How to Check If a Business Name Is Available (For Free)

What actually blocks a name

People run one search, see nothing, and assume they’re clear. Then the state rejects the filing, or a letter from a trademark lawyer shows up two years later. The trouble comes from treating four different searches as one.

Search	What it tells you	Can it stop you?
State business registry	Whether another company in that state has the same or a too-similar name	Yes. The state will reject your Articles.
USPTO trademark database	Whether someone has federal rights to the name for related goods or services	Not at filing, but later, yes. A trademark owner can force a rename.
Domain and social handles	Whether you can get the matching web address	No, but you’ll wish you’d checked.
Local DBA (assumed name) records	Whether a sole proprietor or partnership trades under the name nearby	Rarely, but it flags a local conflict.

Do them in that order.

1. The state registry

Every state has a business entity search run by its secretary of state or a similar office. We keep a guide to each one, with the quirks of its search, in the state business search index.

How to search well:

• Search the distinctive word on its own, not the whole name. “Harbor” will turn up “Harbor Tools LLC”, “Harbour Tool Co.” and “The Harbor Tool Shop”, any of which an examiner might treat as a conflict.
• Leave off “LLC”, “Inc.”, “Company” and “The”.
• Try the obvious misspelling and the plural.
• Include inactive and dissolved companies if the search lets you. Some states keep a dissolved name off-limits for a while. Illinois holds an administratively dissolved LLC’s name for three years, and Ohio protects a “Hold” name for one year.

If the search returns nothing close, the name is probably available. “Probably”, because the final call is made when the state reviews your filing. New York goes further and says its database isn’t meant for checking availability at all. It sells a written availability answer for $5 a name. Texas will give you a preliminary answer by phone or email, but it isn’t final until your filing is processed.

2. The trademark database

The state search protects you from the state. It does nothing about federal trademarks, which cover the whole country.

Go to the USPTO’s trademark search and look for the name as a live registration or application. Then search the distinctive word on its own and scan for anything in a similar line of business. Trademark conflicts turn on “likelihood of confusion”: whether the names are similar and the goods or services are related. So “Harbor Tools” for hand tools is a problem next to “Harbour Tool” for hand tools, but probably not next to “Harbor” for a restaurant.

What a hit means:

• Live mark, same or related goods: pick another name. The registered owner is in the stronger position.
• Live mark, unrelated goods: usually fine, but read the description of goods and services.
• Dead or abandoned: the registration no longer blocks you, though the old owner may still be using the name.

You don’t have to register your own trademark to form the company. Many owners wait until the business has some traction. But searching before you commit costs nothing.

3. Domain and social handles

Check the .com. If an operating business in your field already has it, that’s a second sign the name is crowded, trademark or not. If it’s parked by someone asking a lot of money, decide now whether you’ll pay or pick a name you can own.

Check the handles you’ll actually use. You don’t need every platform, but a mismatch between the company name and its main handle is a small, permanent tax on all your marketing.

4. Local DBAs

Sole proprietors and partnerships often trade under a name without forming a company. They register it as a DBA, fictitious name or assumed name, with the county or the state depending on where they are. These names don’t usually block your state filing. But a local plumber who’s traded as “Harbor Tools” for fifteen years may have rights to the name in that area, and customers will mix you up.

Search the DBA records for the places you’ll operate. Our DBA search guide explains where each state keeps them.

Naming rules states enforce

Beyond being distinguishable, most states have a short list of rules:

• A required ending. An LLC’s name has to include “Limited Liability Company”, “LLC” or another ending the state accepts. Some states also ban corporate words: in Michigan, an LLC name can’t include “corporation”, “incorporated”, “corp.” or “inc.”
• Restricted words. Words like “bank” or “insurance” usually need approval from the regulator. New York, for one, has words that are banned outright, restricted, or need another agency’s consent.
• Nothing misleading. California, for example, won’t accept a name that’s likely to mislead the public.

The exact rules are in each state’s law. Our state guides cover the name check for each one.

Reserving a name

If the name is clear but you’re not ready to file, most states will hold it for you. Florida holds a name for 120 days for $25, and Michigan for 180 days for $25. Each of our state guides lists that state’s reservation rules. It’s a cheap option if a partner is still deciding or you’re waiting on a license.

If you’re ready to file, skip the reservation. Filing the Articles claims the name.

Once you have the name, the next step is the formation filing itself. The LLC formation guide covers the document, the fee and the timing for each state, and the cost by state table shows what you’ll pay.