GA Name Search and Registration for Your Georgia Corporation

Your Georgia corporation needs a great business name, and we’re here to help. Learn about how to search the GA Secretary of State business register, the rules for naming your corporation, using a “Trade Name” and how to get started with registering your Georgia corporation.

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Georgia Secretary of State Corporation Business Lookup

The best way to start naming your business is through a Georgia corporation name search with the secretary of state. They have a helpful tool on their website that lets you search the register of GA corporations to see if someone already has your desired business name.

If the name you want for your Georgia corporation is already used by a GA LLC or corporation, you will need to choose a different name.

Georgia Secretary of State corporation name search tool

Follow These Rules to Name Your Georgia Corporation

Once you’ve checked whether another business in GA is using your corporation name and confirmed availability, you’ll need to understand Georgia Secretary of State naming rules.

General Corporation Naming Rules

The rules below generally apply to all corporations, wherever they are formed.

All GA Registered Corporations Must Have a Unique Name

The name you have chosen for your S Corporation or C Corporation cannot be used by any other registered business in the state of Georgia. This is why you must check business name availability on the GA Secretary of State website.

The Name of Your Corporation Cannot Be Similar to Other Businesses in Georgia

The name of your GA S Corporation or C Corporation cannot be similar to another formal business name in Georgia. The following terms can’t be used to say your business name is different from another business name:

• Suffixes, such as Corporation, Company, Incorporated, Incorporation, Limited, Corp., Co., Inc., Ltd., LLC, etc.

• Definite articles like “A,” “And,” “An,” “&,” “The,” etc.

• The singular, plural or possessive forms of a word

• Abbreviations, punctuation, symbols, fonts, typefaces, etc.

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

You Must Use Certain Words in the Name of Your GA S Corporation or C Corporation

The name of your business typically needs to contain the words “Corporation,” “Incorporated” or “Limited,” normally at the end of the name. These suffixes can be abbreviated.

Your Georgia Corporation Name May Have Other Restrictions

The Georgia Secretary of State will not typically allow you to name S Corporations or C Corporations that breach the following rules:

• Are very similar to the name of a federal or GA agency or organization (e.g., FBI, FDA, Georgia Department of Revenue, Georgia Police, Treasury, etc.)

• Suggest affiliation with a federal or GA agency or organization

• Use the term “Olympic” or any terms that are trademarks of the Olympic organization

• Imply a purpose that it would be illegal for your Georgia corporation to carry out

Specific Rules for Naming Your Georgia Corporation

There are additional, specific rules you will need to follow from the Georgia Secretary of State for naming your GA S Corporation or C Corporation.

• Use of the following terms in an entity name requires the written approval of the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner: “insurance,” “assurance,” “surety,” “fidelity,” “reinsurance,” “reassurance,” or “indemnity”

• Use of the following terms or any variation of the word “bank” in an entity name requires the written approval of the Department of Banking and Finance: "bank," “banc,” “banque,” “banker,” “banking company,” “banking house,” “bancorp,” “bankruptcy,” “credit union,” “savings & loan,” “trust,” or “trust company”

• Use of the following terms in an entity name requires the written approval of the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission: “college” or “university”

More on Georgia Secretary of State business naming rules.

Georgia Corporation Trade Names

Some corporations choose to do business under a different name from the name they were formed under. In Georgia, doing business under a different name is known as a “Trade Name.” We can file a Trade Name for your Georgia corporation on your behalf.

Incfile’s Assumed Business Name service

Why You Don’t Want to Infringe on Trademark or Service Mark Names

In addition to the rules above, it’s vital to see if your Georgia corporation name might infringe on the trademark or service mark of another business. For example, it might not be a good idea to call yourself “General Electric Research Services,” since General Electric is a trademark.

The easiest way to see if your proposed business name infringes is to carry out a trademark search. You can do that via the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or Incfile can help you protect your business with our Trademark Search and Registration service. You should also bear in mind that your Georgia corporation name cannot be substantially similar to an existing trademark or service mark.

You’ve Found the Perfect Name, What Next?

Once you’ve found the right name for your business, it’s time to make it a reality. Check out our packages for starting your Georgia corporation, and form either an S Corporation or a C Corporation today.

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