Yes — you can trademark a name if it meets the USPTO's requirements for trademark registration. The name must function as a source identifier, it must be distinctive enough to qualify for protection, it must not conflict with an existing registered trademark, and it must be used in commerce or have a bona fide intent to be used in commerce.
Whether your specific name meets those requirements depends on where it falls on the trademark distinctiveness spectrum and what a clearance search reveals. This guide explains exactly what can and cannot be trademarked, what the USPTO requires for registration, and how to assess whether your name qualifies. If you already know your name qualifies and want the filing steps, see how to trademark a name.
What Can Be Trademarked
Federal trademark protection is available for a wide range of brand identifiers, not just traditional business names. The USPTO can register:
- Words and names
- Business names, product names, personal names used as brands, made-up words, and combinations of words. This is the most common category of trademark and what most people mean when they ask about trademarking a name.
- Logos and design marks
- Visual designs, icons, symbols, and stylized representations of words or letters. A logo trademark protects the specific visual design as filed. Most businesses with both a name and a logo file separate applications for each.
- Slogans and phrases
- Short phrases used to identify a brand (“Just Do It,” “The Ultimate Driving Machine”). Slogans face higher scrutiny for descriptiveness and failure to function as source identifiers, but strong slogans are registrable.
- Colors
- A specific color or color combination can be trademarked if it has acquired distinctiveness as a brand identifier and the color is not functional. Tiffany blue, UPS brown, and T-Mobile magenta are registered color trademarks.
- Sounds
- Distinctive sounds used as brand identifiers are registrable. The NBC chimes and the MGM lion’s roar are registered sound trademarks.
- Trade dress
- The overall commercial image of a product or service, including packaging design, product appearance, store layout, and décor. Trade dress is protectable when it is distinctive and non-functional.
- Domain names and hashtags
- Can be registered if they function as source identifiers rather than merely as web addresses or social media tags.
The common thread across all registrable marks is the same: the mark must function as a source identifier — something that tells consumers who makes the product or provides the service — rather than merely describing the product or serving a functional purpose.
What Cannot Be Trademarked
Understanding what cannot be trademarked is as important as understanding what can be, because filing for an unregistrable mark wastes your USPTO filing fee and triggers a refusal that adds months to the process.
- Generic terms
- The common name for a type of product or service cannot be trademarked. COMPUTER for computers, BREAD for bread, LAWYER for legal services. A term can also become generic over time — aspirin, escalator, and thermos were all once registered trademarks that became generic through common use.
- Merely descriptive marks
- A mark that directly describes a feature, quality, characteristic, or ingredient of the goods or services cannot be registered without proof of acquired distinctiveness (secondary meaning). COLD AND CREAMY for ice cream, SHARP for electronics, FAST for delivery services. The descriptive refusal is Section 2(e)(1) of the Lanham Act.
- Primarily merely a surname
- Marks such as JONES or SMITH cannot be registered without proof that consumers associate the name with a specific brand rather than just a last name. Section 2(e)(4) of the Lanham Act. Names with acquired brand recognition (FORD, HILTON) can be registered.
- Deceptive marks
- Marks that misrepresent the nature, quality, or geographic origin of the goods or services cannot be registered. Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act. Unlike other grounds for refusal, deceptive marks can never be registered even with proof of acquired distinctiveness.
- Disparaging marks
- Marks that are immoral, scandalous, or disparaging cannot be registered. This standard has been significantly narrowed by the Supreme Court’s decisions in Matal v. Tam and Iancu v. Brunetti. The current state of this law is nuanced and actively evolving.
- Government symbols and insignia
- The U.S. flag, state flags, government seals, and similar official emblems cannot be registered as trademarks. Section 2(b) of the Lanham Act.
- Marks likely to cause confusion
- If your mark is confusingly similar to an existing registered mark for similar goods or services, it will be refused under Section 2(d). A name that is perfectly registrable for one industry may be refused because an identical or similar mark already exists in that class.
- Functional designs
- A design feature that is essential to the use or purpose of the product, or that affects the cost or quality of the product, cannot be trademarked under the functionality doctrine. Trade dress protection requires that the design be non-functional.
The Trademark Distinctiveness Spectrum: Where Does Your Name Fall?
The most important factor in assessing whether a name can be trademarked is where it falls on the distinctiveness spectrum. The USPTO evaluates marks across five categories:
Fanciful marks — Strongest
Invented words with no prior meaning. KODAK, XEROX, GOOGLE (before the product existed), HÄAGEN-DAZS. These are the strongest marks — automatically distinctive, no proof of secondary meaning required, easiest to register, most defensible once registered.
