How to Name Your Company

Achieving success with Triple B Business – your partner in business formation and growth.

Selecting a business name can be a challenging task, especially if you are incorporating your company. To ensure that you are in compliance with the necessary guidelines, it is important to have a clear understanding of how to choose an appropriate business name.

If you have a name in mind, we are happy to offer a free name check to verify its availability. This can help you to avoid any potential legal issues and ensure that you have a unique and memorable name for your business.

General Company Naming Guidelines

Selecting an appropriate business name is an important decision that can have a significant impact on the success of your company. A well-chosen name can help to establish your brand, increase customer recognition, and make a positive impression on potential clients. A short, descriptive, and unique name can help to convey confidence and define your business, while also making it more memorable and effective in promoting your products or services. Overall, an effective business name is a vital component of your brand and marketing efforts, and it’s worth taking the time to carefully consider and choose a name that aligns with your business goals and values.

In the United States, a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or corporation can be named by selecting a unique name and ensuring that it is available for use. Here are some general guidelines to follow when naming a LLC or corporation:

  1. Choose a unique name: The name of your LLC or corporation should be unique and not confusingly similar to the name of any other business entity registered with the state. You can search the state’s business name database to check for availability.
  2. Use proper designators: The name of your LLC or corporation must include a proper designator (suffix), such as “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” “Limited Liability Company”, “Corporation,” “Inc.” or “Incorporated.”
  3. Avoid prohibited words: Some states have restrictions on the use of certain words in business names, such as “bank,” “insurance,” and “university.” You should check the rules of your state to make sure that your proposed name does not include any prohibited words.
  4. Obtain necessary approvals: In some cases, you may need to obtain approval or a license to use certain words in your business name. For example, if you want to include the word “engineer” in your business name, you may need to be licensed as an engineer in your state.
  5. Consider trademark issues: You should also consider whether your proposed business name might infringe on any existing trademarks. It is a good idea to conduct a trademark search to make sure that your proposed name does not conflict with any existing trademarks.
  6. Follow state filing requirements: Finally, you will need to follow the filing requirements of your state to officially register your LLC or corporation. This typically involves filing articles of organization or incorporation with the state and paying any required fees.

Tips for Choosing a Business Name

Use…

  • Simple and distinctive words: Choose words that are simple and easy to remember, and that help to distinguish your business from others in your industry.
  • Meaningful and emotional words: Consider using words that convey the values, mission, or unique selling proposition of your business, and that help to create an emotional connection with your customers.
  • Words that create a verbal or sound association: Think about words that have a catchy or memorable sound, or that create a verbal association with your business or industry.
  • Words that create a mental image: Choose words that help to create a mental image or visual association with your business, and that help to convey the nature or focus of your company.
  • Techniques like alliteration, assonance, and rhythm: Consider using techniques like alliteration (repeating the same sound at the beginning of multiple words), assonance (repeating the same vowel sound in multiple words), and rhythm (creating a rhythmic pattern with the sounds of your words) to make your business name more memorable and engaging.
  • Use proper designators (suffixes): The name of your LLC or corporation must include a proper designator, such as “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” “Limited Liability Company,” “Corporation,” “Inc.” or “Incorporated” etc..

Avoid…

  • Avoid names that are too long or complex: Avoid choosing a business name that is too long or complex, as it may be difficult for customers to remember and refer to your company.
  • Names that are hard to pronounce or remember: Choose a name that is easy to pronounce and remember, and that avoids using uncommon or difficult-to-pronounce words.
  • Any name that is already in use by another business in your state: Make sure that your proposed business name is unique and not already in use by another business in your state, as this could lead to legal issues and damage your brand.
  • Consider trademark issues: Avoid choosing a business name that infringes on any existing trademarks or other intellectual property rights, as this could lead to legal issues and damage your brand.
  • A name that may be offensive in a different language: Be mindful of the fact that your business name may be translated or interpreted differently in different languages and cultures. Avoid choosing a name that may be offensive or inappropriate in other languages or regions.
  • Names where you can’t get naming rights on various social media platforms: Check to make sure that you can secure naming rights on various social media platforms before finalizing your business name.
  • Names where the website domain isn’t available: Make sure that the website domain for your proposed business name is available and not already in use by another party. This will help to ensure that you can create a professional and cohesive online presence for your business.

