How to register your company name
The first thing you need to know about registering your business name is that your business name must be unique compared to other businesses in your state or province. Generally, you are not allowed to register the name of a business that has a similar name to another business in your area.
How do you know what company names are taken?
Well, there is both an informal and a formal process for doing this. The first simple and informal process is to simply go to Google and type in the name of the company you have chosen and do a search to see if there are any other companies with that name. If another company with the same name already exists, but is not in your local area, you can still register that name locally, however, that is not recommended. It is best to choose a name that is not only unique to your local area, but global as well.
If you choose a business name that doesn’t exist through a Google search, you’re on the right track. A common way to do this is to use three- or four-word company names instead of one- or two-word company names, which in most cases are already in use.
An easy way to do this is to combine two unique words with two additional words that describe the type of company you are. For example, if you are a delivery company, the company name you can try might be Red Apple Delivery Services or Green Orange Delivery Services. By combining two unique words with two words that describe the type of business you are, you have a much better chance of choosing a business name that is unique.
Once you’ve chosen a business name that doesn’t appear on Google, the next step is to conduct a formal search for the name in your local state or province, which typically costs less than $50. If you are incorporating a company, your company incorporating attorney will be able to assist you in conducting a formal search for the name you have chosen. The process typically requires you to give them three different names to search in order of preference and they will do a formal search to determine which of those three is available for registration.
If you are a sole proprietor, visit your local state or provincial government website for name search forms to conduct the search yourself.