Arbitrary marks — Strong
Real, existing words applied to products or services with which they have no logical connection. APPLE for computers, AMAZON for retail, SHELL for petroleum, DOMINOS for pizza. Strong marks that are relatively easy to register.
Suggestive marks — Protectable
Marks that hint at a quality or characteristic of the product without directly describing it. NETFLIX (network + flicks), JAGUAR for a car, COPPERTONE for sunscreen, GREYHOUND for a bus service. Protectable without proving secondary meaning.
Descriptive marks — Difficult without secondary meaning
Marks that directly describe a feature, quality, ingredient, or geographic origin of the goods or services. Cannot be registered without proof of acquired distinctiveness — demonstrating that consumers recognize the term as a brand identifier for your specific goods rather than as a description.
Generic terms — Never registrable
The common name for the product or service itself. Cannot be registered under any circumstances.
The practical question before filing any trademark application is: where does my name fall on this spectrum? A name in the fanciful or arbitrary category should sail through examination with a clean clearance search. A descriptive name requires a strategy discussion before filing.
Trademark Registration Requirements: What the USPTO Requires
Beyond distinctiveness, a federal trademark application must satisfy these requirements:
- Use in commerce or bona fide intent to use
- Federal trademark registration is available only for marks used in interstate commerce or for which the applicant has a bona fide intent to use the mark. Intent-to-use applications require a sincere, good-faith intention to begin commercial use.
- Identification of specific goods or services
- The application must identify what the mark is used for, precisely and consistently with the USPTO’s ID Manual. Vague or overly broad identifications are refused.
- A clear representation of the mark
- For word marks: the text. For design marks: a compliant JPG image file meeting the USPTO’s technical specifications. For sound marks: an audio file and a written description of the sound.
- A proper specimen
- For use-in-commerce applications, a specimen showing the mark as actually used in commerce at the time of filing. The specimen must be real — not a mock-up, rendering, or digitally altered image.
- Applicant eligibility
- The applicant must be the person or legal entity that owns the mark — the one who controls the nature and quality of the goods or services sold under the mark.
- No prior conflicting marks
- A comprehensive clearance search before filing is essential to confirm that no existing registered mark would block your application under the likelihood of confusion standard.
Can You Trademark a Common Name or Word?
This is one of the most frequent questions in trademark law, and the answer depends entirely on the relationship between the name and your goods or services.
A common word — even a very ordinary one — can be trademarked when it is used for goods or services completely unrelated to its ordinary meaning. APPLE is one of the most common words in the English language. As a trademark for computers, phones, and software, it is arbitrary and therefore distinctive and registrable. If you tried to register APPLE for apple juice or apple orchards, it would be refused as generic or descriptive.
The question to ask about any common word or name is: in the context of your specific goods and services, does the word or name directly describe something about those goods or services, or is the connection arbitrary and indirect? Arbitrary connection means the word can function as a distinctive brand identifier. Direct descriptive connection means it cannot — at least not without building secondary meaning.
Can You Trademark Your Own Name?
Yes, in most cases. Your own name can be a trademark when you use it to sell goods or services, the way RALPH LAUREN and MARTHA STEWART are. What the USPTO looks at is how the name is used and what kind of name it is.
- Full name (first and last)
- Generally registrable when it appears on your products or in advertising for your services as a brand. A full name is not treated as “primarily merely a surname,” so the surname refusal usually does not apply.
- Surname alone
- A last name by itself (JONES for furniture) is refused under Section 2(e)(4) of the Lanham Act as primarily merely a surname. It can register once it has acquired distinctiveness, and five years of substantially exclusive use is generally accepted as evidence of that. Until then, it may qualify for the USPTO’s Supplemental Register.
- First name or nickname
- A first name or nickname on its own is not a surname, so that refusal does not apply. It is judged like any other word: is it distinctive for your goods or services, and is anyone else using something similar?
- Stage names and pen names
- Registrable when used to identify entertainment services or a series of creative works, such as a performer’s name for live shows or an author name used across a book series. A name that appears on only a single book is not treated as a trademark.
- Someone else’s name
- You cannot register a name, nickname, or pseudonym that identifies a particular living person without that person’s written consent (Section 2(c)). That applies to celebrities and private individuals alike.
The test for all of these is the same as for any trademark: the name has to identify the source of goods or services. A name that only identifies you as a person, such as a signature or a byline, is not enough. It needs to be used as a brand on the goods or in advertising the services.
