Free tool · Name & brand
LLC name rule checker
Checks a proposed LLC name against the naming rules almost every US state shares, and is unusually clear about the one thing it cannot check — whether the name is actually available, which only your state can answer.
Include the designator exactly as you would write it — that is one of the things being checked.
Optional. Only used to add that state's known quirks — the rules checked are the near-universal ones.
Type the name you want to file and the rule check appears here.
Before you file, check the name works out loud too.
A name that passes every state rule can still be one nobody can spell. The strength test and the recall test cover what this one cannot.
The short answer: Three rules cause most rejected LLC filings and all three are visible from the text alone. The name must end with an LLC designator; it must not contain a designator belonging to a different entity type, like Inc or Corp; and it must not use restricted words — banking, insurance, education, licensed professions — without the relevant approval. This checks all three plus the character and length constraints. What it cannot do is the thing people actually want: tell you whether the name is available. Whether your name is "distinguishable" from every entity already registered in your state is a judgement only that state makes, against a database this tool cannot see, and it is the reason most rejections happen.
This runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type here is sent to us or to anyone else — there is no server call, no account, and no email required to see your result or take it away with you. The name you type is checked in this tab. There is no formation service behind this.
How to check an LLC name
Type the full name including the designator — that is part of what is checked.
- Type the full name exactly as you would file it, including the LLC or L.L.C. at the end.
- Optionally pick your state — used only to add that state's known quirks, not to change the rules checked.
- Read the blockers first. Those get filings rejected outright.
- Read the warnings. These usually mean an extra form, a licence number, or a letter of consent rather than a refusal.
- Then go and do the thing this cannot do: search your state's free business name database.
A clean result here means the text is fine. It does not mean the name is available — every state has a free business name search, and it takes two minutes.
The three rules that cause most rejections
All three are checkable from the string, which is why this tool exists.
- A required designator. The name must end with something identifying it as an LLC — LLC, L.L.C., or Limited Liability Company, with some states also allowing Limited Company or LC. A filing without one is rejected. Note that the designator does not make your name distinguishable from another business; it is a legal requirement, not a differentiator.
- No other entity type's designator. Inc, Incorporated, Corp, Corporation, LP, LLP. An LLC using any of these is rejected, because the name would mislead anyone reading it about what they are dealing with.
- No unapproved restricted words. Bank, trust, insurance, university, engineer, attorney, and a long list of others. These generally require approval from a regulator, proof of licensure, or a different entity type. Some states refuse a few of them to LLCs outright.
The restricted-word list is the one that catches people out, because the words are ordinary. "Trust" in the sense of trustworthiness triggers the banking rule in several states. "Engineering" in a name run by someone who is not a licensed engineer is a problem in most. Neither is obvious until you hit it.
Distinguishability: the rule that actually rejects filings
And the one no browser tool can check.
Every state requires your name to be distinguishable from every entity already on its register. That is a judgement made by a state office against a live database, and it is far stricter than most people expect.
In most states, adding or removing "The", changing "and" to "&", pluralising a word, altering punctuation, or changing the designator does not make a name distinguishable. "Riverside Plumbing LLC" and "Riverside Plumbings, L.L.C." are the same name as far as the register is concerned.
This is why a clean result here is not a clearance. The text can be perfectly compliant and the filing still bounce because a similar entity registered in 2019 in a town you have never been to.
Every state has a free business name search on its Secretary of State website. Use it before you buy a domain, print anything, or pay anyone. Several states also offer name reservation for a small fee, which holds a name for a period while you get organised — worth it if you are ordering signage before you file.
State registration is not trademark clearance
A separate system, a separate search, and a separate risk.
Registering an LLC name with your state gives you the right to operate under that name in that state. It does not give you a trademark, and it does not protect you from someone who holds one.
The two systems do not talk to each other. A name can be freely available on your state's register and simultaneously infringe a federal trademark held by a business in another state — and the trademark generally wins, which can mean rebranding after you have built recognition.
The minimum diligence is a search of your national trademark register before you commit. It is free and takes minutes. If you find something close in a related field, that is the point to get advice rather than to hope.
The risk is proportional to how distinctive and how commercially valuable the name is. A common descriptive name in a purely local trade carries little exposure. A distinctive coined word you intend to build a brand around carries much more, and is also the case where a trademark of your own is worth having.
Where states genuinely differ
The rules checked here are the shared ones. These are not.
California prohibits bank, trust, trustee, insurer and insurance company in an LLC name outright, and does not permit LLCs for most licensed professions at all — a structural constraint rather than a naming one.