It is important to note, however, that different states may have different requirements for the use of designators (suffixes) in business names, so it is always a good idea to confirm the rules of your specific state. This can help to ensure that you choose a compliant and effective business name for your company.

  • Incorporation of any entity name beginning with the letter “A” followed by a space or punctuation will be delayed in Wyoming. Any entity beginning with the letter “A” and names that contain special characters such as marks or symbols will require additional verification from the Wyoming Secretary of State. These types of names must be submitted on paper forms and mailed for manual review in the Secretary of State’s Office.
    Example: A Red Wagon LLC; A J Construction LLC; A & J Construction LLC; A.J. Construction LLC.
    If you need to register your LLC or corporation quickly, it’s best to avoid these types of names.
  • Pro Tip: Did you know that in the state of Delaware, you have the option to include a designator (suffix) anywhere within your business name, rather than only at the end? For example, you could use “XYZ’s LLC for Sporting Goods” or “XYZ Corporation For Global Technology Solutions.” As long as you include the proper designator (such as “LLC” or “Corporation”) in your business name, it will be accepted by the state of Delaware. For more information and fun facts about naming your Delaware company click here.

If you have a name in mind, we are happy to offer a free name check to verify its availability. This can help you to avoid any potential legal issues and ensure that you have a unique and memorable name for your business.

Free Name Search

Delaware Naming Guidelines

The guidelines for naming LLCs and corporations outlined in the “General Company Naming Guidelines” above generally apply across all states. However, each state may have its own specific regulations. When naming your company in Delaware, it is essential to take into account both the “General Company Naming Guidelines” and the following state-specific rules.

All DE Registered LLCs and Corporations Must Have a Unique and Distinguishable Name

The name you have selected for your LLC or Corporation must be unique and cannot be used by any other registered business within the state of Delaware.

Your Delaware LLC’s or corporation’s name must not only be unique, but it must also not be similar to any other corporation or LLC name in Delaware. Simply changing a letter or adding a word to another business’s name does not make it sufficiently different.

In order to claim that your corporation’s name is different from another business, you cannot rely on the following factors:

  • Adding designators (suffixes) such as “Corporation,” “Company,” “Incorporated,” “Incorporation,” “Limited,” “Corp.,” “Co.,” “Inc.,” “Ltd.,” “LLC,” etc.
  • Using definite articles like “A,” “And,” “An,” “&,” “The,” etc.
  • Using abbreviations, punctuation, symbols, fonts, or typefaces.

For example, you can’t claim that XYZ Global Co., XYZ Global Corporation, XYZ Global Incorporated, XYZ Global Corp., or XYZ Global LLC are different from one another.

  • Pro Tip: Did you know that in the state of Delaware, you have the option to include a designator anywhere within your business name, rather than only at the end? For example, you could use “XYZ’s LLC for Sporting Goods” or “XYZ Corporation For Global Technology Solutions.” As long as you include the proper designator (such as “LLC” or “Corporation”) in your business name, it will be accepted by the state of Delaware. For more information and fun facts about naming your Delaware company click here.
Different Naming Rule in Delaware for Plural and Singular Forms

In most states, including Wyoming, if the only difference between a proposed business name and an existing one is the use of singular or plural forms, the proposed name is not considered distinct and cannot be used. This is known as the “deceptively similar” rule. For example, if a company called “XYZ Technology LLC” already exists, you cannot name your LLC “XYZ Technologies LLC” because the names are too similar.

However, Delaware uses a different rule known as “Distinguishable upon records” which allows the use of singular and plural forms of a name as long as they are distinguishable. For example, if “XYZ Technology LLC” already exists, you can name your Delaware LLC “XYZ Technologies LLC”.

However, it is still recommended to come up with a unique name to avoid confusion among the public and customers.

Delaware Division of Corporations’ “Disclaimer for Corporate Name Reservations“

To obtain the most current information, please refer to the Delaware Division of Corporations’ Disclaimer for Corporate Name Reservations.

