terilemman, When you are registering your name with either your state, county, etc, depending on where you live, ask the clerk. Usually it will only be a problem if they infringe on each other by being in the same sales channel or having a similar product, etc. For example, there are a lot of realty businesses named 'Seashore Realty'. They are in different places, so they are not infringing on each other. There is some information on Trademarks on the Naming Your Business page. Do a check as well if the name is actually trademarked? You can do a search online at US Patent and Trademark Office. JimD