West Virginia lesson 1 of 6
Name your West Virginia LLC
Form LLD-1 requires you to check a box confirming your name includes one of the required corporate name endings. The Secretary of State will reject a filing that does not meet the naming rules or that conflicts with a name already on record.
Required wording
A West Virginia LLC name must contain the words Limited Liability Company, Limited Company, or an abbreviation such as L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC. Limited may be shortened to Ltd. and Company to Co.
- Acceptable: Appalachian Fabrication LLC, Appalachian Fabrication, L.L.C.
- Not acceptable: wording implying the LLC is a bank, insurer or government agency without the required approval
- Certain regulated words may need approval from the relevant West Virginia licensing board before the name is accepted
Checking availability and reserving a name
Search the Secretary of State's business organization records before filing, since West Virginia requires a proposed name to be distinguishable from names already on record. Minor punctuation changes or a different generic designator are usually not enough to separate two names.
If you want to hold a name before filing the Articles of Organization, West Virginia allows a name reservation with the Secretary of State; check the current reservation fee and reservation period on the Secretary of State's fee schedule before submitting.
Operating under a name different from your Articles requires a separate trade name, or 'doing business as', filing 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., LC, L.C. or the words Limited Liability Company or Limited Company in full.
- Search the Secretary of State's business database before filing Form LLD-1.
- A separate trade name filing is needed if you trade under a name different from your Articles.
Official sources
Or let us file your West Virginia 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 of Limited Liability Company (Form LLD-1), act as your registered agent, and track your ongoing deadlines.
Last reviewed: September 2026 - reviewed by Gullia Filing Legal & Formation Team