Delaware Division of Corporations Business Entity Search

To ensure your Delaware LLC or corporation has a unique name, you can either reach out to us at Triple B Business or check the Delaware Division of Corporations website using their business search tool.

To confirm that the name you have chosen for your business is not already in use by another DE LLC or corporation, you should check the Delaware Division of Corporations website by searching for corporations by name and other details. If the name is already taken, you will have to select a different one.

Free Name Search
DE Business Entity Search

Wyoming Naming Guidelines

The guidelines for naming LLCs and corporations outlined in the “General Company Naming Guidelines” above generally apply across all states. However, each state may have its own specific regulations. When naming your company in Wyoming, it is essential to take into account both the “General Company Naming Guidelines” and the following state-specific rules.

  • Incorporation of any entity name beginning with the letter “A” followed by a space or punctuation will be delayed in Wyoming. Any entity beginning with the letter “A” and names that contain special characters such as marks or symbols will require additional verification from the Wyoming Secretary of State. These types of names must be submitted on paper forms and mailed for manual review in the Secretary of State’s Office.
    Example: A Red Wagon LLC; A J Construction LLC; A & J Construction LLC; A.J. Construction LLC.

When naming your LLC or corporation in Wyoming, names that begin with the letter “A” followed by a space or punctuation (e.g., “A Red Wagon LLC”) and names that contain special characters such as marks or symbols will require additional verification from the Wyoming Secretary of State. These types of names must be submitted on paper forms and mailed to the State. If you need to register your LLC or corporation quickly, it’s best to avoid these types of names.

All WY Registered LLCs and Corporations Must Have a Unique and Distinguishable Name

The name you have selected for your LLC or Corporation must be unique and cannot be used by any other registered business within the state of Wyoming.

Your Wyoming LLC’s or corporation’s name must not only be unique, but it must also not be similar to any other corporation or LLC name in Delaware. Simply changing a letter or adding a word to another business’s name does not make it sufficiently different.

In order to claim that your corporation’s name is different from another business, you cannot rely on the following factors:

  • Adding designators (suffixes) such as “Corporation,” “Company,” “Incorporated,” “Incorporation,” “Limited,” “Corp.,” “Co.,” “Inc.,” “Ltd.,” “LLC,” etc.
  • Using definite articles like “A,” “And,” “An,” “&,” “The,” etc.
  • Changing the singular, plural, or possessive forms of a word
  • Using abbreviations, punctuation, symbols, fonts, or typefaces.
  • In Wyoming, designators (suffixes) and their abbreviations are not considered unique. Additionally, punctuation marks, special characters, and words such as “The,” “A,” “And,” or “&” do not make a name unique. For example, if “XYZPetSupply LLC” is already in the Wyoming Secretary of State’s database, “XYZ Pet Supply LLC” cannot be registered because Wyoming ignores spaces when comparing names against the database.
  • In contrast to the rules for naming an LLC or corporation in Delaware, Wyoming does not consider plurals and singulars to be distinct when it comes to business names. This means that simply changing a word from singular to plural or vice versa will not allow you to register a business name that is already in the database. For example, if “XYZPetSupply LLC” is already registered, “XYZ Pet Supplies LLC” or if “XYZPetSupply Inc.” is already registered, “XYZ Pet Supplies Inc.” cannot be used as the name for your LLC in Wyoming.
Wyoming Business Center’s “How To Choose A Company Name“

To obtain the most current information, please refer to the Secretary of State of Wyoming Business Center’s “How To Choose A Company Name” (PDF format).

Wyoming Business Center’s Business Entity Search

To ensure your Wyoming corporation has a unique name, you can either reach out to us at Triple B Business or check the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Business Center website using their business search tool.

To confirm that the name you have chosen for your business is not already in use by another WY LLC or corporation, you should check the Wyoming Business Center website by searching for corporations by name and other details. If the name is already taken, you will have to select a different one.

  • Pro Tip: If you prefer conducting your own name search:
    1. Use the “Contains” option when searching, as it will provide a more comprehensive list of results to compare your desired name to, rather than “Starts with”
    2. Exclude the designator (suffix) such as “LLC”, “L.L.C”, “Inc.” or “Corp.” when searching
    3. Omit punctuations such as comma, apostrophes, exclamation marks, hyphens, etc.
Free Name Search
WY Business Entity Search

WE HAVE Answers

Ask Us Anything

When choosing a name for a business in the United States, it is important to consider a few key factors including availability, distinctiveness, legality and branding.

