What is a Certificate of Trade Name or Trade Name ?

First, a Company, or Trade Name Certificate, or  DBA / D.B.A.  Doing Business As Statement is the same as An Trade Business Name Statement, an Trade Business Name Certificate, and An Trade Trade Name .  The term is sometimes misspelled: fictious, ficticous, ficticious, etc.  All of these business, or Trade Name s are just business Name certificates / statements that must be filed if the business owner (individual, partnership, corporation) is doing business in a Name other than  its own legal Name .

Registration or Registering of An Trade / Trade Business Name .

In general, you are required by law to notarize (some states) register (file) and publish (in some states) An Trade business Name statement, (otherwise called An Trade Name Certificate,  DBA Doing Business As Statement, an Trade Business Name Certificate, or An Trade Trade Name )  if the business Name is a Name that is different from the Name of the proprietor, partnership or corporation doing business with that Name . 

Example, you are  John Smith doing business as "Super Plumbing" - you need to register the Name "Super Plumbing".  Example: you are Hulliburton Corp, doing business as Rob'em & Cheat'em - you need to register "Rob'em & Cheat'em" under the corporation.  In addition, if the business Name includes the Name of the owner and implies additional owners (for example: John Smith & Associates,) you are required to register An Trade business Name as "John Smith & Associates".