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

The name itself is free to search. Filing the entity is what costs money: $200 for an LLC and $125 for a corporation, then biennial statement, $9, due in the anniversary month; llcs also owe the $25-$4,500 annual filing fee to tax & finance.

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

Words that imply a regulated business need consent first. In New York that includes Bank, Trust, Insurance, Board of Trade and Chamber of Commerce. Names that suggest a government agency are refused outright.

How many new businesses start in New York each year?

The Census Bureau counted 321,935 business applications in the twelve months to August 2026, +10.5% on the year before. Not every application becomes a registered entity, but each one is a name someone intends to use.

What if the New York registry shows an inactive company with my name?

Only active registrations block a name. Of the 4.28 million entities in our copy of the New York registry, 4.28 million are active. A dissolved entity's name is usually available — but check whether New York allows reinstatement, which can revive the older claim.

Does a New York registration protect my name in other states?

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

What does a New York LLC name have to end with?

One of the state's accepted designators — LLC, L.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.

Can I reserve a business name in New York before I file?

Yes. The New York Department of State charges $20 to reserve a name for 60 days. A reserved name shows as taken to everyone else's search.

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

New York keeps one of the longest lists of words that need special approval — 'Finance', 'Investment', 'Mortgage', 'Exchange' and 'Union' all trigger a consent step — and it still requires new LLCs to publish notice in two newspapers for six weeks, which in New York City can cost more than the formation itself. Our copy of the state registry holds 4.3 million names.

Check a New York business name now — Enter the exact name you're considering — it's searched against state registry records, federal trademark filings, and domain registrars. Free, no signup to start.

Check this name →

How to check a business name in New York

Type the exact name, suffix included. The checker runs it against the New York registry, the federal trademark register and domain registrars in one pass.
Read the close matches, not just the verdict. New York refuses names that aren't distinguishable — a near-miss on the list is the one that will block you.
Reserve or file while it's clear. New York will hold it for 60 days for $20. Confirm at the official New York Department of State search first.

How busy is New York right now?

The U.S. Census Bureau counted 321,935 business applications from New York in the twelve months ending August 2026 — +10.5% on the year before, the 4th-highest total of any state and 16.2 per 1,000 residents (ranked 26th per person). July was the busiest month with 33,904 applications, and New York accounts for 5.2% of all U.S. filings.

That volume is the reason exact-name checks age quickly here: the registry changes by the hundreds every business day.

Where America starts businesses — all 50 states ranked →

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (monthly, not seasonally adjusted). 2019 comparison: 228,644 applications in calendar 2019.

New York naming rules: what the New York Department of State will and won't accept

The rule that matters most in New York is distinguishable from names on the Department of State's records. The examiner ignores punctuation, spacing, capitalization and the suffix when comparing, so two names that look different on paper can still collide. Designators are fixed: LLC, L.L.C. and Limited Liability Company for an LLC, Corporation, Corp. and Incorporated for a corporation.

A few words are gated. In New York that list includes Bank, Trust, Insurance, Board of Trade, Chamber of Commerce, Lawyer and Doctor and others — using one implies a regulated activity and the filing will be held until the relevant regulator consents.

The fees are straightforward: forming an LLC costs $200, a corporation $125 and a name reservation is $20 and holds the name for 60 days. Online filings usually immediate; paper 1-2 weeks; expedited 24-hour/same-day for a fee.

The ongoing obligation: Biennial statement, $9, due in the anniversary month; LLCs also owe the $25-$4,500 annual filing fee to Tax & Finance. Miss it and the entity slides to an inactive status — at which point the name can be taken by someone else.

Source: the New York Department of State, (518) 473-2492 — official website (fee schedule). Fees change; confirm before filing.

What people are checking in New York

Over the last three months, visitors ran 52 New York checks here, and 88% of them came back clear at the state level. The words that came up most: Meridian, Ashido, Pink, Technologies and Art. (Aggregate figures only — we don't publish individual searches.)

Inside the New York registry

We keep a full copy of the New York registry — 4.28 million entities: 53% LLCs and 46% corporations.

The most common words in New York business names are Group, Services, Realty, Management, Holdings and Consulting. A name built from those is competing with thousands of near-neighbours — fine for a search, harder for a filing. 52% of names end in an LLC designator. The average registered name is 23.6 characters long.

The four tests a New York business name has to pass

1. Nobody active already has it. The New York Department of State 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 New York 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 New York 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 New York 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 New York statute and are revised from time to time; for a filing decision, the New York Department of State's own published guidance controls. This page is a practical guide, not legal advice.

About the New York Department of State

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

Official New York business entity search — the state's own lookup.
New York Department of State — official website — filings, forms, fees, and contact details.

Using the official New York search

Search here first. The checker above covers the New York registry plus federal trademarks and domains in one pass — most dead-end names are eliminated in seconds.
Open the official New York entity search and look up your shortlisted name exactly as you plan to file it, including the entity suffix.
Review matching records — check each match's status (active registrations block a name; dissolved ones usually don't) and how close the spelling is to yours.
File or reserve promptly. Availability is first-come-first-served; a name that's clear today can be registered by someone else tomorrow.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to register a business name in New York?: The name itself is free to search. Filing the entity is what costs money: $200 for an LLC and $125 for a corporation, then biennial statement, $9, due in the anniversary month; llcs also owe the $25-$4,500 annual filing fee to tax & finance.
Are there words I can't use in a New York business name?: Words that imply a regulated business need consent first. In New York that includes Bank, Trust, Insurance, Board of Trade and Chamber of Commerce. Names that suggest a government agency are refused outright.
How many new businesses start in New York each year?: The Census Bureau counted 321,935 business applications in the twelve months to August 2026, +10.5% on the year before. Not every application becomes a registered entity, but each one is a name someone intends to use.
What if the New York registry shows an inactive company with my name?: Only active registrations block a name. Of the 4.28 million entities in our copy of the New York registry, 4.28 million are active. A dissolved entity's name is usually available — but check whether New York allows reinstatement, which can revive the older claim.
Does a New York registration protect my name in other states?: No. It protects the name inside New York's registry only. Nationwide protection comes from a federal trademark, which is why the checker runs the USPTO search alongside the New York lookup.
What does a New York LLC name have to end with?: One of the state's accepted designators — LLC, L.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.
Can I reserve a business name in New York before I file?: Yes. The New York Department of State charges $20 to reserve a name for 60 days. A reserved name shows as taken to everyone else's search.

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

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