Can I reserve a business name in Maryland before I file?

Yes. The Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation charges $25 to reserve a name for 30 days. A reserved name shows as taken to everyone else's search.

How much does it cost to register a business name in Maryland?

The name itself is free to search. Filing the entity is what costs money: $100 for an LLC and $120 for a corporation, then annual report + personal property return, $300, due april 15.

Are there words I can't use in a Maryland business name?

Words that imply a regulated business need consent first. In Maryland that includes Bank, Trust, Insurance, Engineer and Architect. Names that suggest a government agency are refused outright.

How many new businesses start in Maryland each year?

The Census Bureau counted 108,717 business applications in the twelve months to August 2026, +12.1% on the year before. Not every application becomes a registered entity, but each one is a name someone intends to use.

Does a Maryland registration protect my name in other states?

No. It protects the name inside Maryland's registry only. Nationwide protection comes from a federal trademark, which is why the checker runs the USPTO search alongside the Maryland lookup.

What does a Maryland LLC name have to end with?

One of the state's accepted designators — LLC, L.L.C., L.C. and Limited Liability Company. The checker searches the name with and without the suffix, because the suffix alone never makes a name distinguishable.

Maryland Secretary of State business search — LLC name check, trademark & domain lookup

Maryland runs its business registry out of the Department of Assessments and Taxation rather than a Secretary of State, and the annual report it requires is really a $300 tax filing. Its name reservation lasts only 30 days, so the search-and-file window is short — check the name when you're ready to act.

Run the Maryland check — One search covers the Maryland registry, federal trademarks and the domain. Free, no signup.

Check this name →

How to check a business name in Maryland

Start with the registry. Search the Maryland registry for the exact name; it's the check that decides whether you can file at all.
Then the two checks the state doesn't do. A federal trademark reaches across state lines, and the .com decides whether customers find you — both run here automatically.
Lock it in. Maryland will hold it for 30 days for $25. The system of record is the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation; confirm there before paying a filing fee.

Maryland naming rules: what the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation will and won't accept

Maryland applies one test to every proposed name: it must be distinguishable from names on SDAT's records. In practice that means a name that differs from an existing one only by punctuation, spacing, capitalization or the entity suffix will be refused. Designators are fixed: LLC, L.L.C. and L.C. for an LLC, Corporation, Corp. and Incorporated for a corporation.

Some words need permission first. In Maryland that list includes Bank, Trust, Insurance, Engineer, Architect and Cooperative — using one implies a regulated activity and the filing will be held until the relevant regulator consents.

On cost: forming an LLC costs $100, a corporation $120 and a name reservation is $25 and holds the name for 30 days. Maryland business express online filings ~7 business days; expedited for $50.

Keeping it: Annual report + personal property return, $300, due April 15. Skip it and the state eventually dissolves the entity, releasing the name back into the pool.

As published by the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, (410) 767-1340 — official website (fee schedule). Fees change; confirm before filing.

How busy is Maryland right now?

The U.S. Census Bureau counted 108,717 business applications from Maryland in the twelve months ending August 2026 — +12.1% on the year before, the 18th-highest total of any state and 17.4 per 1,000 residents (ranked 21st per person). April was the busiest month with 11,897 applications, and Maryland accounts for 1.8% of all U.S. filings.

Every one of those applications is a name someone else is about to claim — which is why a search that was clear last month deserves a fresh run before filing.

Where America starts businesses — all 50 states ranked →

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (monthly, not seasonally adjusted). 2019 comparison: 75,451 applications in calendar 2019.

The four tests a Maryland business name has to pass

1. Nobody active already has it. The Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation compares your name against every entity currently on its books; a company that was dissolved or had its registration revoked normally doesn't count, although one that lapsed only recently could be reinstated — the checker calls that out when it sees it.

2. It's genuinely different, not just formatted differently. "Distinguishable" in Maryland means more than a comma, an ampersand, a plural or a different suffix. Sound-alikes and spell-alikes are the usual reason a filing bounces.

3. It carries the right designator. An LLC's legal name has to end in an LLC designator; a corporation needs Inc., Corp., Company or another form Maryland accepts. The designator is part of the name the state records.

4. It doesn't step on a trademark. The registry doesn't look at the USPTO, so a name can clear Maryland and still be a federal infringement. That is why the trademark check runs alongside the registry search here.

Rules, fees and reservation periods are set in Maryland statute and are revised from time to time; for a filing decision, the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation's own published guidance controls. This page is a practical guide, not legal advice.

About the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation

The Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation maintains Maryland's registry of corporations, LLCs, and other registered entities — it is the system of record for Maryland business names. Useful official resources:

Official Maryland business entity search — the state's own lookup.
Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation — official website — filings, forms, fees, and contact details.

Before you file in Maryland: a two-minute double check

Run the name through the checker above — registry, USPTO and domain in one pass.
Repeat the search on the official Maryland lookup, spelling the name exactly as it will be filed, with the designator.
For every match returned, note the status. Active blocks; dissolved or revoked usually doesn't; a recent lapse deserves a second look.
Compare spellings, not just exact hits — Maryland treats near-identical names as the same name.
Clear on both? Reserve or file straight away. Names are first-come, first-served.

Frequently asked questions

Can I reserve a business name in Maryland before I file?: Yes. The Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation charges $25 to reserve a name for 30 days. A reserved name shows as taken to everyone else's search.
How much does it cost to register a business name in Maryland?: The name itself is free to search. Filing the entity is what costs money: $100 for an LLC and $120 for a corporation, then annual report + personal property return, $300, due april 15.
Are there words I can't use in a Maryland business name?: Words that imply a regulated business need consent first. In Maryland that includes Bank, Trust, Insurance, Engineer and Architect. Names that suggest a government agency are refused outright.
How many new businesses start in Maryland each year?: The Census Bureau counted 108,717 business applications in the twelve months to August 2026, +12.1% on the year before. Not every application becomes a registered entity, but each one is a name someone intends to use.
Does a Maryland registration protect my name in other states?: No. It protects the name inside Maryland's registry only. Nationwide protection comes from a federal trademark, which is why the checker runs the USPTO search alongside the Maryland lookup.
What does a Maryland LLC name have to end with?: One of the state's accepted designators — LLC, L.L.C., L.C. and Limited Liability Company. The checker searches the name with and without the suffix, because the suffix alone never makes a name distinguishable.

Still choosing a name? Try the Maryland business name generator — every idea checked against the same registry.

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