Delaware Business Name Checker
Check if your business name is available in Delaware. Validate Delaware naming rules instantly and search the Division of Corporations' free entity search — knowing that the free lookup shows the name and file number only, while full status reports are paid.
Validate the name format, then search the official Delaware Division of Corporations — Entity Search records.
1.Search the state registry (Delaware Division of Corporations — Entity Search) for existing LLCs, corporations, and reserved names
2.Check federal trademarks at USPTO.gov — state approval does not protect you from trademark claims
3.Verify the .com domain is available for your name
4.Grab matching social media handles (Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Facebook)
5.Lock the name in by filing your formation documents — or reserve it first (details below)
Fee
$75
Holds the name for
120 days
How to file
Instant online reservation through the Division of Corporations' ICIS system (ACH or card), or paper by mail
Renewable through the Division's dedicated re-reservation forms. At $75, Delaware's reservation fee is the highest among comparable states.
How Business Name Availability Works in Delaware
Delaware, home to more than a million business entities, runs its names through the Division of Corporations — there is no Secretary of State entity portal in the usual sense. The Division's free entity search has a famous limitation: it confirms only the entity name and file number. Status, officers, filing history, and good-standing details are sold as paid reports. For a pure availability check, though, the free search does the job: if the name appears, it is taken.
Delaware LLC names follow 6 Del. C. § 18-102 — "Limited Liability Company," "LLC," or "L.L.C." — and must be distinguishable upon the records. Corporate names under 8 Del. C. § 102(a)(1) are where Delaware gets interesting: the statute accepts an unusually broad menu of designators including "association," "club," "foundation," "fund," "institute," "society," "syndicate," and "union" alongside the familiar "incorporated" and "corporation." A Delaware corporation can legitimately be named "Brandywine Growth Fund" or "Wilmington Athletic Club" with no "Inc." in sight.
Two costs define the Delaware experience. The name reservation is $75 for 120 days — the highest among comparable states — filed instantly online through the Division's ICIS system. And every Delaware LLC owes a flat $300 annual franchise tax, due June 1, on top of the modest $110 formation fee. Delaware's prestige comes with a running meter.
Delaware Business Name Requirements
✓ Name Requirements
- • LLCs must include "LLC", "L.L.C." or "Limited Liability Company"
- • Corporations must include "Inc.", "Corp.", "Co." or "Ltd."
- • Must be distinguishable upon the records of the Division of Corporations from every registered and reserved Delaware name
- • Cannot suggest a government affiliation
- • Cannot be misleading about business purpose
- • Governed by 6 Del. C. § 18-102 (LLCs) and 8 Del. C. § 102(a)(1) (corporations)
✗ Restricted Words
- • "Bank" — requires approval from the Delaware Office of the State Bank Commissioner
- • "Trust" — implies trust powers — Office of the State Bank Commissioner approval needed
- • "Insurance" — requires clearance from the Delaware Department of Insurance
- • "University" — words implying an educational institution typically require Delaware Department of Education approval — verify before filing
- • "College" — words implying an educational institution typically require Delaware Department of Education approval — verify before filing
- • "Olympic" — federally protected under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act
How to Check Name Availability in Delaware
Use the tool above to open the Delaware Division of Corporations — Entity Search search and look up existing LLCs, corporations, and reserved names. Delaware's free name search confirms only the entity name and file number — full status reports are paid — and its $75 name reservation is the most expensive of any comparable state.
Search the USPTO database at uspto.gov — clearing the Delaware registry does not protect you from a federal trademark claim.
Check that the matching .com domain is available before you commit — renaming an LLC later means an amendment filing and new bank paperwork.
Confirm your name is free on Instagram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn so your branding stays consistent everywhere.
Delaware lets you reserve a name for 120 days for $75 — Instant online reservation through the Division of Corporations' ICIS system (ACH or card), or paper by mail.
What Registering a Name Costs in Delaware
| Filing | State Fee | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| LLC formation filing | $110 | One-time |
| Annual report / recurring fee | $300 | Yearly |
| Name reservation | $75 | Holds the name 120 days |
| Registration of Trade, Business and Fictitious Name Certificate | Filed at the county level with the Prothonotary (Superior Court) in each county where you operate — around $25 per county (verify locally), and the certificate must be notarized. There is no state-level DBA filing in Delaware. | |
State filing fees as of 2026. See the Delaware LLC tax and fee calculator for the full annual cost picture.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check if a business name is taken in Delaware for free?
Use the Delaware Division of Corporations' free entity search. Be aware of its deliberate limitation: it confirms only the entity name and file number. Status, officers, history, and good-standing certificates are paid reports. For availability purposes the free search is sufficient — if a matching or confusingly similar name appears, the name is blocked under Delaware's distinguishable-upon-the-records standard, and you should pick a more distinctive alternative before filing.
How much does it cost to reserve a business name in Delaware?
