Check whether a proposed LLC name is available in your target state. Each state requires the LLC name to be distinguishable from existing entities and to include a recognized LLC designator. Use the snapshot table for direct links to each state's business name database.
We normalize for punctuation, articles, and corporate designators per state rules - the same way most Secretary of State search engines do.
Each state has its own name database. We deep-link to the official lookup tool.
Common red flags: too-similar to existing entity, reserved words ('Bank', 'Insurance', 'University'), missing or wrong LLC designator.
your name into the state search to confirm availability.Static snapshot pulled from current state filing fees, statutes, and pricing data. Updates when source data changes.
| State | Required designator(s) | Name reservation | Official lookup tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Alaska | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Arizona | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Arkansas | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| California | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Colorado | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Connecticut | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Delaware | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Florida | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Georgia | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Hawaii | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Idaho | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Illinois | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Indiana | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Iowa | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Kansas | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Kentucky | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Louisiana | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Maine | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Maryland | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Massachusetts | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Michigan | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Minnesota | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Mississippi | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Missouri | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Montana | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Nebraska | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Nevada | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| New Hampshire | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| New Jersey | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| New Mexico | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | Not available | Secretary of State business name search |
| New York | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| North Carolina | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| North Dakota | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Ohio | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Oklahoma | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Oregon | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Pennsylvania | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Rhode Island | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| South Carolina | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| South Dakota | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Tennessee | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Texas | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Utah | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Vermont | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Virginia | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Washington | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| West Virginia | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Wisconsin | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
| Wyoming | "LLC", "L.L.C.", "Limited Liability Company" - all states accept these | 120 days standard ($10-$50 fee) | Secretary of State business name search |
All 50 US states require the LLC name to include a recognized designator ('LLC', 'L.L.C.', 'Limited Liability Company', or a state-permitted variant). All require the name to be 'distinguishable on the records' from existing entities. Most states reserve restricted words ('Bank', 'Insurance', 'University', 'Engineering') for separate licensure. Name reservation lasts 120 days for $10-$50; New Mexico does not offer reservation.
"Distinguishable on the records" means the proposed LLC name differs from every existing entity name in the state register by more than punctuation, capitalization, or the entity designator. Adding a distinct word satisfies the test; changing only punctuation does not. Most states ignore capitalization, spacing, and the difference between "Inc." and "LLC" when they compare names. Some also disregard the articles "the", "a", and "an". So "The Blue River, LLC" and "Blue River Inc." read as the same name to the examiner. The checker normalizes a candidate the way a Secretary of State search engine does, then flags names that collapse onto an existing entity. That preview reduces the odds of a rejected filing at submission.
Restricted words are terms tied to licensed industries: "Bank", "Insurance", "Trust", "University", "College", "Engineering", "Architect", and "Medical". Using one requires submitting the matching license or regulator approval with the formation. States reserve these words to prevent a company from implying a regulated activity it is not authorized to perform. "Bank" and "Trust" draw scrutiny from state banking departments; "Engineering" and "Architect" require proof of a licensed professional; "University" and "Academy" involve the state education authority. The checker flags a restricted word before you file so you can drop it or prepare the required license. Choosing a clean name at the start avoids a rejection that resets the filing clock.
Name reservation locks a chosen LLC name for 120 days for a $10-$50 fee in most states, holding it while you finalize the operating agreement, banking plan, or co-founder terms. New Mexico does not offer reservation. Reservation suits a founder who has settled on a name but is not ready to file the articles. The state removes the name from availability for the reservation window, and a filing submitted before it expires captures the name. Because Anonymousllc.co runs a name search immediately before filing and moves formation on a 5-10 day end-to-end timeline, most customers file directly rather than reserving. Reservation matters most when a launch date is weeks or months out.
No. State LLC name registration only clears the name for entity formation in that state; it grants no trademark rights. Trademark protection is a separate federal process through the USPTO. A registered LLC name stops another entity from forming under an indistinguishable name in the same state. It does not stop a competitor in another state, and it does not protect a brand used in commerce. Federal trademark law governs brand identifiers across state lines. A founder who wants brand protection files a USPTO trademark application in addition to forming the LLC. The name checker addresses only state entity availability, so a distinct entity name and a strong trademark are two different clearances.
The LLC name appears in the public state record because the entity has to be identifiable, but in Wyoming, New Mexico, Delaware, and Nevada the members and managers stay off that record. Only the registered agent is listed publicly. Anonymity operates on the ownership fields of the formation, not on the entity name. The state needs a searchable name to run the distinguishability test and to let third parties confirm the entity exists. It does not need the owners' names on the public filing in those four states. Anonymousllc.co forms a Wyoming anonymous LLC for $397 all-in with the name search included, so the entity name clears the state register while the ownership stays private.
Yes, if each state's register allows it. Name databases are maintained state by state, so the same name can exist as separate LLCs in Wyoming and Texas without conflict at the state level. This independence is why a name available in your formation state can still collide with a federal trademark held by a company operating nationally. State clearance and trademark clearance answer different questions. A founder who plans to register the LLC to do business in a second state as a foreign LLC confirms the name is available in that state too, because the second state applies its own distinguishability test on registration.
All 50 states accept "LLC", "L.L.C.", and "Limited Liability Company", so the choice is stylistic. "LLC" is the cleanest and most common; "Limited Liability Company" is the most formal. The designator is required because it signals the entity type to banks, courts, and counterparties. A name without a recognized designator is rejected by the state. In some registers, changing the designator alone does not make a name distinguishable from an existing entity that uses a different one. The checker suggests a designator that reads well with the base name and confirms it is accepted in the target state. Most founders default to "LLC" for signage, invoices, and contracts.
Anonymousllc.co runs the official state name search immediately before submitting every formation, then files the articles. If the first choice is taken, the team contacts you to select from your backup names before filing. Because registers update continuously, a name that cleared during an earlier check can be claimed before submission. Re-running the search at the moment of filing confirms the exact status rather than relying on a stale result. Providing three backup names keeps formation on the 5-10 day end-to-end timeline, because the team pivots to a cleared name without waiting for a fresh round of decisions. The name search is included in the $397 Wyoming package.
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