How to Name Your Missouri LLC

Whether you’re searching for the perfect business name or registering your LLC with the Missouri Secretary of State, Bizee can help. We have all the information you need to know on how to conduct a Missouri 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 what state they're formed in.

Specific Rules for Missouri Business Names

As mentioned above Missouri requires LLCs to comply with the general naming rules. The State of Missouri doesn't require any further naming rules to be met.

How to Come Up with a Business Name

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

Need help coming up with business name ideas? Try our free name generator.

Missouri Business Search

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

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

Trademarks and Service Marks

You must be careful that your Missouri 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.

Missouri 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 Missouri, it's called a fictitious name. You may decide to use a Missouri fictitious name for a variety of reasons.

For example, your business might be called Midwestern Marketing Solutions, LLC, and under that company, you have an event planning business called Midwestern Events. You could file for a fictitious business name just for that company. You'll need to register your fictitious business name with the Missouri Secretary of State using their online business portal, 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 Missouri Secretary of State

Once you’ve completed a Missouri 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.

FAQs about Missouri Business Names