An Oklahoma LLC search is the crucial first step for creating your limited liability company (LLC). If you want the name of your LLC to be approved, it needs to follow Oklahoma naming requirements and it should be unique. You should also see if your desired LLC name is free as a URL. Investing in a domain name is always a good idea, as it will stop competing companies from acquiring this URL.

You can register your business name in Oklahoma, which will provide you exclusive rights to your name in this state. It's common for businesses to register more than one “Doing Business As” (DBA) name if their business contains unique portions.

Oklahoma LLC Name Requirements

The name of your Oklahoma LLC must use either the "L.L.C." or "LLC" abbreviation. Using the LLC abbreviations without the periods is the most common choice. LLCs are not corporations in Oklahoma, which means the words "Corporation" and "Incorporated," as well as their abbreviations, cannot be used in your LLC name. 

When choosing an LLC name, it should be distinguishable, which means it is distinct from other Oklahoma businesses. Remember that identifiers such as LLC or L.L.C. can cannot be used to establish distinguishability.

Searching the Oklahoma Name Database

Using the name search tool can help you make sure the name you have chosen for your Oklahoma LLC is likely to be approved. With the business entity search tool, you can perform administrative LLC tasks such as acquiring your Certificate of Good Standing or filing your Annual Reports.

When you perform a business entity search, you will be looking for information such as:

  • The legality of a business's formation.
  • The good standing, or lack thereof, of a business.
  • The address of a business.
  • The address of an LLC's registered agent.

If you want to narrow your search results, you can use the name availability search option. This will show you active businesses in Oklahoma and current reservations. For even more precise results, you can click the link for Advanced Search. This will allow you to define your search parameters narrowly, so you can get accurate information.

To perform a business entity search, you can visit the website provided by the State of Oklahoma. In the box labeled “Organization Name,” you should enter the name of your LLC. Then, click the button that looks like a magnifying glass. When entering your desired LLC name, do not include punctuation or identifiers such as LLC. You do not need to use proper capitalization.

If you want your search to be thorough, you should only enter the first couple of words of the name of your LLC. This will show you all Oklahoma businesses that are similar to your own.

After clicking the “Search” button, you should examine the results carefully while considering the following factors:

  • If you see business names that aren't close to your own, your LLC name is free to use.
  • A “No results found for criteria” notification means the name you have chosen is unique enough to be used.
  • When your search displays a business name that is identical to the name you have chosen, you will need to create a new name or alter your current name to make it more distinguishable.
  • If you see a business name that is confusingly similar to your desired LLC name, you will need a new name or make changes to reduce the similarity.

If you can't decide if your LLC name is unique enough, you can submit your registration to the Secretary of State, who will send your application back if changes need to be made to your LLC name. Contacting the Secretary of State directly can help you avoid wasting time and effort. You should wait to apply for your Employer Identification Number (EIN) until after your LLC has been registered with the state. Similarly, you should not invest in business cards, a domain name, or other marketing items until your LLC has received approval from the Secretary of State.

Searching by Name

The easiest and most popular way to search the Secretary of State database is searching by name. In the Advanced Search section, you will be able to define your search terms so you receive fuller results.

Some of the restrictions you can use in your search include:

  • All
  • Active
  • Banks
  • Churches
  • Domestic cooperatives
  • Name availability

If you need help performing an Oklahoma LLC search, you can post your legal needs on UpCounsel's marketplace. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with or on behalf of companies like Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.