Choosing a Business Name in Israel: How to Pick One, and How to Check It Is Free at the Registrar, in Trademarks and as a Domain

A business name is the first decision in branding, and the most expensive one to change later. It is printed on the sign, registered with the authorities, and it sits in the domain and in the Google profile. Most guides stop at "short and catchy". But a catchy name that is already registered as somebody else's trademark in your field is a problem, not an asset. In this article we go through the rules for choosing a name that works in Hebrew, on the phone and in a logo. Then we check that the name really is free, in five Israeli steps: the corporate names engine, the trademarks database, the domain, social networks and Google.

How to choose a business name: 6 rules that work in Hebrew

Before you look for inspiration, set the rules. It makes rejecting names quickly much easier.

1. The phone test. Say the name out loud in a call: "Hello, you have reached…". Can the person who heard it type it into Google without asking how it is spelled?
2. Not too generic. "Renovations and Construction" does not set you apart, and it is hard to build a brand on. The Registrar of Companies also warns against a name that is too general, as we shall see below.
3. Not too narrow. "Air Conditioners in Holon" sounds focused, until you start working in Rishon LeZion or selling heat pumps as well.
4. Short. Two or three words at most. The name has to fit into a round profile picture and into a line of WhatsApp.
5. No double meaning. Check how the name sounds in Hebrew, in English and in Arabic, and how it sounds in slang.
6. A name that can grow. A family name or an invented word lets you add services without changing the name.

We wrote about the strategic foundation the name has to serve, the values and the audience, in our guide to branding for a small business.

Hebrew, English or a transliteration?

A Hebrew name is close to the local customer. That said, in a domain and in social handles it is written in Latin letters, and that is where the trouble starts. Letters such as ח, צ and כ are written in English in several ways: ch, kh, h, tz, ts. So a name with letters like these will be typed into Google in three different forms. There are two solutions: choose a name without problematic letters, or buy several spellings and point them all at one address. On top of that, think about the logo: a long Hebrew name with a foreign-language name next to it demands typographic work, as we explained in logo design for a business.

Step 1: the corporate names engine at the Registrar of Companies

If you are opening a limited company, the name goes through a check. The corporate names engine run by רשות התאגידים, the Israel Corporations Authority, allows "checking a company name easily and at no cost". According to the page, "here you can check how close the proposed name is to an existing corporate name or trademark", and after the search an indication of approval is displayed.

The page lists five guidelines: no similar name exists at another corporation, there are no offensive words, the name does not mislead the public, it is not too general, and no similar name exists as a trademark. Important: according to the page, the check "is an indication only, and is not a substitute for a proposed company name also being checked by representatives of the Registrar of Companies unit".

Why does this matter? Section 27(a) of the Companies Law provides: "A company shall not be registered under a name that is – (1) the name of a corporation lawfully registered in Israel, or so similar to it as to be misleading; (2) a trademark registered in respect of goods or services dealt in for purposes similar to the purposes of the company applying for registration, or a name so similar to it as to be misleading, unless it has been proved to the Registrar that the owner of the trademark has consented to it in writing."

In addition, under section 26, the name of a company whose shareholders' liability is limited "shall include at its end the designation בערבון מוגבל or בע״מ". Registering as a sole trader rather than a company? Section 27 deals with registering a company, but the next two steps are relevant to you as well.

Step 2: the trademarks database, including a phonetic search

A name can be free at the Registrar of Companies and still collide with a registered trademark. So go into the trademarks database of רשות הפטנטים, the Israel Patent Authority, and check as follows:

1. Type the name into the "words in the mark's name" field. Try the full and defective Hebrew spellings too, and the English version.
2. Choose the search mode "all, including phonetic". That surfaces names that sound similar but are spelled differently.
3. Filter by class. The database is divided into 45 classes of goods and services, for example 35 advertising and commerce, 43 providing food and drink, and 44 medical services. An identical mark in a class far from yours is less worrying than a similar mark in your own class.
4. Check that it is in force. The database shows whether the mark is in force or not.

Our decision rule: a taken domain can be worked around. A similar trademark that is in force, in your class, is a reason to give the name up. This is not legal advice; for trademark registration and questions of similarity, go to a lawyer who specialises in intellectual property.

Steps 3 to 5: domain, social networks and Google

Step 3: the domain. On the Israel Internet Association's site you can check whether a .co.il domain is free, and other IL endings too. Check the alternative spellings from the transliteration section as well. How to choose an ending, and why the domain must be registered in your name, we set out in our domain and hosting guide.

Step 4: social networks. Search for the name as a username on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. If it is taken, check whether the account is active and in what field. An abandoned account belonging to a private individual is not a disaster. An active business in your field with the same name, on the other hand, will confuse customers. Also think ahead about the display name on your WhatsApp Business account, which customers see when they contact you.

Step 5: Google and Maps. Search for the name on Google and on Google Maps, together with the name of your city. A business with the same name in your area will compete with you for the same searches and confuse customers, even if it has no trademark. It is worth thinking about this now: changing a name after a year also affects the Google Business Profile, as we explained in rebranding a business.

Mistake #1: printing a sign and business cards before the five steps. The checks take less than an hour. Reprinting takes weeks.

AI name generators: a starting point, not a decision

Naming a business with AI sounds like a shortcut, and in some cases it genuinely helps. ChatGPT or a name generator can produce 50 ideas in a minute, in several styles. That is excellent for brainstorming.

That said, there are three problems. First, a generator does not know what is registered as a trademark in Israel. Second, it tends to suggest "average" names that resemble existing ones, exactly as happens with logos, which we wrote about in AI logo design. Third, in Hebrew the suggestions usually sound translated.

How to use it properly:

1. Give the generator a brief: the field, the audience, three words describing the character, and words that must not appear.
2. Pick five names that pass the six rules.
3. Run each of them through the five checking steps.
4. Keep two or three, and test them on ten real customers with the phone test.

What Simple Web does about it

Simple Web is an AI-first marketing agency from Bnei Brak, certified Meta partners and Google advertising experts, working with 200+ businesses and holding 35 five-star Google reviews. Once the name has been chosen, we build the brand around it in our branding service: strategy (values, tone and audience), a colour and typography system, a logo with its variants, an icon set and templates for social, and finally a Brand Book. We also design collateral such as a business card and an email signature.

A full process takes between two and four weeks, and you can also order a logo on its own. We do not have a single fixed price, so the price is given as a quote based on scope, after a free diagnostic call. We are not lawyers, so registering a company or a trademark stays with the right professional.

Summary

A business name has to pass two tests. The first is a marketing test: short, clear on the phone, neither generic nor too narrow. The second is practical: free at the Registrar of Companies, not similar to a trademark in your class, and available as a domain, on social and on Google. AI can help with ideas, but the checks remain yours. Want us to go over your shortlist of names together before you design a logo? Book a free diagnostic call with us.

Sources

• Israel Corporations Authority: corporate names engine: what the tool checks (closeness to a corporate name or a trademark), the five guidelines, and the warning that the check is an indication only
• Israel Patent Authority: search the trademarks database: the search fields, the phonetic search mode, the 45 classes of goods and services, and the status of the mark
• Companies Law, 5759-1999 (Wikisource): the text of section 26 (the limited-liability designation) and section 27 (a misleading name)
• Israel Internet Association: an IL domain name: checking whether a .co.il domain and other IL endings are free