When you meet someone new, what’s the first thing you want to know about them? Their name. Your name is unique—it’s how people remember you.
The same goes for your Connecticut business: choosing your name is the most important step of forming your company. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as just picking the name you like best from a list. That works for babies, but not businesses. Connecticut has several requirements that you’ll need to follow as you pick a name.
After brainstorming a business name either on your own or through a business naming tool, you’ll want to make sure it is available in your state. That’s where this guide comes in. We’ll walk you through how to use the tool, and we’ll dig into a few ways you can make your name a complete success. Let’s get started.
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How to Use the Connecticut Business Name Search Tool
You’ve picked a name. You’re pretty sure it’s the one. But before you seal the deal, you’ll need to ensure that it’s available for you to use. To do so, you’ll need to use Connecticut’s search tool. They have just one: the Connecticut Business Registry Search.
But we’ll be honest. The tool isn’t exactly the most intuitive. You might be thinking, What’s next? If you don’t know what to do, this name search can be downright overwhelming. But with a few simple pointers, it can be a cinch.
1) Type in the name you’re hoping to use
For purposes of this search, you can leave off entity type identifiers. But the rest of your name should be included in the search. For example, if your business name would be “Carla’s Cupcakes, LLC,” then just “Carla’s Cupcakes” will help you search name availability.
2) Make sure the tool’s settings are correct
To get the most value out of your search, you’ll want to use the search correctly. You should only type in the “Search by Name” blank. The other. For the first search, you should type in the full business name and hit search—no extra gimmicks. But we also recommend running what Connecticut calls a “wildcard” search by including an asterisk (*) in your search. We’ll cover this more in a minute.
3) Examine the search results
Now it’s time to look through the results. Do any exact matches appear? What about similar ones?
In Connecticut, all business names must be “distinguishable on the record.” In layman’s terms, that means your name cannot be the exact same as the name of another entity. So if you type in your desired name and a match appears, you’ll need to change it. That said, if you get written consent from the name’s owner to use it, you can. But we don’t recommend that.
Why don’t we recommend that? You want a name that truly stands out. And one of the best ways to do that is by making sure your name doesn’t look anything like the name of another entity. To check, we recommend conducting a wildcard search. It’s kind of like running a keyword search, but it’s a touch more complicated.
Here’s how to do the wildcard search: type in a keyword from your business name, and type in an * symbol before the word. You should also do a similar search but put the * after the keyword. Going back to our cupcake shop example, the wildcard searches would pull up all business names that include “cupcakes” preceded or followed by other words. But we’d have to do two searches: one as “Cupcakes*” and another as “*Cupcakes.” These wildcard searches aren’t a legal requirement, but they’re helpful to ensure that your name is both distinguishable and unique.
One thing to note: entity type identifiers are not enough to make a name distinguishable. So if a tag like “LLC” or “Co” is the only thing distinguishing your name from another, you’ll need to tweak it.
Next Steps for Your Connecticut Business Name
The steps we’ve listed above are just the legal requirements for a Connecticut LLC name. But this is your business name we’re talking about. You don’t want to just “get by.” You want to go the extra mile and make sure your name is as great as your business concept. You want to protect it, too.
Let’s talk about what you can do to protect (and thrive with) the name you’ve chosen.
1) Double-check that your name meets state requirements
Connecticut’s search tool will only tell you if your name is available to begin with. It won’t, however, tell you if your name complies with state laws for your entity type. Here are some rules to name by:
- Your name cannot make it seem like your business is affiliated with (or is) a government organization (unless, of course, it is and you have the authority to back it up).
- Your name cannot include language that implies your business is involved in activities prohibited by law.
- Your name must include an abbreviation or wording that designates your entity type. For example, your name must follow “Carla’s Cupcakes” with “L.L.C.,” “Limited Liability Company,” or some other label that shows you’re an LLC. Other business types will need to include an appropriate designation.
