Your Guide to Doing a Business Name Search in Alabama

Before you register a business in Alabama, you’ll need to make sure your desired name is available. The Alabama Business Entity Search lets you quickly check if a name is already in use or too similar to another registered company. In this guide, we’ll show you how to use the tool and what to look for so you can move forward with confidence.

Choosing a name for your new business is a decision that will have a big impact on your branding and marketing. However, even if you’ve found the perfect name, naming a business isn’t quite as simple as just declaring what you want to call it.

Before you register an LLC in Alabama, you first need to make sure that the name is available and meets the right requirements. To help guide you through this process, here is everything you need to know about conducting a business name search in Alabama and choosing a name for your LLC.

Why do you need to do a business entity search?

The name you choose for your business needs to be unique and distinguishable from any other business in the state. Not only is this important for branding purposes, but it’s actually a legal requirement when naming an LLC in Alabama.

By conducting a state business entity search of the name you are considering, you can check whether any other Alabama businesses are already using it. You can also check for variations or similar names as well to make sure there aren’t any that too closely resemble the name you’ve chosen.

Texas state naming guidelines

There are only a few guidelines you need to follow when naming an LLC in Alamaba, but they are all important. To register your LLC with the state, its name will need to meet the following criteria:

• Unique and distinguishable: The business name must be unique and not an exact match or too similar to any existing business in Alabama.
• Inclusion of required words: The name must include the words “Limited Liability Company,” “Limited,” “Company,” or an abbreviation of these terms (such as “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” “Ltd.,” or “Co.”)
• Prohibited words: Businesses in Alabama are prohibited from using certain words in their names unless they obtain the required permissions/licenses. This includes prohibited terms like terms such as “Bank,” “Trust,” “Insurance,” “Corporation,” or any words suggesting government affiliation.
• No misleading information: Your business name should not imply a purpose that is different from what is stated in its Certificate of Organization. For example, naming your business “Henry’s Automotive Repair” when its stated purpose is landscaping services would not be allowed.

Conducting a business name search in Alabama:
Step-by-step guide with tips

Once you’ve come up with a name you would like to use for your Alabama LLC, the next thing you need to do is conduct a business name search to confirm that it’s available. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do this:

Search the Alabama business name database

The Alabama Secretary of State provides a business name database that can be found at this link. This database includes comprehensive information on all businesses in the state, and it also offers several search options you can use, including:

• Business name: This is the most common search method, and it allows you to confirm that your business name is unique by searching it and its variations.
• Entity ID: You can also search for businesses by their ID number. This is more helpful when you are trying to learn about a specific business than it is when conducting a name search.
• Assumed/fictitious name (DBA): This option allows you to search for businesses that are operating under a name that’s different from their legal entity name. It’s helpful if you want to make sure there aren’t any businesses using the name you’ve chosen as their DBA.

Along with these search options, the Alabama business name database also lets you filter your searches based on things like type of business, business status, and place of formation.

Tips for conducting a business entity search

To make the most of the Alabama business name database and ensure you are able to find any businesses that might be using names similar to yours, here are a few important tips to follow:

• Use keywords: Search for different keywords and their variations to locate businesses with names that are similar to the one you’ve chosen.
• Check plurals and synonyms: Look for plural forms or synonyms of your desired name to ensure no similar names exist.
• Consider misspellings: Check for common misspellings or alternate spellings of the name you’re considering.

Reviewing the results

If a business shows up in the search results that you would like to learn more about, you can access a lot of helpful information by simply clicking on the business name or entity ID. This will allow you to check things like the business’s status, its formation date, the nature of the business, and more.

What can you do once you have an available business name?

Once you’ve chosen a name you’d like to use for your Alabama LLC and confirmed that it’s available, there are a few different steps you can take to secure it. The first option is to reserve your business name while you complete the rest of the business setup process. In Alabama, you can reserve a business name for 1 year by filing a Name Reservation form with the Secretary of State.

You may also want to consider trademarking your business name for additional protection. You can file for a trademark at the state level through the Alabama Secretary of State or at the federal level through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Trademarking helps protect your brand identity both within your industry and potentially nationwide.

Lastly, think about going ahead and purchasing a domain name for your business. If you plan to create a website for the business now or in the future, purchasing the domain name you’d like to use ahead of time is always a good idea.

Conclusion

Naming your LLC (and conducting a business entity search to confirm that the name is available) is a key first step to getting your business up and running. If you would like help with this process and all of the other steps required to form an LLC in Alabama, be sure to check out Tailor Brands’ LLC formation packages. Or, to learn more about how Tailor Brands can help you form your Alabama LLC, feel free to contact us today!

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