The ultimate guide for LLC names

42 comments on “Name”

1. What if my LLC has a DBA through the IRS for the EIN? Do I also need approval through the Articles of Organization? Can I do business through the DBA? Can I set up banking in the DBA name? Cash checks made out to the DBA? I read earlier that an LLC needs as approval letter? From whom?

   • Hey Stephanie, sounds like you obtained an EIN for a DBA that does not exist. A DBA/Sole Proprietorship should be filed with your state (or county, depending on the state). Approval through an Articles of Organization is the formation of an LLC, which is different than what you set up. If you’d like to learn the differences between and LLC and Sole Proprietorship, please see this article. You can setup a bank account and receive checks after you file a DBA with your state (or county). Alternatively, if you decide you’d rather form an LLC, you can do so, then cancel the EIN you got (and get a new EIN for your new LLC). Hope that helps. Let me know if you need anything else.

2. I was looking to do Finley and Family LLC

   I did research and there is a Finley Family LLC

   The difference in mine is Finley and Family is separate because not all in my Family is Finley

   They are are a LLC just under Finley Family…

   Is that arguable or no?

   • Hi Christopher, adding “and” is usually not enough to create distinguishability. What state are you forming your LLC in?

     • North Carolina

       • Hi Christopher, this won’t fly in NC. They LLC won’t be considered “distinguishable”. We have more on LLC names in North Carolina here: North Carolina LLC Name. Hope that helps!

3. Hi Matt,

   Thank you so much for all the valuable and easy to understand information you provided on the website. Quick question, I want to name my LLC “Waterwind Marketing LLC” and when I searched for that name I found “Waterwind LLC”. Do you think it would be considered distinguishable or better to come up with a new name?

   • Hey Rob, you’re welcome man! Thanks :) Unless it’s Texas (the most strict when it comes to LLC name distinguishability), you should be good! Said another way, “Waterwind Marketing LLC” should be approved. Hope that helps.

4. Hey Matt,

   Thanks for this very useful info. I am investing in Real Estate and need to create separate LLCs for all the properties I am buying. I read your article about forming the LLC in the state where the property is located, and I may need to create multiple LLCs in one state. Some folks name their LLC based on the property address (e.g. “123 Easy Street LLC”), however I like to be prepared and form the LLC much before the property is identified, so I need to come up with a naming pattern so I can easily name the LLCs without thinking too much about the name. This naming pattern should be applicable across states.

   I was the thinking the name pattern should be something on the lines of:
   [MY BRAND NAME] [STATE] [NUMBER]
   for all LLCs in all states.

   Example: Assuming My BRAND NAME of “XYZ”, I would end up with:
   XYZ Texas 1 LLC
   XYZ Texas 2 LLC
   XYZ California 1 LLC
   XYZ California 2 LLC
   etc.

   Is this unique enough to pass muster? All the properties are owned by the same entity (me) so there really shouldn’t be any patent or trademark disputes even though they are all legally independent of each other.

   Thoughts on a good naming pattern I could use?

   Best,
   Ameya

   • Hey Ameya, you’re very welcome :) Having worked in real estate (and investing) for many years, I’m very familiar with the “address naming convention” that you mentioned. However, I agree with you; the LLCs need to be in place and ready before the addresses are locked down. While your thinking is in the right place, I don’t recommend the “1”, “2”, “3”, system. While yes, these will usually pass the “distinguishable upon the record” rule (unless they are in Texas), you’re going to confuse the heck out of yourself when organizing paperwork, setting up insurance, making phone calls, etc. Basically anytime you’re doing clerical or administrative work, you’re going to have to use FAR GREATER amounts of brain glucose to not screw things up and make a mistake (for example, entering a “2” when it should be a “1”). The “1”, “2”, “3” naming system is VERY prone to human error (and if not by you, by someone else… say at the bank, insurance agent, deed recorder’s office, etc.)

     What I recommend instead is a more unique first word. Either creating the word yourself from your imagination/creativity, using “word creation” tools online, or using a different language. Then make your first LLC start with “A”, your second start with “B”, and so on.

     Also, if you’re going to include the state name, I recommend the abbreviated version for brevity and saving time when entering and re-entering your entity name in forms and doing paperwork.

     So, as an example, here would be the first 4 LLC names:
     Alma TX LLC, Baya TX LLC, Calabaza CA LLC, and Decenas CA LLC (I’m using Spanish for the first word).

     Now, I noticed something when writing those out. Writing and reading LLCs names (which include the state abbreviations) took some extra brain power and they are hard to skim/read fast. May I suggest dropping the state name/abbreviation and instead using the [UNIQUE FIRST NAME] + [POWERFUL REAL ESTATE WORD] format.

     Here are some powerful real estate words: Associates, Capital, Consultants, Group, Management, Partners, Realty, Real Estate, and Ventures.

