Find the Right Name for Your New York State Corporation

Whether you’re searching for the right New York corporation name or registering your business with the NY Department of State, we can help. We’ve got all the information you need on New York corporation searches, S Corporation and C Corporation naming rules, fictitious names and registering your business.

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New York Department of State Corporation Business Search

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

If your S Corporation or C Corporation name is already used by any type of business entity in New York, that means it’s not available and you won’t be able to register it. Try searching for a different NY corporation name instead.

New York Department of State corporation name search tool

Follow These Rules to Name Your New York Corporation

Once you’ve found an original name for your New York S Corp or C Corp, you will need to make sure it meets New York Department of State naming rules.

General Rules for Naming Your S Corp or C Corp

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

Your New York Corporation Name Must Be Unique

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

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

The name of your NY S Corporation or C Corporation cannot be similar to another formal business name in New York. 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.

Your New York Corporation Name Must Contain Certain Words

The words “Incorporated,” “Corporation,” “Limited” or their abbreviations generally need to appear in your business name, normally at the end.

Other General Rules on Naming Your New York Corporation

The New York Department 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 NY agency or organization (e.g., FBI, FDA, New York Department of Revenue, New York Police, Treasury, etc.)

• Suggest affiliation with a federal or NY 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 New York corporation to carry out

Specific Rules for Naming Your New York Corporation

The general rules above are a good starting point for naming your NY S Corporation or C Corporation, but they are not the only ones. The New York Department of State has some specific business naming rules for corporations. You will need to follow these rules if you want to name your NY business appropriately.

• You must obtain consent from the appropriate licensing body or agency to use terms in your corporation name related to licensed professions or businesses

• You cannot use any language considered obscene, derogatory or that states or implies any unlawful activity

• Restricted words include: "America Espirito Sport Fraternite," "Citius Altius Fortius," academy, acceptance, annuity, arboretum, assurance, bank, benefit, blind, bond, casualty, college, conservatory, council, doctor, education, elementary, endowment, exchange, fidelity, finance, guaranty, handicapped, historical, historical society, history, indemnity, industrial organization, industrial organization, institute, insurance, investment, kindergarten, labor, lawyer, library, loan, mortgage, museum, Olympiad, prekindergarten, preschool, savings, school, secondary, surety, title, trust, underwriter, union, United Nations, university

• Prohibited words include: attorney, board of trade, chamber of commerce, community, cooperation, cooperative, corporation, incorporated, partnership, redevelopment, state police, state trooper, tenant relocation, urban development, urban relocation

More on New York Department of State business naming rules.

New York Corporation “Doing Business As” (DBA) and Assumed Names

Some corporations choose to do business under a different name from the name they were formed under. In New York, doing business under a different name is known as an “Assumed Name.” We can file an Assumed Business Name for your New York 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 also vital to see if your New York 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 New York 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 New York corporation and form either an S Corporation or a C Corporation today.

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