New York requires publication of the formation in two newspapers, which is a real and sometimes substantial cost that varies enormously by county. It has nothing to do with the name and everything to do with the budget.
Texas allows Limited Company and LC as designators in addition to the usual set, and will pre-clear a name by phone. Delaware permits an unusually wide range of designators including several foreign-language equivalents.
Florida is notably strict about distinguishability — a plural, or different punctuation, will not count as distinct from an existing entity.
This tool flags the quirk for the state you pick, and there are fifty states. Read your own Secretary of State's naming guidance; it is usually a short page and it is authoritative in a way nothing else is.
The order to do this in
Five steps, and skipping the third is the expensive mistake.
First, check the text against the rules — that is this tool, and it takes seconds. Second, search your state's business name database for anything close. Third, search your national trademark register. Fourth, check the .com and your two main social handles are available. Fifth, say the name to five people on the phone and see how many spell it correctly.
The whole sequence takes about an hour and it is entirely reversible. Everything after filing — the domain, the signage, the reviews accumulating under the name, the customers who know you as that — is progressively harder to undo.
The step people skip is the trademark search, because it feels like a lawyer's job. It is not: the register is public, searchable and free, and finding nothing takes five minutes. Finding something is the outcome that saves you the most money.
FAQ
Questions, answered
The things owners ask before they trust a number like this.
What are the rules for naming an LLC?
Near-universally across US states: the name must end with an LLC designator (LLC, L.L.C., or Limited Liability Company); it must not contain a designator for a different entity type such as Inc or Corp; it must not use restricted words like bank, insurance, university or a licensed profession without approval; and it must be distinguishable from every entity already registered in that state. The first three are checkable from the text. The fourth is not, and it is the one that rejects most filings.
Can I check if an LLC name is available?
Not with this tool, and not with any browser-based checker that does not query your state's live register. Availability is determined by your state's Secretary of State against a database updated continuously, and their standard for 'distinguishable' is stricter than most people expect. Every state offers a free business name search on its own website — use that. This tool checks the rules the text has to satisfy, which is a genuinely different question.
Does my LLC name have to include 'LLC'?
Yes. Every state requires an identifying designator at the end — LLC, L.L.C., or Limited Liability Company, with some states also permitting Limited Company or LC. A filing without one is rejected. Worth knowing separately: the designator does not make your name distinguishable from an existing business. 'Riverside Plumbing LLC' does not count as distinct from 'Riverside Plumbing Inc' in most states.
What words are not allowed in an LLC name?
Designators of other entity types — Inc, Corp, LP, LLP — are hard blockers. Then a category of restricted words that generally need regulator approval or proof of licensure: bank, trust, insurance, university, college, engineer, architect, attorney, and medical terms. Federally protected marks like Olympic and Red Cross are prohibited outright, as are terms implying a government agency. The specifics vary by state, and the checker flags anything in the common list.
Can my LLC name be the same as a business in another state?
Usually yes for registration purposes — state registers are separate, so an identical name in another state is generally not a barrier to registering in yours. But two other things matter. If that business holds a federal trademark, they can prevent your use of the name regardless of your state registration. And if you ever want to operate in their state, you will need to register there and may not be able to use the name.
Do I need a trademark search before naming my LLC?
Yes, and it takes five minutes on a free public register. State registration and trademark are separate systems that do not consult each other, so a name can be freely available in your state and still infringe a mark held elsewhere — and the trademark usually wins, which can mean rebranding after you have built recognition. The risk rises with how distinctive and how commercially valuable your name is.
Can I change my LLC name after registering?
Yes. It is an amendment filing with your state, usually inexpensive, and administratively straightforward. What is not straightforward is everything attached to the old name: your bank account, your contracts, your licences, your reviews, your domain, your search rankings, and every customer who knows you as the previous thing. The filing is the cheap part, which is the argument for spending an hour on the checks before rather than a year on the consequences after.
Should my LLC name be the same as my brand name?
It does not have to be. Many businesses register a formal LLC name and trade under a different one via a DBA or fictitious business name filing — which lets the legal entity be dull and the trading name be good. That is often the right answer when the ideal trading name is taken on the register or triggers a restricted word. It does mean an extra filing and keeping both current.
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Related
Where to go next
The reading that turns this result into a decision.
Business name strength test
Legally fileable is not the same as sayable, spellable or memorable.
Business name generator
Need candidates before you check them?
Domain extension guide
Check the domain alongside the register — step four of five.
Name recall test
The last check: does anyone remember it thirty seconds later.
Once the name clears, put it somewhere real.
A live page with your services and your phone number under the new name, free, in about a minute — before the signage, not after.