When you're starting a business, your business's name is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle. The right business name won't make or break your business (we've all seen terrible names for successful businesses), but it can make customer acquisition and growth easier.
When you create your business in the United States, you need to tell your state what you want your business to be called.
But what if you're not ready to create the entity but you want to reserve the name?
Well, you're in luck. Every state gives founders the option to reserve their business name and register to hold that business name until the founders are ready to start their company.
Check whether your name is available
The first step is to check whether your desired business name is available. To do this, go to your state's business entity search and search for your businesses name to see if another company is already operating with the name you want.
Don't worry if someone has a similar name in a different industry. The rules around business naming are covered in another post, but basic rule is two businesses can have the same or very similar names in different industries. This isn't a hard and fast rule, so you'll want to check with an expert.
Use the table below to find your state and use the entity search to see whether your name is already taken.
Reserve your name
The next step is to reserve your name with the state if your state allows it.
This is basically telling the state that you intend to use this name for a business you intend to run. Use the table below to find your state, see if name reservation is available, and click through to the state's name reservation link and complete the process.
You will get a certificate that lets you know the name is yours for a period of time.
Don’t forget to attach your name reservation certificate when you register.
If you prefer to use a service, here is a FREE corporate name search service we recommend
When you’re ready to trademark your name, we trust Trademark Engine for trademarking services
