Also, check in your locality where your principal business will be conducted.  There are many non-legal entity businesses that are required to file for DBA and busines licenses and so you want to be sure there will be no conflicts with the names being used by those businesses as well.

So before you get too comfortable with a name, make sure you check with your state corporation agency (called the Secretary of State in most but not all states) to confirm that your name is not already being used or is not too similar to another name registered.  If your business name is really integral to your business, consider reserving the name if you are not yet ready to move forward with your business entity organization.

If you plan on using your name as your company brand and in connection with promoting your products or services, then there is a second area of law- trademark and trade names, that become relevant.  Generally, these laws prevent you from using a mark that is so similar to another trademark that it has a likelihood of causing confusion in the marketplace.

Unfortunately, there is no black and white answer to this inquiry.  First, determine where you will be selling and promoting your products.  If it is just locally, then you need to determine whether there is another business in your local area which uses the same name to sell a similar category of goods or services. If you plan on selling nationally or even internationally, your inquiry needs to cover your scope of coverage.  How do you do this?  The answer is through getting trademark searches.

You can start by searching the government website where marks are registered- Thet patent and trademark office.  They have a search function on their site.  Another option is to pay for some trademark search reports.  Or, you can find attorneys who will do this for you at a flat fee.

Now, many small business owners do not inquire into trademark matters because money is an issue and the company is just starting.  However, think about what may happen if your business becomes the successful and thriving one you plan on creating?  You do not want to spend thousands and thousands of dollar promoting your brand only to find out that you can no longer use your name and you may be liable to another company for substantial damages.

This analysis of course depends on how integral your name is going to be to your business and where you plan on conducting business.  At the very least, conduct your own web based inquiries to see if there are any blatant similarities with competitor businesses or those that are in the same general industry as your contemplated business.