Can You Trademark a Name Someone Else Is Using?
Usually not, even if they never registered it. In the United States, trademark rights come from use, not registration. A business that has been using a name has common-law rights in the area where it operates, and those rights come before yours.
The USPTO examiner checks federal registrations and pending applications, not every business using a name, so an application can sometimes get through examination despite an unregistered prior user. That does not make it safe. The prior user can oppose the application during the 30-day publication period or petition to cancel the registration later, and your registration does not override their rights in the area where they were already operating.
Whether you can still use a similar name depends on how close the names are, how related the goods or services are, and where each business operates. A clearance search that covers common-law use, not just the federal register, is how you find these users before you file.
Your Name Qualifies. What Comes Next?
If your name is distinctive, not already in use for similar goods or services, and you are using it or plan to, the next step is the application: a clearance search, choosing your class, picking a filing basis, and filing with the USPTO. Our step-by-step guide covers each stage, including timelines and costs: How to Trademark a Name.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you trademark a name?
Yes, if the name meets the USPTO's requirements: it must be distinctive (not generic or merely descriptive of your goods), must not conflict with an existing registered trademark, and must be used in commerce or have a bona fide intent to be used. The stronger the name — fanciful or arbitrary rather than descriptive — the easier the registration process.
What can be trademarked?
Words, names, slogans, logos, colors, sounds, and trade dress can all be trademarked if they function as source identifiers. The common thread is that the mark must tell consumers who makes the product or provides the service — it cannot merely describe the product or be functional in nature.
What cannot be trademarked?
Generic terms (the common name for a product), merely descriptive marks without secondary meaning, primarily merely surnames without acquired distinctiveness, deceptive marks, government symbols and official insignia, marks likely to cause confusion with existing registrations, and functional design features cannot be trademarked.
What are the requirements to trademark a name?
The name must be distinctive, not conflict with existing marks, be used in commerce or have a genuine intent to be used, be applied for by the correct owner entity, and have a proper specimen (for use-based applications). A complete application also requires a precise identification of goods and services in the appropriate USPTO class.
Can a descriptive word ever be trademarked?
Yes, but only after it acquires secondary meaning — consumers must associate the descriptive term specifically with your brand rather than as a general descriptor. Acquiring secondary meaning typically requires years of exclusive use, significant sales volume, and substantial advertising. It is a high evidentiary bar.
Can you trademark a name that is already in use but not trademarked?
Usually not. Trademark rights in the U.S. come from use, so a business using a name without registering it still has common-law rights in the area where it operates. If your use would likely confuse customers, that business can oppose your application or petition to cancel your registration. A clearance search that covers common-law use finds these conflicts before you pay the USPTO filing fee.
What is the difference between trademark and copyright for a name?
Copyright protects original creative works — books, music, artwork, software code. Copyright does not protect names, titles, slogans, or short phrases. Trademark protects brand identifiers — names, logos, and slogans used in commerce to identify the source of goods or services. A business name is protected by trademark, not copyright.
Can I trademark my own name?
Yes, if you use it as a brand for goods or services. A full name is generally registrable. A surname alone is refused as primarily merely a surname until it acquires distinctiveness, usually shown by about five years of substantially exclusive use. You cannot register another living person’s name without their written consent.
Can you trademark a nickname?
Yes. A nickname is judged like any other word: it has to be distinctive for your goods or services and not confusingly similar to someone else’s mark. If the nickname identifies a particular living person other than you, that person’s written consent is required.
Can you patent a name?
No. Patents protect inventions, such as new products, processes, and designs. Names, brands, and slogans are protected by trademark registration with the USPTO.
Ready to Find Out If Your Name Qualifies?
Michael Meyer is a USPTO-registered trademark attorney (Reg. No. 78,575) who has handled over 200 trademark matters before the USPTO. Before filing, he conducts a comprehensive clearance search and assesses your mark's distinctiveness — so you know your chances before you pay the government filing fee.
The flat attorney fee for a clearance search and single-class application is $600, plus a $400 filing and processing fee ($350 USPTO filing fee + $50 firm administrative fee), for $1,000 total.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Trademark law involves fact-specific analysis — contact a licensed attorney to discuss your specific situation.
Written by Michael Meyer, USPTO-Registered Patent & Trademark Attorney, Reg. No. 78,575. Michael has been involved in over 400 patent matters and 200 trademark matters before the USPTO. View credentials and verify license.