I.Trademark search
A name can be clever, available as a domain, and still legally unusable. Search trademark databases in every market where you will operate — in the US, the USPTO database; other regions have their own offices. Look for exact matches and confusingly similar names in related classes (software, SaaS, AI services). A different ending on a similar stem still counts as risky. For anything commercial, a professional clearance search is cheap insurance next to a rebrand.
II.Domain availability
Check the candidate at a domain registrar before you commit. The .com remains the default people type; if it is taken, decide deliberately whether an alternative extension fits your audience. Check obvious misspellings too — if the typo domain belongs to someone else, expect leaked traffic. Register before you announce, not after.
III.Search ownership
Search the exact name in quotes. If page one belongs to an existing product, company or public figure, choose another name — you will fight that association indefinitely. The ideal candidate is distinctive enough to own the results within months. Check app stores as well: a same-named app in your category manufactures confusion.
IV.Social handles
Consistent handles across major platforms make a young brand look established and are painful to change later. Check the platforms your audience actually uses before finalizing. Exact match is ideal; a consistent modifier (get, try, app) is an acceptable fallback — applied uniformly, not improvised per platform.
V.The radio test, again
It belongs on the checklist because teams skip it: say the name once to someone who has never seen it written. If they cannot spell it back, the name fails — no matter how good it looks in the logo. Word-of-mouth is free marketing; unspellable names tax it.
VI.Document everything
Record why you chose the name, the shortlist, the checks you ran and their dates. When someone asks "did we clear this?" in year two, the document answers. Keep the runner-up names too — if the winner fails clearance in a new market, the backup is ready. A naming decision without paperwork is a rumor; with paperwork, it is an asset.
VII.International and linguistic checks
If the tool will serve users in other languages, check each finalist for unfortunate meanings or pronunciations in those languages — a native speaker plus a quick search beats any automated check. Invented names are the riskiest here: a pleasant syllable in English can be an awkward word elsewhere. This check takes an afternoon and prevents the kind of launch story that becomes a cautionary tale.
Generators brainstorm; humans clear. No instrument can grant trademark rights — this checklist is what makes a name safe to ship.