     So expanding upon my first 4 LLC names, see if you like this better (and it feels easier to read):
     Alma Associates LLC, Baya Management LLC, Calabaza Consultants LLC, and Decenas Group LLC. The alliteration also helps too!

     Let me know what you think and if you have any followup questions. I admire what you’re doing. Spending thoughtful time on a naming convention now will save you time and energy for years to come :)

     • Makes sense. I like the idea of using alphabetical increments, rather than numerical. I could also throw in my brand name in there, e.g. Alma XYZ Associates LLC.

       Thanks! I now have a pattern I can use.

       • Good call on throwing the brand name in there. You’re welcome Ameya. Best wishes!

5. Hey Matt,
   When naming your LLC is it smart to refrain from putting “investments” in the name? I was told “investments” is thought of an liability when it comes to getting funding from banks. For example: “Flip house investments” vs “flip house group”. I was told the “group” extensions seems more discreet and universal.

   Thanks

   • Hey Shi, interesting question. In my experience, I’ve never seen the name of an LLC deter a bank from lending. In fact, I don’t think most banks care one bit what a company name is. However, if you’re looking to be discreet on a more macro level, then yea, “group” is more low key in my opinion.

6. Hello Matt,

   I noticed you touched on the use of the “&” but I was looking for a little more. Say both were available. Would it be better to file as an LLC with the AND, then be able to use the & in logo? EX – David And Joe, LLC. Would it make sense because you could also get the domain name davidandjoe.com. Then wanted to use David & Joe as the primary on your logo?

   I understand this is not a clever name. Just using it as a reference.

   Thanks!

   • Hi David, interesting question regarding the LLC name. I think you could make the legal LLC name either include the “AND” or the “&”… and then use whichever you’d like in the logo. I don’t see a major difference one way or the other. Comes down to personal preference I guess. If you’re sure you’re going to use the “&” symbol though throughout, then you could also lean that way, for both the legal name and the logo. Hope that helps.

7. Hi Matt,

   I’m in California and wanting to create an LLC. I searched the database and there is a company with a similar name. My question is… if a company has the name Real Estate California, LLC can I name mine California Real Estate, LLC?
   Does changing order distinguish enough?

   Thank you!

   • Hi Jeremy, this would fall under CA 21004.5. (Additional Guidelines Regarding Deceptively Similar and Substantially the Same As), meaning, yes, changing the order around in California is enough to create LLC name distinguishability. Hope that helps.

8. Just wanted to say thank you for taking your time to provide this great information.

   • Hi Celso, you’re very welcome!

9. In Texas…if I wanted to create A&J Insurance Agency, LLC but in researching there is a company called A & J Insurance Services, PLLC. Would that be different enough or would it be denied?

   • Hi Julie, Texas historically has the most strict rules regarding LLC name distinguishability, however, House Bill 2856 (effective June 1, 2018) recently went into effect, somewhat loosening those standards. However, you’ll still need to call the Texas Corporations Section to check on your LLC name’s availability. We have instructions here: Texas LLC name. Hope that helps!

10. Hello! So I’ve recently registered my LLC and then realized the domain name is no longer available. Also too similar names are currently being used on Facebook and Instagram. I’ve seen many companies choose “& Co.” in their title. Is this an option for an LLC? I live in Oklahoma and it states that we can use LTD. and CO. but it never mentions if we can use them separately to name our business. For example, I currently own Labeled Living LLC. I would like to change it to Labeled Living & Co. so that I can have a matching domain name and media presence. Would this be allowed as an LLC name?

    • Hi Minda, for your Oklahoma LLC name, you can’t use “Ltd” or “Co” by themselves as the designator. For example, you can’t use the following:

      • Labeled Living & Co.
      • Labeled Living Ltd.

      Instead, if you’re not going to use the designator “LLC” or “LC”, but want to use “Ltd” or Co”, they’d have to be used together (whether or not they’re abbreviated). For example:

      • Labeled Living Ltd. Co.
      • Labeled Living Ltd. Company
      • Labeled Living Limited Co.
      • Labeled Living Limited Company

      What is the ideal domain name you’d like? Take a look at Lean Domain Search. If you search “Labeled Living”, you’ll see that MyLabeledLiving.com is available. That’s a pretty catchy domain name ;)

11. Do I have to indicate that my company is an LLC on my social media accounts (FB, Instagram, etc)?

    Thanks,

    Sonya

    • Hi Sonya, you don’t “have to”, but you can if you’d like.

12. Hi Matt,

    I’m confused about what a DBA is for, and it’s advantage. Could you please explain? I can’t seem to find information on this in any detail.

    Thanks!

