North Carolina lesson 1 of 6
Name your North Carolina LLC
The Secretary of State will reject Form L-01 outright if the name is not distinguishable from one already on the register, and you lose the filing fee's place in the queue while you resubmit. Search first.
Required wording
A North Carolina LLC name must contain Limited Liability Company, or the abbreviation L.L.C. or LLC. Limited may be shortened to Ltd and Company to Co.
- Acceptable: Piedmont Logistics LLC, Piedmont Logistics Limited Liability Company
- Not acceptable: wording implying a corporation, bank, or government agency without the required approval
- Words like bank, trust and insurance may need sign-off from the relevant state regulator
Checking availability and reserving a name
Search the Secretary of State's business entity database before you file. North Carolina applies a distinguishable-on-the-record standard, so small punctuation or designator changes usually are not enough to separate your name from an existing one.
If you are not ready to file the Articles of Organization yet, you can reserve a name with the Secretary of State for $10.
Trading under a name other than the one on your Articles is an assumed business name in North Carolina, filed at the county register of deeds rather than with the Secretary of State.
🇺🇸 Check United States company name availability
Search the official United States state registry before you file. Opens the government portal in a new tab.
Tip: also confirm the .com domain and matching social handles are free before you commit.
Key takeaways
- End the name with LLC, L.L.C. or Limited Liability Company.
- Search the Secretary of State register before filing Form L-01.
- A $10 reservation is available if you need to hold a name.
Official sources
Or let us file your North Carolina LLC for you
Everything above is yours to use for free. If you would rather hand it over, we prepare and file the Articles of Organization (Form L-01), act as your registered agent, and track your ongoing deadlines.
Last reviewed: September 2026 - reviewed by Gullia Filing Legal & Formation Team