2) Make sure that your name stands out
The search tool will help you ensure that your name is available in Connecticut. It won’t tell you if there are similar names, though. It also won’t search names in other states. The search tool simply isn’t designed to do that.
We recommend that you also browse through local phone books and do a Google search with your name. Internet search engines pull up results that are close matches to the terms you enter. That includes similar names and businesses in other states. For example, going back to our “Carla’s Cupcakes” example, Google pulls up a hit for a cupcake shop in Virginia.
If that happened to you, it wouldn’t be a make-or-break issue right away. After all, you’re just focused on Connecticut results right now. That said, if you ever wanted to expand into other states later on, then you might encounter problems. Plus, having a truly unique name is a great selling point.
3) Make sure you like the name you’ve chosen
This might seem like an obvious one, but you don’t want to overlook it. You should like your business’s name. You should be proud to say it out loud, glad to write it down, excited when you hear someone say it…you get the idea.
Yes, you’re eager to start your business. But don’t get so excited that you settle on a lackluster name that makes you think, “meh.” If you don’t like the name, odds are your customers won’t, either.
A lot of guides will tell you to make sure your name is easy to say, easy to spell, memorable, and gives your customers a clear picture of what they can expect from your business. And those are all true tidbits of advice. Follow them. But at the end of the day, we think it’s important to pick a name that you like.
4) Protect your chosen name
By now, you’ve put in a lot of work to craft the perfect name for your business. Let’s make sure that work doesn’t go to waste. Connecticut gives you two methods to protect your name, and you can pick one or the other—not both.
For starters, you could file an Application for Reservation of Name form. There’s a $60 fee for this filing, but it gives you one hundred twenty days of exclusive use of your name without actually commencing your business. This is the perfect option if you’ve come up with an ideal name but you’re not quite ready to form your business yet.
But if you are all set to form your business, then you should go ahead and file your Certificate of Organization. There’s a $120 fee for this filing, but it actually creates your business. And once your business is formed, your name is protected, too.
5) Get a DBA or Trade Name (Optional)
The most important name for your business is your legal name; it’s the name you’ll fill in on your Certificate of Organization. But many businesses choose to have a second name, often called a DBA or trade name. For instance, you might want to offer a second product line without renaming your business, or you just found a new nickname you like.
Either way, you’d need to register your trade name. But unlike many states, Connecticut doesn’t handle this on the state level. Instead, you’ll register your trade name with your local county clerk. If you operate in multiple counties, you’ll have to register in each.
Want more info? Get the full scoop on registering a trade name here.
Next Steps – Getting Started
We’ve gone into a lot of detail about searching for a Connecticut business name in this guide, but here’s the deal: choosing an LLC name is just one step in the much bigger process of starting a business.
If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by all that goes into it, don’t panic. We’re here to help. You can catch the full guide to set up a Connecticut LLC, but here’s the fly-by version:
Choose a business name
Every business in Connecticut needs a name that’s both catchy and gives potential clients a good idea what the business does. The name also needs to be unique—both for legal reasons and so your business stands out from the competition.
Appoint your registered agent
Whether you elect to use a private Connecticut registered agent, serve as your own, or you hire a service like the one we’ve listed here, you can’t skip this step. Without a registered agent, you won’t become a legitimate, registered entity.
File your formation documents
If you’re forming an LLC, you’ll need to file the Certificate of Organization; corporations file the Certificate of Incorporation. Once you fill it out and file it, this document is what officially forms your business in the state. There is a $250 filing fee for corporations, and LLCs will pay $120. If you need help with this step, there are plenty of good Connecticut LLC services online.
Beyond that, there are plenty of ongoing costs and maintenance requirements. We won’t go into a ton of detail here, though. Your registered agent (or online registered agent service) will help you keep tabs.
Conclusion
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Conducting a business name search is an important part of forming your business in Connecticut. The search saves you time and helps you set up a name that makes your business stand out. We hope this guide made it simple to name your business.