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

The name itself is free to search. Filing the entity is what costs money: $300 for an LLC and $100 for a corporation, then annual report, $300 minimum (llc, $50 per member) / $20 (corp), due the 1st day of the 4th month after fiscal year end.

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

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

How many new businesses start in Tennessee each year?

The Census Bureau counted 115,152 business applications in the twelve months to August 2026, +23.7% on the year before. Not every application becomes a registered entity, but each one is a name someone intends to use.

Does a Tennessee registration protect my name in other states?

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

What does a Tennessee LLC name have to end with?

One of the state's accepted designators — LLC, L.L.C., Limited Liability Company and Limited 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 Tennessee before I file?

Yes. The Tennessee Secretary of State charges $20 to reserve a name for 120 days. A reserved name shows as taken to everyone else's search.

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

Tennessee prices LLCs by headcount: $50 per member for both the formation and the annual report, with a $300 minimum either way — so a six-member LLC pays $300 a year just to exist. The state search is precise about status; an administratively dissolved entity shows as 'Inactive – Dissolved', and its name is fair game.

Run the Tennessee check — One search covers the Tennessee registry, federal trademarks and the domain. Free, no signup.

Help me name my business →

How to land a name that's actually available in Tennessee

Start with the registry. Search the Tennessee registry for the exact name; it's the check that decides whether you can file at all.
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.
Lock it in. Tennessee will hold it for 120 days for $20. The system of record is the Tennessee 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 Tennessee registry, federal trademark filings, and domain registrars in one pass.

Check a specific name →

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

Every Tennessee filing is screened for a single thing before anything else: the name must be distinguishable upon the records of the Secretary of State. In practice that means a name that differs from an existing one only by punctuation, spacing, capitalization or the entity suffix will be refused. Designators are fixed: LLC, L.L.C. and Limited Liability Company for an LLC, Corporation, Corp. and Incorporated for a corporation.

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

On cost: forming an LLC costs $300, a corporation $100 and a name reservation is $20 and holds the name for 120 days. Tncab online filings usually 1-2 business days.

After you file: Annual report, $300 minimum (LLC, $50 per member) / $20 (corp), due the 1st day of the 4th month after fiscal year end. Skip it and the state eventually dissolves the entity, releasing the name back into the pool.

Per the Tennessee Secretary of State, (615) 741-2286 — official website (fee schedule). Fees change; confirm before filing.

Name ideas that fit Tennessee — and clear its registry

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

When an idea clears, Tennessee lets you hold it: a name reservation costs $20 and lasts 120 days — enough time to finish the paperwork without watching the name every morning.

Remember the suffix: a Tennessee 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.

How busy is Tennessee right now?

In the year to August 2026, Tennessee recorded 115,152 new business applications — +23.7% on the year before, the 17th-highest total of any state and 15.9 per 1,000 residents (ranked 27th per person). July was the busiest month with 12,425 applications, and Tennessee accounts for 1.9% 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: 58,718 applications in calendar 2019.

How Tennessee decides whether a name is taken

Three things the Tennessee Secretary of State looks at, and one it doesn't:

Status. Only entities in an active status hold their names. Dissolved, revoked and withdrawn registrations release the name — with the caveat that a very recent lapse can still be reinstated, which our result notes when it applies.
Distinguishability. Your name must differ from every active Tennessee name by more than punctuation, spacing, capitalisation or the entity designator. Two names that read the same aloud are usually treated as the same name.
Designator. The recorded name of an LLC ends in an LLC designator and a corporation's in Inc., Corp. or an accepted equivalent; leave it off and the filing is returned.
Not trademarks. The registry never checks the USPTO. A name can be free in Tennessee and still infringe a federal mark, so run both — the checker on this page does.

Naming rules, fees and reservation windows come from Tennessee statute and change; treat the Tennessee Secretary of State's current guidance as final before you file. This is a practical guide, not legal advice.

About the Tennessee Secretary of State

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

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

Confirming the result on the Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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

How much does it cost to register a business name in Tennessee?: The name itself is free to search. Filing the entity is what costs money: $300 for an LLC and $100 for a corporation, then annual report, $300 minimum (llc, $50 per member) / $20 (corp), due the 1st day of the 4th month after fiscal year end.
Are there words I can't use in a Tennessee business name?: Words that imply a regulated business need consent first. In Tennessee that includes Bank, Trust, Insurance, Engineer and Cooperative. Names that suggest a government agency are refused outright.
How many new businesses start in Tennessee each year?: The Census Bureau counted 115,152 business applications in the twelve months to August 2026, +23.7% on the year before. Not every application becomes a registered entity, but each one is a name someone intends to use.
Does a Tennessee registration protect my name in other states?: No. It protects the name inside Tennessee's registry only. Nationwide protection comes from a federal trademark, which is why the checker runs the USPTO search alongside the Tennessee lookup.
What does a Tennessee LLC name have to end with?: One of the state's accepted designators — LLC, L.L.C., Limited Liability Company and Limited 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 Tennessee before I file?: Yes. The Tennessee Secretary of State charges $20 to reserve a name for 120 days. A reserved name shows as taken to everyone else's search.

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

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