Illinois LLC Name Search

The Illinois Secretary of State requires all business names to be distinguishable from other business entities in the state.

It's also important to search for a matching domain name (URL).

You can search for an LLC name in Illinois via:

• Online database
• Phone

We recommend calling the Secretary of State for preliminary name approval, even if the online database shows that your name is available on the Illinois LLC Search.

Online Database

Once you know your corporation name meets Illinois business name guidelines, make sure it’s available by using the Illinois LLC Search tool. 

Phone

You can call the Illinois Secretary of State at (217) 524-8008 for a preliminary name availability screening.

Recommended: If you don’t have a business name yet or find that yours is taken, use our LLC Name Generator.

When choosing a business name you'll need to find out whether or not a good web domain name is available. Having a URL that clearly matches your business name is important. This small step can make a big difference in how prospective customers find your business.

The best way to determine if your desired URL is available is to search for it using your preferred domain registry, such as GoDaddy.

An LLC name is officially registered when you file your LLC application documents and form an LLC.

Ready to register your LLC name? Use our Illinois LLC guide to get started.

Registering a DBA in Illinois (also known as an assumed name) is a separate process that requires filing with the Secretary of State.

You can optionally reserve your LLC name in Illinois for up to 90 days before you officially register it. This prevents other businesses from registering your name until you have the opportunity to register it yourself. 

Name reservations can be filed by mail with the Illinois Secretary of State. The filing fee is $25.

Some key guidelines for Illinois LLC names include:

• Your name must include the phrase “limited liability company,” or one of its abbreviations (LLC or L.L.C.). If it is classified as a “low-profit LLC,” it must contain "L3C."
• Your name must be the name under which your LLC conducts business unless you register for an assumed name.
• Your name must be distinguishable from any existing business in the state. This includes Illinois reserved names.

Keep an eye out for restricted words. These words, such as “FBI” or “Treasury,” are often restricted to keep your LLC from sounding like an official institution.

Illinois also has the following restrictions for LLC names:

• Your name cannot include any of the following terms: “Corporation,” “Corp.,” “Incorporated,” “Inc.,” “Ltd.,” “Co.,” “Limited Partnership,” or “L.P.”
• Your name cannot contain any word or phrase (e.g. “trust,” “trustee,” “fiduciary”) that indicates or implies that your LLC is in the business of a corporate fiduciary unless permitted by the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulation. If the LLC is organized to accept or execute trusts, the name must contain the word “trust.”
• The name may not contain any word or phrase that is restricted by any other state statute (e.g., LLCs are not permitted to operate as banks or insurers in Illinois).

For more information, check out Illinois’ official state statutes.

Distinguishability

It is important that your name be distinguishable from all other business names. In Illinois, a distinguishable name is one that is substantively different from all other existing or reserved business names in the state.

The following differences do NOT make a name distinguishable in Illinois:

• Business entity identifiers such as "limited", "liability" or "company" or an abbreviation of one of those words.
• Articles
• Conjunctions
• Contractions
• Abbreviations
• Different tenses or number of the same word

Failure to use a distinguishable name could result in your formation filing being rejected.

Is your name already taken? Our free AI-powered LLC name generator will generate thousands of new ideas.