How to Name Your Iowa LLC

Whether you’re searching for the right business name or registering your LLC with the Iowa Secretary of State (SOS), Bizee can help. We’ve got all the information you need on how to conduct an Iowa business search, plus LLC naming rules, fictitious names and registering your business.

General Rules for LLC Names

These rules typically apply to all LLCs, regardless of which state they're formed in.

Specific Rules for Iowa Business Names

As mentioned above, Iowa requires LLCs to comply with the general naming rules. Iowa does not require any further name regulations to be met.

How to Come Up with a Business Name

Finding the perfect business name can be elusive. We have a complete guide to choosing the right business name, but basically, you'll want to choose a name that will:

Need help coming up with business name ideas? Try our free Business Name Generator.

Iowa Business Search

Once you have an idea of your preferred business name, you’ll need to perform an Iowa business name search to make sure the name hasn’t been taken by another business.

Bizee offers a fast, simple and convenient tool to look up your proposed business name. The Iowa Secretary of State also has a tool that lets you search the State of Iowa business registry to see whether another business entity already has your desired business name.

Trademarks and Service Marks

You must be careful that your Iowa LLC name doesn’t infringe on the trademark or service mark of another business. The easiest way to make sure your proposed business name doesn’t do that is to complete a trademark search through Bizee. If no one else is using it, you can even register it as a trademark yourself.

Iowa DBA or Fictitious Name

You may do business under a different name from your legal LLC name. In some states, this is called a DBA (doing business as), trade name or assumed name. In Iowa, it's called a fictitious name. You may decide to use an Iowa fictitious name for a variety of reasons.

For example, your business might be called Midwest Marketing Solutions, LLC, and under that company, you have an event planning business called Midwest Events. You could file for a fictitious business name just for that company. You'll file a resolution to adopt a fictitious name with the Secretary of State, or you can have Bizee do it on your behalf through our DBA service.

Note: A trade name is not the same as a trademark. Learn more about trademark vs. DBA.

Register Your Business Name with the Iowa Secretary of State

Once you’ve completed an Iowa business entity search, checked availability, followed the naming rules and decided whether you need a fictitious name, you can register your LLC name. There are a couple of ways to do this.