Minnesota Business Entity Search

Check your name against Minnesota law before you file. The state's search tells you whether a name exists. It does not tell you whether yours is legal, or whether it is too close to one already on the register. This does both.

Form this LLC for $399

What this does not check

  • • Whether the name is already taken. That needs the state’s live register, which we link below.
  • • Trademarks. A name can be free on the state register and still infringe a federal or common law mark.
  • • Domain and social handle availability.
  • • Whether the name is available in any other state you later register in.

Minnesota LLC naming rules

Minn. Stat. § 322C.0108 and Minn. Stat. § 322C.0108, subd. 1(5)

Your name must include one of

  • Limited Liability Company
  • LLC

Your name must not

  • • "Corporation" or "incorporated", or an abbreviation of either or both
  • • A word or phrase indicating or implying the company is organised for a purpose other than a permitted purpose

When is a name too close to one already registered?

This is what catches most filings. Minnesota compares your name against what is already on the register, and a difference that looks obvious to you may not count.

These do

  • • The name must be distinguishable on the records of the Secretary of State from every domestic and foreign limited liability company, limited liability partnership, corporation and limited partnership on file, profit or nonprofit, and from every reserved name
  • • The name must be in English, or in another language expressed in English letters or characters

Names Minnesota will accept with the other company's consent

  • • The written consent of the holder of the conflicting name, filed with the articles of organization
  • • A certified copy of a final court decree in Minnesota establishing your prior right to the name
  • • An affidavit that the conflicting entity has been on file in Minnesota for at least three years and that you have tried and failed to make contact. Minnesota is unusual in offering this route at all, since most states will not let a dormant name be reused on your say-so

Our comparison cannot judge: Repeated or dropped letters. Texas treats "Texxas Strong" as the same name as "Texas Strong". Words that sound alike. Texas treats "Xpress Auto" as the same as "Express Auto". Words that mean the same thing in another language, where the state translates them. Anything the filing officer decides at their own discretion, which every state reserves.

Searching the official register

  • • The Secretary of State decides whether a name meets the distinguishability standard
  • • We have not published a direct link to the business filings search because the Secretary of State’s site would not serve us when we checked, and we only publish a link once we have loaded it ourselves

Minnesota Secretary of State

Entity search
Run the search from the Minnesota Secretary of State website. We only publish a direct link once we have loaded it ourselves.

Minnesota business name questions

How do I search Minnesota business entity names?

Minnesota Secretary of State runs the official register. Search there for the exact name you want. Before you do, use the checker above to confirm the name satisfies Minn. Stat. § 322C.0108, because a name can be unused and still be refused for breaking the naming rules.

What must a Minnesota LLC name contain?

Under Minn. Stat. § 322C.0108, the name must include one of: Limited Liability Company, LLC.

What words are not allowed in a Minnesota LLC name?

Minnesota does not allow: "Corporation" or "incorporated", or an abbreviation of either or both; A word or phrase indicating or implying the company is organised for a purpose other than a permitted purpose.

What makes two Minnesota business names too similar?

Minnesota requires the name to be distinguishable on the register but does not publish a mechanical list of what counts. The name must be distinguishable on the records of the Secretary of State from every domestic and foreign limited liability company, limited liability partnership, corporation and limited partnership on file, profit or nonprofit, and from every reserved name

Can I use a name that is already taken in Minnesota?

Sometimes. The written consent of the holder of the conflicting name, filed with the articles of organization The consent has to be filed with your formation document.

Does a name search reserve or protect my Minnesota name?

No. A search tells you what is on the register at that moment. It is not an approval, and it gives you no rights in the name. Availability is finally determined only when your formation document is reviewed.

Can StartGlobal form my Minnesota LLC?

Yes. Formation is $399 one time with all state and government fees included, and it works from anywhere in the world with no SSN and no US address required.

More for Minnesota

Check a name in another state

Sources for Minnesota

  1. Minn. Stat. § 322C.0108, Limited liability company name — Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes (checked Aug 10, 2026)