One of the most exciting initial tasks to tackle when starting a business is brainstorming names for your company. It’s also one of the most critical to-dos; your company’s name will be the foundation of your brand, so you need to consider it carefully.
As you embark upon the process of deciding what you will call your company, there are some business name restrictions you should be aware of. Every state has its own set of rules regarding what is and is not allowed in business names.
Most states will not allow a business to:
- Include business entity identifiers such as “Incorporated,” “Corporation,” “Inc.,” “Limited Liability Company,” or “LLC” as part of the name if the business is not incorporated or an LLC. Similarly, a business that is incorporated or an LLC must include “Corporation,” “Incorporated,” “Limited,” or an abbreviation (e.g., Inc., LLC) as part of its name.
- Use a name that implies it is a governmental unit (such as a village, city, or borough) when it is not.
- Use a word that implies a company is a government entity (e.g., Federal, United States, etc.).
- Use a business name that misleads the public to believe the company provides something it does not.
- Include a word that implies professional licensing (such as “Engineer,” “Attorney,” or “CPA”) if the business does not have the appropriate license.
- Use words like “bank,” “trust,” or “insurance,” unless legally authorized to operate as such by the appropriate government agency.
- Use a name that is deceptively similar to another business name on record.
- Use derivatives or other forms of prohibited words (for example, adding “ing” to the end of a prohibited word or using its plural form, etc.)
State-By-State Business Name Restrictions
The table below shares some information about each state’s business name restrictions. Although this list is not all-inclusive, I hope that it will give business owners a better idea of what words to be wary of when considering using them as part of a company name.
| State | Words Prohibited or Restricted in Business Names |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Bank, Banking, Banc, Engineer, Engineering, Olympic |
| Alaska | Words that: imply a governmental unit (for example, city, village or borough); mislead the public about the business's purpose; are vulgar |
| Arizona | Bank, Banker, Banking, Banc, Banco, Deposit, Trust, Trust Company |
| Arkansas | Bank, Banker, Banking, Savings, Safe Deposit, Trust, Trustee, Insurance, Credit Union, Olympic |
| California | Bank, Trust, Trustee, Olympic |
| Colorado | Bank, Trust, Trustee, Olympic |
| Connecticut | Bank, Insurance Company, Trust Company |
| District of Columbia | Bank, Banking, Banc, Insurance |
| Delaware | Bank, Banking, Banc, words deemed objectionable by the Secretary of State |
| Florida | Bank, Banking, Banc, Insurance, Savings and Loan Association, Credit Union |
| Georgia | Insurance, Assurance, Surety, College, University; Bank, Credit Union, Trust |
| Hawaii | Financial Institution, Bank, Banker, Banking, Banc, Savings Bank, Savings and Loan, Savings Association, Financial Services Loan Company, Credit Union, Trust Company, Intrapacific Bank, International Banking Corporation, Trust, Olympic, Olympiad, Citius Altius Fortius, Insurance |
| Idaho | Bank, Banc, Banking, Engineering, Engineer |
| Illinois | Bank, Banking, Insurance |
| Indiana | Bank, Banker, Banking, Savings, Safe Deposit, Trust, Trustee, Insurance, Credit Union |
| Iowa | Bank, Banker, Banking, Savings, Safe Deposit, Trust, Trustee, Insurance and Credit Union |
| Kansas | Bank, Banks, Banking, Banc |
| Kentucky | Cooperative |
| Louisiana | Bank, Banker, Banking, Savings, Safe Deposit, Trust, Trustee, Building, Loan, Homestead, Insurance, Casualty, Redevelopment Corporation, Electric Cooperative, Credit Union |
| Maine | Savings, Savings Bank, Bank, Banker, Banking, Trust, Trust Company, Trust and Banking Company, Credit Union, the plural of any of these words or any derivatives of these terms. |
| Maryland | Bank, Banker, Banking, Savings, Safe Deposit, Trust, Trustee, Insurance, Credit Union |
| Massachusetts | Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Government, PX, GI, Fire, Police, State, Federal |
| Michigan | Bank, Banking, Banc, Insurance. Co-Op, Credit Union |
| Minnesota | Bank, Banker, Banking, Savings, Safe Deposit, Trust, Trustee, Insurance, Credit Union |
