How to Do a Business Entity Search in Minnesota and Choose a Name for your LLC

Minnesota has fairly basic naming requirements for all businesses in the state. The requirements specific to LLCs in Minnesota are as follows.

• English language: The name must at least be written in English letters or characters, even if it’s a word or name from another language.
• Appropriate designator: The name must use an appropriate designator:
  • LLC designator: For most LLCs in the state, the required designator is usually “limited liability company” or” LLC.” “Corporation” and “incorporated” aren’t allowed for an LLC.
  • Professional designator: LLCs that are professional firms may use “professional corporation,” professional service corporation,” “service corporation,” “professional association,” “chartered,” “limited,” “P.C.,” “P.S.C.,” “S.C.,” “P.A.,” P..L.L.C.” or “L.L.P.”
  • Partnership designator: Partnerships may use “professional limited liability partnership,” “limited liability partnership,” “P.L.L.P.” or “L.L.P.”

Any of these abbreviations can include or omit the periods. For example, both LLC and L.L.C. are generally acceptable.

• Restricted words: The name can’t use any word or phrase that implies the business does something other than its permitted purpose. This normally means that you can’t use terms like “college,” “bank,” or “accountant” unless you’re doing that type of work. You may use one of these words if you’re starting this type of business, and obtain any state-required permit or license.
  You also can’t use terms that would create confusion or indicate association with a government agency (e.g. “treasury,” “FBI,” “state department,” etc.).

• Distinguishable: Your name must be unique and distinguishable from all other business names currently used or reserved in Minnesota. Think of this as having a unique name; the law just uses the term “distinguishable.”

Minnesota has quite basic requirements when it comes to determining whether a business is distinguishable. Your name simply must be at least one letter or number different from names already in use.

These are specific examples that the Minnesota Secretary of State gives as acceptably unique names:

• Using a plural form rather than a singular word (e.g. “Fine Lines Inc vs Fine Line Inc)
• Using Roman numerals rather than standard numbers (e.g. One vs. 1)
• Using contractions (e.g. Nat’l vs. National)
• Using obvious misspellings (e.g. Kwik vs. Quick)
• Variations of words (e.g. America vs. American)
• Using abbreviations (e.g. Mr. vs. Mister)
• Eliminating prepositions or conjunctions (e.g. Women and Children vs. Of Women and Children)
• Different entity designations (e.g. Edwards LLC vs. Edwards Inc.)

Even though you only need one different letter or number, choosing a name that’s so similar to another business’s isn’t necessarily wise. Your new LLC might get confused with the other business, especially if the other is well-established and known. In most cases, branding will be much easier and more successful if you have a substantially different business name.

Minnesota doesn’t keep a statewide database of all registered assumed names (DBAs). If you want to know whether a name is being used as a DBA, the best option is generally a Google search. You still can’t use a DBA of a business’s officially registered name.