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

Texas is the third-busiest state for new business applications — nearly 600,000 in the past year — and it publishes the most detailed name rules of any state, down to which punctuation counts as a difference. Its $300 formation fee is on the high side, but most small businesses owe no franchise tax, only the annual Public Information Report.

How to check a business name in Texas

1. Start with the registry. Search the Texas registry for the exact name; it's the check that decides whether you can file at all.
2. 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.
3. Lock it in. Texas will hold it for 120 days for $40. The system of record is the Texas Secretary of State; confirm there before paying a filing fee.

How busy is Texas right now?

Businesses in Texas filed 590,452 new business applications in the twelve months to August 2026 — +18.0% on the year before, the 3rd-highest total of any state and 18.9 per 1,000 residents (ranked 13th per person). July was the busiest month with 61,347 applications, and Texas accounts for 9.5% 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: 305,154 applications in calendar 2019.

Texas naming rules: what the Texas Secretary of State will and won't accept

Texas applies one test to every proposed name: it must be distinguishable in the records of the Secretary of State (Texas publishes detailed 'distinguishability' rules — e.g. changing 'Corp' to 'LLC' is not enough). In practice that means a name that differs from an existing one only by punctuation, spacing, capitalization or the entity suffix will be refused. An LLC name must end in LLC, L.L.C., Limited Liability Company and Limited Company; a corporation uses Corporation, Corp., Incorporated and Inc., among others.

A few words are gated. In Texas that list includes Bank, Trust, Insurance, Lottery, Olympic, Veteran and Legion and others — using one implies a regulated activity and the filing will be held until the relevant regulator consents.

What it costs: forming an LLC costs $300, a corporation $300 and a name reservation is $40 and holds the name for 120 days. Sosdirect online filings 3-5 business days; expedited 2-3 days for $25.

Keeping it: Public Information Report with the franchise tax (no tax due under the $2.47M revenue threshold), due May 15. Miss it and the entity slides to an inactive status — at which point the name can be taken by someone else.

Source: the Texas Secretary of State, (512) 463-5555 — fee schedule. Fees change; confirm before filing.

What people are checking in Texas

In the past 90 days this site checked 109 names against the Texas registry, and 82% of them came back clear at the state level. The words that came up most: Thrift, Services, Candle, Glow and Home. (Aggregate figures only — we don't publish individual searches.)

The four tests a Texas business name has to pass

1. Nobody active already has it. The Texas Secretary 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 Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas and still be a federal infringement. That is why the trademark check runs alongside the registry search here.

About the Texas Secretary of State

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

• Official Texas business entity search — the state's own lookup.
• Texas Secretary of State — official website — filings, forms, fees, and contact details.

Using the official Texas search

1. Search here first. The checker above covers the Texas registry plus federal trademarks and domains in one pass — most dead-end names are eliminated in seconds.
2. Open the official Texas entity search and look up your shortlisted name exactly as you plan to file it, including the entity suffix.
3. 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.
4. 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

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

Yes. The Texas Secretary of State charges $40 to reserve a name for 120 days. A reserved name shows as taken to everyone else's search.

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

The name itself is free to search. Filing the entity is what costs money: $300 for an LLC and $300 for a corporation, then public information report with the franchise tax (no tax due under the $2.47m revenue threshold), due may 15.

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

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

How many new businesses start in Texas each year?

The Census Bureau counted 590,452 business applications in the twelve months to August 2026, +18.0% on the year before. Not every application becomes a registered entity, but each one is a name someone intends to use.

Does a Texas registration protect my name in other states?

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

What does a Texas LLC name have to end with?

One of the state's accepted designators — LLC, L.L.C., Limited Liability Company and Limited 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 Texas business name generator — every idea checked against the same registry.

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