| Mississippi | Bank, Banker, Banking, Savings, Safe Deposit, Trust, Trustee, Insurance, Credit Union |
| Missouri | Cooperative, Bank, Insurance Company, Redevelopment |
| Montana | Bank, Banker, Banking |
| Nebraska | Bank, Banker, Banking |
| Nevada | Insurance, Bank, Trust, Engineer, Engineered, Engineering, Professional Engineer, Registered Engineer, Licensed Engineer |
| New Hampshire | Farmers’ Market |
| New Jersey | Bank, Banker, Banking, Olympic, Handicapped, Cemetery |
| New Mexico | Bank, Banker, Banking |
| New York | Bank, Banker, Banking, Surety, Historical, Museum, Underwriter, School, Handicapped |
| North Carolina | Bank, Banking, Banker, Trust, Farmering, Farm, Farmer, Insurance |
| North Dakota | Bank, Banking, Banker, Trust, Farmering, Farm, Farmer, Insurance |
| Ohio | Bank, Trust, words and phrases that are profane or generally considered a slur against an ethnic group, religion, gender, or heredity |
| Oklahoma | Bank, Banking, Banker, Trust, Farmering, Farm, Farmer, Insurance |
| Oregon | Bank, Trust |
| Pennsylvania | Bank, Banking, Banker, Trust, Engineering, School, Insurance |
| Rhode Island | Bank, Trust |
| South Carolina | Bank |
| South Dakota | Bank, Banking, Banker |
| Tennessee | Mortgage, Bank, Banks, Credit Union, Trust |
| Texas | Bank, Insurance, Olympic, Trust, Cooperative |
| Utah | Bank, Banking, Banker, Trust, Trustee, Credit Union, Savings, Loan, Education, Institution, Institute, University, College, Building |
| Vermont | Bank, Insurance; Must register with the appropriate department |
| Virginia | Bank, Trust, Insurance |
| Washington | Bank, Banking, Banker, Trust, Cooperative, or any combination of the words Industrial and Loan, or any combination of any two or more of the words: Building, Savings, Loan, Home, Associatio, Society |
| West Virginia | Engineering, Doctor |
| Wisconsin | Insurance, Trust, Bank |
| Wyoming | Education, School, College, University, Bank, Banking |
Make Sure You Don’t Break the Rules
- Check with the Secretary of State’s office for state rules and restrictions – What I’ve provided above is just a sampling of the restrictions in each state. Entrepreneurs can confirm that the business names they would like to use won’t break the rules by visiting the state government’s website and contacting the appropriate state department for more information.
- Conduct a corporate name search – Even if the desired name is free of any prohibited words and otherwise meets all the requirements, a business will likely not be able to use it if another company selling similar products or services is already using the name. Doing a name search using CorpNet’s free Corporate Name Search tool can help identify if the name is available in the state.
- Conduct a trademark search – Companies that intend to do business in more than one state should consider doing a trademark search. If a business name has been trademarked, it is protected in all 50 United States, which prevents other businesses with similar purposes from using the name in any state.
- File a DBA is operating under a fictitious name – A DBA is a fictitious business name, trade name, or assumed business name. This DBA, which is short for Doing Business As, is a filing that lets the public know you’re the true owner of your business. If you’re operating your business as a sole proprietor, then you’ll need to file for a DBA if your business has a different name than your own name. If you decide to file to become a corporation or LLC, then you will need to get a DBA if you plan on conducting business using a name that’s different than the name filed with your LLC or corporation paperwork.
- Enlist the expertise of an attorney to ensure you’ve covered all the bases – Everything I have shared here is for general informational purposes. For legal guidance about naming a business, entrepreneurs should seek the expertise of an attorney or another qualified professional.
Next Steps
After you’ve done your research and have landed on a distinguishable business name that meets your state’s requirements, remember that my team at CorpNet is here to help you with business name reservations and business registration paperwork for LLCs, S Corporations, or C Corporations.
Perform a Free Business Name Search
Our Corporate Name Search tool provides a free way to research the availability of a business name. After answering a few quick questions, our agents search the appropriate state databases to verify a name’s availability.