If you are setting up a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or a Corporation, you will also need to include a designator (suffix) in your business name, such as “LLC” or “INC.” This will help to differentiate your business from other types of legal entities.

Please click here to find out more.

It is not easy to determine which type of business entity, an LLC or corporation, is best for you as it depends on multiple factors such as your business goals, the nature of your business, and your individual circumstances.

If you are a U.S. person / U.S. resident please click here to find out more.

If you are a non-U.S. person / non-U.S. resident please click here to find out more.

Wyoming is a leading incorporation domicile due to low fees, no taxes, simple filing and maintenance requirements along with allowing anonymous LLCs and corporations.

For more information please click here.

If you are a U.S. resident not living in Delaware or Wyoming, the best state to form your business depends on various factors. Typically, it’s advantageous for a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to form the business entity in their home state. However, for most businesses forming a company in Wyoming is also a great choice.

If privacy and anonymity are important to you, forming a Holding Company in a state like Wyoming may be a better choice. Holding Companies can choose their domicile as they are only considered as transacting business if they engage in activities beyond holding assets and leasing them.

For further information, click here.

Common choices for a holding company (a.k.a parent company) are Wyoming, Nevada, Delaware and New Mexico. Wyoming is currently the leading state to form a Holding Company (LLC or Corporation) due to the specific statutes, anonymity, asset protection and comparatively low fees.

Please click here to find out more.

In order to incorporate in Wyoming, you need to have a company name, business address, registered agent, share count, par value, and incorporator. These are the only requirements by law to establish a corporation.

For more information please click here.

Yes, as a non-U.S. person / Non-U.S. resident / International Entrepreneur / International Founder / Digital Nomad you can form an LLC or C-Corp in the United States. In fact, it is not even necessary to physically visit the U.S.A, as it is possible to set up your LLC or C-Corp online.

Please click here to find out more.

You don’t need an SSN (Social Security Number) or ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) to get an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. An Employer Identification Number (EIN), also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number or a Federal Business Tax ID, is used to identify a business entity not an individual. You only need an SSN (or ITIN) if you want to apply for an EIN online with the IRS.

We have business formation packages for Non-U.S. owner(s) that includes EIN application for a discounted fee of $150. You can also hire us to obtain your EIN from the IRS for a fee of $175.

An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is a tax processing number issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for individuals who are required to have a U.S. taxpayer identification number but who do not have, and are not eligible to obtain, a Social Security Number (SSN) from the Social Security Administration (SSA). ITINs are issued to foreign nationals and others who have federal tax reporting or filing requirements and do not qualify for SSNs.

The first step is to get an EIN from the IRS. You cannot open up a U.S. bank account without an EIN for your LLC or Corporation.

The easiest option is to opening up a business bank account online with a Fintech company like Mercury, Novel etc.

Another solution is to visit the United States yourself.

For other options and more information to open up a U.S. business bank account please click here.

Wyoming is a leading incorporation provider with low fees and no corporate income taxes. Delaware is generally only used by those raising venture capital or looking to go public.

For more information please click here.

How Triple B Business can help in starting your new company?

The fastest, easiest way to start your new company? Hire us and get everything you need: registered agent service, privacy, free mail forwarding, and the guidance of local experts.

We currently offer Business Formation Services only in the States of Wyoming and Delaware because these two great states offer multitude of advantages to new small business owners.

Here’s how you can start the process with Triple B Business today in 3 easy steps:

1

Tell Us Your Business Name

If you have already decided your new business name then simply enter it on our form. We will perform a free name search for you with the state.

2

Answer A Few Questions.

Answer a few questions and enter the required information on our business formation form. If we have any questions then we will get back to you.

3

We Will File Your Paperwork

We will complete your paperwork and be off to the races filing your new company with the state.

Let’s Get Started Now

Don’t Wait

Contact Us For A Free Consultation

I’m Ready