New York Business Name Search
Check a name against the state database, learn the rules it has to pass, then generate alternatives if it is taken.
Searching for a Business Name in New York
New York keeps every registered corporation, LLC and limited partnership in one public database run by the Department of State's Division of Corporations. Searching it is free, takes about a minute, and needs no account — and it is the only search that counts, because the Division is the office that will accept or reject your filing.
What the search cannot tell you is whether your name will clear. New York applies a distinguishability standard, not an exact-match one, so a name can return no results and still be refused for being too close to something already on file. This page covers the rules the examiner applies, and the publication requirement that surprises more New York filers than any other rule in the state.
Free and no account
The Division of Corporations database is public. No signup, no per-search fee, no third-party site required.
The rules an examiner applies
Suffix requirements, restricted words and the distinguishability standard your name is actually judged against.
The publication rule
New York requires new LLCs to publish notice in two newspapers for six weeks. Budget for it before you file, not after.
How to Search the New York Business Name Database
Open the Corporation and Business Entity Database
It is hosted at apps.dos.ny.gov and covers corporations, LLCs and limited partnerships registered in New York. Use the state's own database rather than a third-party mirror — mirrors lag behind filings.
Search the distinctive part of your name, not the whole thing
Drop the LLC suffix and search only the distinguishing words. Searching "Hudson Valley Bakery LLC" will miss "Hudson Valley Bakery Inc.", which is exactly the sort of conflict that gets a filing rejected.
Search the variations an examiner would treat as the same
Try singular and plural, spelled-out and numeric forms, and obvious respellings. Differences in punctuation, capitalisation or the entity suffix alone do not make a name distinguishable in New York.
Reserve it, or file
If the name is clear and you are not ready to file, an Application for Reservation of Name holds it for 60 days. If you are ready, the name is claimed by the Articles of Organization themselves — reservation is optional, not a prerequisite.
Pro tip: A clear search result is not an approval. The Division decides distinguishability when it examines your filing, so have a second and third choice ready before you pay a filing fee.
Search the New York Database
This is the state's own search, free and public. We hold no copy of it and make no availability claim of our own — the Division of Corporations is the only source that decides.
Nametastic is not a law firm and this is not legal advice. We hold no registry records and cannot tell you whether a name is available — only the state can. Naming rules change; confirm the current requirements with the office linked above before you file.
New York LLC Naming Rules
What the Division of Corporations requires of an LLC name. Confirm the current wording with the state before filing — these rules change occasionally.
| Do | Not this | |
|---|---|---|
| Entity suffix | End the name with "Limited Liability Company", "LLC" or "L.L.C." | Leave the suffix off, or use "Inc." or "Corp." on an LLC |
| Distinguishability | Change the distinctive words themselves so the name reads as a different business | Rely on punctuation, capitalisation, spacing or the suffix to set it apart |
| Restricted words | Check whether words like bank, insurance, trust or college need consent from another agency | Assume a restricted word is fine because the database returns no match |
| Implying a purpose you do not have | Keep the name consistent with what the LLC will actually do | Suggest a licensed or government function the company is not authorised for |
| Publication | Plan for notice in two newspapers for six consecutive weeks in the county of the LLC's office | Treat publication as optional — an LLC that skips it can have its authority suspended |
Getting a New York Name Through on the First Try
- 1
Search before you fall in love
The cost of checking is one minute; the cost of a rejected filing is the fee plus the wait. Search first, then get attached.
- 2
Price the publication requirement before you choose a county
New York's six-week publication runs in the county of the LLC's designated office, and newspaper rates vary enormously between counties. This is a real cost that catches filers after the fact, and it is worth knowing before you pick an address.
- 3
Two or three real candidates, not one
Distinguishability is a judgement the examiner makes, not a search result you can verify. Filers who bring alternatives get through in one cycle; filers with a single name often do not.
- 4
Check the domain at the same time
A name that clears New York but has no usable domain is a name you will regret. Run both checks together — the generator above shows live domain availability alongside each suggestion.
- 5
A reservation is not a registration
Reserving a name for 60 days stops someone else taking it while you prepare, but it does not form the company or give you any trademark right. It buys time, nothing else.