California Corporation Names: Rules, Requirements, and How to Register
Learn the rules for naming a corporation in California — required designators, restricted words, how to check availability, and how to reserve your name with the Secretary of State.
Bizee Editorial Staff
Editorial Team
California corporation at a glance
Filing fee: $100 (Articles of Incorporation, standard); $350 (expedited in-person)
Processing time: Varies; standard mail processing can take several weeks. Expedited in-person processing available for an additional fee.
State agency: California Secretary of State
Annual report due: Statement of Information due within 90 days of incorporation, then every year by the last day of the anniversary month
State tax rate: $800 minimum franchise tax annually (Franchise Tax Board)
California corporation name rules
California corporation names must meet 2 core requirements set by the California Secretary of State: the name must be distinguishable in the Secretary of State's records from any existing business entity name, and it must not be likely to mislead the public. Both standards have been in effect since January 1, 2021, when Senate Bill 522 replaced the older "deceptively similar" test with this stricter framework.
Distinguishability is evaluated on a normalized character set — English alphabet letters, Arabic numerals 0–9, and a defined list of permitted symbols. Differences in capitalization, punctuation, spacing, or typeface alone do not make a name distinguishable. Neither does swapping "&" for "and." The Secretary of State looks at whether the substantive wording sets the name apart from every existing entity on file.
One thing that catches people off guard: adding or dropping a corporate designator like "Inc." or "Corp." does not, by itself, make your proposed name distinguishable from an existing one. If "Redwood Holdings" is already on file, "Redwood Holdings Inc." will be rejected.
Required designators and what you can't use
California does not require a general for-profit corporation to include a corporate designator in its legal name. You can incorporate as "Redwood Holdings" without adding "Inc." or "Corp." If you choose to use a designator, California permits "Corporation," "Incorporated," "Company," "Limited," and their standard abbreviations — "Corp.," "Inc.," "Co.," and "Ltd."
What you cannot do is use a designator that implies a different entity type. A corporation cannot include "LLC," "L.L.C.," or "Limited Liability Company" in its name. The name must accurately reflect the type of entity it represents.
Restricted words and misleading names
California blocks names that create a false impression of government affiliation or imply a regulated status the business doesn't hold. The Secretary of State will reject a proposed name that combines a recognized government geographic area — a city, county, state, or country — with words that suggest governmental authority.
A name is also considered misleading if it implies the corporation was formed under a different law or is a different entity type than it actually is. The standard is whether a reasonable member of the public would be misled — not whether the owner intended to mislead.
Professional corporation name requirements
Professional corporations in California face a second layer of naming rules on top of the general Secretary of State requirements. The name must comply with both the Secretary of State's distinguishability and non-misleading standards and any profession-specific naming rules set by the licensing agency that regulates that profession.
Under California Corporations Code section 13409, a professional corporation may adopt any name permitted by a law expressly applicable to its profession or by a rule of the governmental agency regulating that profession. In practice, this means a medical professional corporation, a law corporation, and an accounting professional corporation each have their own naming rules set by their respective licensing boards — in addition to the Secretary of State's baseline requirements.
If you're forming a professional corporation, check with the relevant licensing board before settling on a name. The Secretary of State's approval does not guarantee the name meets your profession's separate requirements.
How to check name availability in California
Before filing your Articles of Incorporation, search the California Secretary of State's Bizfile database to check whether your proposed name is already in use. The search is free and available at bizfile.sos.ca.gov. Run the search before you invest time in branding — a name that looks available can still be rejected if the Secretary of State determines it isn't distinguishable from an existing name.
The Bizfile search shows entities currently on file, but it doesn't account for reserved names or pending filings. Running a search and finding no exact match is a good starting point — it's not a guarantee the name will be approved. The Secretary of State makes the final call when your Articles of Incorporation are filed.
How to reserve a corporation name in California
If you've found a name you want but aren't ready to file your Articles of Incorporation yet, you can reserve it with the California Secretary of State by filing a Name Reservation Request. A reservation holds the name for 60 days. After 60 days, the name becomes available again if you haven't filed your formation documents.
The Name Reservation Request can be submitted by mail or delivered in person to the Secretary of State. You can list up to 3 proposed names in order of preference — the Secretary of State will approve the first name on your list that meets the requirements. The reservation is not effective until it's processed and approved.
Trademarks and DBAs
The Secretary of State's name availability search only checks California business entity records — it doesn't check federal or state trademarks. A name can clear the Secretary of State's database and still infringe on a registered trademark. Before finalizing your corporation name, search the USPTO's trademark database at uspto.gov/trademarks/search to check for conflicts.
If you want to run your California corporation under a name different from its legal name, you can register a fictitious business name — also called a DBA ("doing business as"). DBAs are registered at the county level in California, not with the Secretary of State. Each county has its own filing process and fee. A DBA doesn't create a separate legal entity; it's a name registration that lets you do business under a different name.
FAQ
Yes, California has specific rules. Your corporation name must be distinguishable in the California Secretary of State's records from every existing business entity name on file, and it must not be likely to mislead the public. These 2 standards replaced the older "deceptively similar" test on January 1, 2021. Differences in capitalization, punctuation, spacing, or adding "Inc." alone don't make a name distinguishable — the substantive wording has to set it apart.
Search the California Secretary of State's free Bizfile database at bizfile.sos.ca.gov before filing your Articles of Incorporation. The search shows entities currently on file, but it doesn't include reserved names or pending filings. Finding no exact match is a good starting point, but the Secretary of State makes the final determination when your Articles are filed.
Yes. File a Name Reservation Request with the California Secretary of State to hold your name for 60 days. You can list up to 3 proposed names in order of preference. The reservation can be submitted by mail or in person, and it's not effective until the Secretary of State processes and approves it. After 60 days, the name becomes available again if you haven't filed your formation documents.
Yes. You can register a fictitious business name — a DBA — to operate under a name different from your corporation's legal name. In California, DBAs are registered at the county level, not with the Secretary of State. Each county has its own process and fee. A DBA doesn't create a separate legal entity; it's a name registration that lets your corporation do business under a different name.
Professional corporations face 2 layers of naming rules: the Secretary of State's general requirements (distinguishable, not misleading) and the profession-specific rules set by the licensing board that regulates the profession. A medical corporation, law corporation, and accounting professional corporation each have their own additional requirements. Check with your licensing board before settling on a name — Secretary of State approval doesn't guarantee the name meets your profession's separate standards.
Yes. An S Corp election is a federal tax classification — it doesn't change how California treats your corporation's name. Your S Corp name still needs to be distinguishable in the Secretary of State's records and not likely to mislead the public. The same permitted designators ("Inc.," "Corp.," etc.) and restricted words apply. The S Corp election has no effect on the naming rules.
The mistakes that come up most often: assuming that adding "Inc." or changing punctuation makes a name distinguishable (it doesn't), skipping the USPTO trademark search and later finding the name infringes on a registered mark, and using restricted words like "Agency," "Commission," or "Insurance" without understanding the rules. For professional corporations, the most common issue is not checking profession-specific naming requirements with the relevant licensing board before filing.
