2025.
State of Delaware, Division of Corporations, “Frequently Asked Questions”, read November 1, 2026.
ICANN, “Beginners” guide to domain names, read November 1, 2026.
TheCompanyIndex, our own count of the 43 company names listed, November 1, 2026.

How to name a company: the three checks that matter