(NEXSTAR) — Sometimes the most difficult part of any project, whether creative or professional, is deciding on a name for it. Just like there are regulations about what you can and cannot name your baby, there are also rules about what you can and cannot name your business.
Even in order to name a company, an entrepreneur’s choice must be approved by the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, and unless otherwise noted, much of the information below was provided by the Texas Secretary of State’s Office. Ta. Potential business owners can also search for name filings on the Texas Secretary of State’s website, but each search costs at least $1.
To get you started, here are some tips for naming your company or business in the Lone Star State.
“Restricted words”
- Certain words that may give the impression that a company or organization is educational, such as “university,” “university,” “health science center,” or “medical school.”
- Words that give the impression of being a financial institution, such as “bank,” “trust,” and “trust company.”
- “Veterans,” “military personnel,” “foreign nationals,” “disabled persons,” etc., which may give the impression that the company or organization is associated with or deals with veterans and their families. sexual words
- Words such as “engineer” and “engineering” may be used only when the services performed are related to engineering performed by an engineer licensed in the State of Texas. This is explained by Zachary Kopp, PC, a Dallas-based attorney and founder of the Kopp Law Firm.
- Words such as “Olympic,” “Olympian,” and “Olympus” can give the impression that a company is affiliated with the United States Olympic Committee, and if you use these terms in your business, you should Must be approved by the Olympic Committee.
- Words that may imply affiliation with local, state, or federal government. For example, a new apartment building probably can’t call itself “Texas Tower.”
This list is by no means exhaustive and exceptions may be made at the discretion of the SOS Office.
You might not think you can use these, but you can.
- Symbols that can be reproduced on a standard English keyboard. For example, !, $, %, ( ), *, ?, #, =, @, []+, &
- Words in another language. There are exceptions, even if the English word is already in use by another company. For example, “Casablanca Productions” is considered different from “White House Productions” as long as the Spanish language remains Spanish, SOS explains.
All naming conventions also take into account whether companies operate in the same industry or near each other.
For more information about starting a business in Texas, please visit the “Texas Economic Development and Tourism” section of the Texas Governor’s Office site or the Texas Secretary of State’s General Information section on new and existing Texas businesses.