A Delaware name reservation costs $75 and holds the name for 120 days — the highest reservation fee among comparable states. File instantly online through the Division of Corporations' ICIS system paying by ACH or card, or submit paper by mail. Reservations are renewable through the Division's dedicated re-reservation forms. Given the $110 LLC formation fee, many founders skip the reservation entirely and simply form the entity, which secures the name permanently.
What suffix does a Delaware LLC name need?
Under 6 Del. C. § 18-102, a Delaware LLC name must contain "Limited Liability Company" or the abbreviation "LLC" or "L.L.C." That is the entire menu for LLCs. The name must also be distinguishable upon the records of the Division of Corporations from every existing and reserved Delaware name — a real challenge given the state's million-plus registered entities, so distinctive coinages fare much better than descriptive names.
Can a Delaware corporation really be named "Club" or "Foundation"?
Yes. Delaware's corporate naming statute, 8 Del. C. § 102(a)(1), accepts an unusually broad list of designators: "association," "company," "corporation," "club," "foundation," "fund," "incorporated," "institute," "society," "union," "syndicate," or "limited" — or abbreviations. So "Delaware Growth Fund" or "Rehoboth Sailing Club" are valid corporate names with no "Inc." required. Most states restrict corporations to four or five designators; Delaware's menu is a quiet branding advantage.
How do DBAs work in Delaware?
Delaware has no state-level DBA filing. You register a trade name at the county level by filing a Registration of Trade, Business and Fictitious Name Certificate with the Prothonotary — the Superior Court clerk — in each county where you operate. The fee is around $25 per county (verify locally) and the certificate must be notarized. Delaware has just three counties, but these are court filings and confer no exclusive rights to the name.
What is the annual cost of a Delaware LLC?
Every Delaware LLC pays a flat $300 annual franchise tax, due June 1 — no calculation, no dormant-company exception. Formation itself costs $110 for the Certificate of Formation, and an optional name reservation adds $75. Delaware trades higher recurring costs for its legal infrastructure: the Court of Chancery, predictable case law, and investor familiarity. For companies that will raise venture capital, the $300 is usually considered the cost of speaking the market's default legal language.
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Checking a Name in Another State?
Searching Delaware Names on the Division of Corporations Database
The Division of Corporations' free entity search answers exactly one question: does an entity with this name exist? You get the name and file number — nothing more. Entity status, registered agent, filing history, and certificates of good standing are paid products, a reflection of how Delaware treats corporate records as a revenue line.
For name clearance, that is usually enough. Delaware applies a distinguishable upon the records standard, so search the distinctive words of your proposed name and treat close matches as conflicts. With over a million entities on file, common words are heavily colonized — distinctive coinages clear far more often than descriptive names.
When you want certainty, reserve the name: $75 for 120 days, filed instantly through the ICIS online system with ACH or card payment, or by mail on paper. Reservations are renewable through the Division's dedicated re-reservation forms. It is the most expensive reservation among comparable states, but for founders sequencing investors, trademarks, or multi-state filings, the certainty can be worth it.
Delaware Naming Rules: From "Inc." to "Club" and "Foundation"
Delaware LLCs have three designator options under 6 Del. C. § 18-102: "Limited Liability Company," "LLC," or "L.L.C." Simple. Corporations are another story: 8 Del. C. § 102(a)(1) accepts "association," "company," "corporation," "club," "foundation," "fund," "incorporated," "institute," "society," "union," "syndicate," or "limited" — or abbreviations of any of them.
That breadth is a genuine branding tool. Investment vehicles use "Fund," member organizations use "Club" or "Society," and philanthropic-flavored ventures use "Foundation" — all as ordinary Delaware corporations, no "Inc." required. Few states offer anything close to this menu, which is one more quiet reason sophisticated entities charter in Delaware.
Restricted words still apply: "Bank" and "Trust" require the Office of the State Bank Commissioner, "Insurance" routes through the Department of Insurance, and education words like "University" typically need Department of Education sign-off. The famously permissive Delaware examiner still holds the line on regulated industries.
Reservations, Trade Names, and the $300 Franchise Tax
Delaware has no state-level DBA registry. Operating under a name different from your legal name means filing a Registration of Trade, Business and Fictitious Name Certificate with the Prothonotary — the Superior Court clerk — in each county where you do business. Expect around $25 per county (verify locally), and the certificate must be notarized. With only three counties, a statewide brand means at most three filings, but they are court filings, not web forms.
County trade names carry no exclusivity and are not checked against the Division of Corporations database. If the brand matters, secure it as an entity name or trademark — the county certificate is disclosure, not protection.
On the recurring side, every Delaware LLC pays a flat $300 annual franchise tax, due June 1, with no calculation and no exceptions for dormant companies. Add the $110 Certificate of Formation and the optional $75 reservation, and Delaware's first-year sticker for a name-conscious founder is $485 — the price of the most battle-tested corporate law in the country.
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