New Hampshire business name generator — every idea checked against Secretary of State records

New Hampshire is one of the few states with no general sales or income tax, which draws service businesses across the border — and makes 'Granite State' the most over-used name element in its registry. The annual report is $100 flat, due every April 1, for LLCs and corporations alike.

How to land a name that's actually available in New Hampshire

1. Start with the registry. Search the New Hampshire registry for the exact name; it's the check that decides whether you can file at all.
2. Then the two checks the state doesn't do. A federal trademark reaches across state lines, and the .com decides whether customers find you — both run here automatically.
3. Lock it in. New Hampshire will hold it for 120 days for $15. The system of record is the New Hampshire Secretary of State; confirm there before paying a filing fee.

Already have a name in mind?

You don't have to start from ideas — the same checker verifies a specific name. Enter the exact name you're considering and it's searched against the New Hampshire registry, federal trademark filings, and domain registrars in one pass.

Check a specific name →

How busy is New Hampshire right now?

The U.S. Census Bureau counted 19,989 business applications from New Hampshire in the twelve months ending August 2026 — +23.8% on the year before, the 42nd-highest total of any state and 14.2 per 1,000 residents (ranked 39th per person). April was the busiest month with 2,215 applications, and New Hampshire accounts for 0.3% of all U.S. filings.

Name ideas here get checked against a registry that grows by hundreds of entries a day.

What America names its businesses — 26 million registered names decoded →

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (monthly, not seasonally adjusted). 2019 comparison: 11,142 applications in calendar 2019.

Name ideas that fit New Hampshire — and clear its registry

The generator starts from what your business does and who it serves, then checks each idea against the New Hampshire registry, the federal trademark register and domain availability before it shows it to you.

When an idea clears, New Hampshire lets you hold it: a name reservation costs $15 and lasts 120 days — enough time to finish the paperwork without watching the name every morning.

Remember the suffix: a New Hampshire LLC name has to end in LLC, L.L.C. and Limited Liability Company, and the generator appends it before checking so what you see is what you'd file.

New Hampshire naming rules: what the New Hampshire Secretary of State will and won't accept

Every New Hampshire filing is screened for a single thing before anything else: the name must be distinguishable upon the records of the Secretary of State. Swapping 'Inc.' for 'LLC', adding 'The', or changing a comma does not make a name distinguishable here. For an LLC the accepted endings are LLC, L.L.C. and Limited Liability Company; corporations take Corporation, Corp. and Incorporated.

Some words need permission first. In New Hampshire that list includes Bank, Trust, Insurance, Cooperative, Engineer and Farmers — using one implies a regulated activity and the filing will be held until the relevant regulator consents.

The fees are straightforward: forming an LLC costs $100, a corporation $100 and a name reservation is $15 and holds the name for 120 days. Quickstart online filings 1-3 business days.

Keeping it: Annual report, $100, due April 1. Skip it and the state eventually dissolves the entity, releasing the name back into the pool.

As published by the New Hampshire Secretary of State, (603) 271-3246 — official website (fee schedule). Fees change; confirm before filing.

The four tests a New Hampshire business name has to pass

1. Nobody active already has it. The New Hampshire Secretary of State compares your name against every entity currently on its books; a company that was dissolved or had its registration revoked normally doesn't count, although one that lapsed only recently could be reinstated — the checker calls that out when it sees it.

2. It's genuinely different, not just formatted differently. "Distinguishable" in New Hampshire means more than a comma, an ampersand, a plural or a different suffix. Sound-alikes and spell-alikes are the usual reason a filing bounces.

3. It carries the right designator. An LLC's legal name has to end in an LLC designator; a corporation needs Inc., Corp., Company or another form New Hampshire accepts. The designator is part of the name the state records.

4. It doesn't step on a trademark. The registry doesn't look at the USPTO, so a name can clear New Hampshire and still be a federal infringement. That is why the trademark check runs alongside the registry search here.

About the New Hampshire Secretary of State

The New Hampshire Secretary of State maintains New Hampshire's registry of corporations, LLCs, and other registered entities — it is the system of record for New Hampshire business names. Useful official resources:

• Official New Hampshire business entity search — the state's own lookup.
• New Hampshire Secretary of State — official website — filings, forms, fees, and contact details.

Confirming the result on the New Hampshire Secretary of State's site

Treat the checker as the fast filter and the state's own search as the final word. Once a name comes back clear here, open the New Hampshire entity search and type the name the way it will appear on the formation document — designator and all. Read down the list of matches rather than stopping at "no exact match": look at each record's status (only active ones block you) and at how close the spelling is, because New Hampshire rejects near-duplicates as well as duplicates. If the name is still clear, reserve it or file the same day; registrations are first-come, first-served and the registry moves daily.

Frequently asked questions

Are there words I can't use in a New Hampshire business name?

Words that imply a regulated business need consent first. In New Hampshire that includes Bank, Trust, Insurance, Cooperative and Engineer. Names that suggest a government agency are refused outright.

How many new businesses start in New Hampshire each year?

The Census Bureau counted 19,989 business applications in the twelve months to August 2026, +23.8% on the year before. Not every application becomes a registered entity, but each one is a name someone intends to use.

Does a New Hampshire registration protect my name in other states?

No. It protects the name inside New Hampshire's registry only. Nationwide protection comes from a federal trademark, which is why the checker runs the USPTO search alongside the New Hampshire lookup.

What does a New Hampshire LLC name have to end with?

One of the state's accepted designators — LLC, L.L.C. and Limited Liability Company. The checker searches the name with and without the suffix, because the suffix alone never makes a name distinguishable.

Can I reserve a business name in New Hampshire before I file?

Yes. The New Hampshire Secretary of State charges $15 to reserve a name for 120 days. A reserved name shows as taken to everyone else's search.

How much does it cost to register a business name in New Hampshire?

The name itself is free to search. Filing the entity is what costs money: $100 for an LLC and $100 for a corporation, then annual report, $100, due april 1.

Already have a name? Run the New Hampshire Secretary of State business search to see if it's taken.

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