    Martha

    • Hi Martha, a DBA is a “nickname” that either represents a natural person (like you or I) or a legal person (like an LLC or Corporation). The majority of people who form LLCs don’t need a DBA. We have more information here: do I need a DBA for my LLC? Hope that helps!

13. Hi Matt, thank you so much for your invaluable info. I was wondering If I search a name and it comes back as inactivated, May I use that name? Thanks

    • Hey Rolando, you’re welcome! This varies from state to state. We don’t have things like this at quick reference. It’s best to call your state’s Secretary of State of office and check. Hope that helps and thanks for your understanding.

14. Hi, Matt, is the name say “Happy LLC” same as “Happy, LLC”. Can I say that they are the same company (with or without the comma)？ Thanks. Wing.

    • Hey Wing, if you’re talking about whether or not a state will accept a new LLC filing for “Happy LLC” if “Happy, LLC” exists… no, that’ll be rejected since punctuation doesn’t create LLC name distinguishability. If you’re asking are they the same company, your question is too ambiguous to answer. I’m not sure of the context, or actually what you’re asking about. Hope that helps though.

15. Hi Matt, thanks for all your great info.

    I’m wondering if using a domain name as an official LLC would create distinguishability.

    For example, if “Big Dogs LLC” all ready existed, would this create distinguishability as a business name:

    BigDog.com LLC (also note singular vs plural)

    • Hi Doug, you’re very welcome! There isn’t a hard and fast rule on something like this. Each state has different rules/nuances regarding distinguishability. The best thing to do would be to call your state’s Secretary of State office and see what they say. Hope that helps.

16. I was told that the proposed LLC name would be rejected due to potential similarity with pronunciation. The following are an example of the spelling differentiation between an entity that is already active and a entity that is filing for its LLC: “TEVA’S L.L.C.” and “TIVAS LLC”? The pronunciation is actually different. However, that is not being recognized in Texas.

    These are the following changes that are being considered:
    1. Adding an additional word to the name “TIVAS”
    2. Filing the LLC as “TIVAS World LLC” and doing business as “TIVAS”

    Please provide feedback.

    • Hi Nichelle, most states are usually not this strict, however, Texas is the exception. Texas has the most rules and the least flexibility when it comes to LLC name distinguishability. If you really want to use “Tivas”, adding a word would be the most common move to make the LLC name distinguishable. Hope that helps.

17. Hi Matt, your site is really helpful! I’m about to form my first LLC for my Airbnb business. If I name it “Miller Real Estate LLC”, is it ok if I later might use it for cleaning services or other business services?

    Or would you recommend a more generic name, like “Miller Consulting Services LLC”?

    Would appreciate your opinion.

    • Hi Ron, thank you! An LLC can have multiple business activities taking place inside it. You could either use a generic LLC name or you could use something specific like “Miller Real Estate LLC” and then your LLC can file a DBA (called a Trade Name in Washington) for “Miller Cleaning Services”. We have two articles I think you’ll find really helpful:
      • Does my LLC need a DBA
      • Can you have two businesses under one LLC

18. Hi Matt, thanks for providing such a great and informative article! I have created a weird situation and I would appreciate your opinion. I’m in Missouri and created an LLC six weeks ago (A and B, LLC). It was accepted and registered within a day. I quickly found out that I jumped the gun and the domain was not available. My partner and I decided we actually liked the inverse of the name better (B and A, LLC). That name was available, we acquired the domain, and I filed an “Amend Articles of Organization” form online with the MO Secretary of State to change the name of the LLC within a day of the original Articles of Organization but it still hasn’t been reviewed/approved.

    I’m anxious to file for an EIN and local licenses but those forms require the legal business name so if I filed now, as “A and B, LLC” I assume I would have to later file notices or amendments of some kind to change the name with those agencies to our anticipated/desired name “B and A, LLC”. Should I just be patient and wait for the Secretary of State to review and hopefully approve the amendment?

    Do you think this situation would be an appropriate case to use a DBA? I’ve also considered cancelling the name change amendment online and file completely new Articles of Organization under the desired name. Would that be advised? I’m concerned if the inverse of the name is not distinguishable enough from the registered name it might get declined. I also don’t know what headache dissolving the initial business creates (probably not much as no actual business activities ever occured?).

    Sorry that’s a lot. Thank you for your time.

    • Hi Jarrod, you’re very welcome :) Yes, we don’t recommend filing anything with the IRS or applying for a business license, until you have the LLC name finalized. Changing the LLC name with the IRS and other places can be a hassle.

      You could use a DBA name here. And the domain name and the LLC name don’t need to match. For example, you could name the LLC something generic, like “B and A Group, LLC”, “ABCD Partners, LLC”, “RG3 Capital, LLC”, etc.

      Then register a DBA name called “B and A” and buy the domain name “BandA.com”. Hope that helps.

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