Can I trademark a company name if it is an acronym which spells out a common word? Example would be CHERRY or NECK.

Acronyms of a generic word or phrase are difficult to protect by trademark.  One must show that the acronym serves as a source identifier and is not used in its descriptive or generic sense.  This means that one must be able to prove that the generic term has meaning sperate from the underlying term.  You can see the difficulty in doing that - since it's a generic term, almost by definition it cannot be separated apart from its ordinary meaning.  Great effort must be made to develop meaning as a source identifier in an acronym of a generic term, apart from the term's ordinary meaning. This information should not be considered legal advice for your specific circumstances and are offered only as general information on the topic of your question.  This should not be relied upon as legal advice and Sills Cummis and Gross does not represent you until you have signed a retainer letter from us. Philip Braginsky, Sills Cummis and Gross http://www.sillscummis.com/practice/practice_group.asp?id=28