If you’ve ever brainstormed names for a new pet, you’d know that coming up with remarkable names for anything is no easy task. But unlike christening your furry friend, there are so many things to consider when naming a new business. From branding and marketing to legality and future-proofing, you have to ensure everything is airtight.

To avoid the headaches and hassles that come with conceiving the perfect business name, many entrepreneurs just go with their own names. Hey, it’s simple and gets your name out there, right?

But is naming an LLC after yourself really a smart move in the long term?

In this article, I’ll outline some critical points to consider on both sides of this decision. After considering the benefits of an LLC with your name, and some drawbacks, you can make a choice that sets your company up for long-term success — whether that’s using your name or going another direction!

LLC Naming Rules

There’s more to naming your LLC than going with your name or picking the coolest name from that list you whipped up after hours of brainstorming. As with everything else in the business world, some rules and regulations guide naming a limited liability company. Here are a few:

• Must Include LLC or Appropriate Appendage: State filing offices generally require that if your business is a limited liability company your business’ legal name must contain LLC or other specific words (such as Ltd or Limited) that reflect the structure of the business.

• Your LLC Name Must Be Unique: The name of your LLC must be unique and distinguishable from the names of other businesses in the filing office of the state you are registering with. If your LLC’s name is an exact match or too similar to another registered LLC, the filing office may reject your application. The same uniqueness rule applies when filing an assumed or “Doing Business As” name (DBA) in some states. However, forming an LLC in Texas or Illinois offers more flexibility, and these states may accept similar DBA names as long as they don’t mislead the public or cause confusion.

• Avoid Restricted or Prohibited Words: State filing offices usually maintain a list of restricted and prohibited words that should not appear in business legal names. While some of these words are prohibited because they are considered to be inappropriate, others are restricted to prevent business names from misleading the public.
  
  For example, a state might not allow a non-mortgage company to include the word “mortgage” in its legal name. Before the word “mortgage” can be used, the company would have to clear and get approval from an appropriate regulatory body in your state. Similarly, “bank”, “insurance” and “attorney” are usually restricted.
  
  States also prohibit businesses from using appendages that misrepresent the structure of the business. So, a sole proprietorship or corporation can’t use “LLC” in its name, and an LLC can’t also include Corp. or Co. in its legal business name.

The Benefits of Naming an LLC After Yourself

Don’t get me wrong, using your name comes with some clear pros, like the instant recognition factor. Customers see “Jane’s Day Care”, and they know it’s yours. Plus, the business benefits from any reputation you’ve built already.  Whil using a personal name isn’t always the best fit for every business, but certain benefits come with naming an LLC after yourself. 

Leveraging an established brand:

If, as a sole proprietor, you have already put in work to establish your name as a reputable brand, naming your LLC after yourself can help you leverage your personal brand to maintain credibility and make sales. 

For example, many artisans, creatives, and tradespeople like plumbers, electricians, graphic designers, and photographers often start their trade under their personal names. When they want to expand into an LLC, naming the business after that established name could help them leverage the hard-won credibility to make sales.

Helps create an emotional connection to your brand:

Humans love a human connection, and they gravitate towards brands that feel personable and familial. If you name your LLC after yourself, it could project your business as one being run by a person who cares about delivering good work. This could help create an emotional connection between potential customers and the brand, which can increase patronage.

However, your own name might not be the most effective name to create an emotional connection with some target markets.

It saves time and money: 

The straightforwardness that comes with simply naming an LLC after yourself is an obvious but less-considered advantage. Rather than spend valuable hours brainstorming names, you can go with your name and call it a day. Going this route frees up time and resources you can invest towards actual work and activities that would move the needle in your business.

However, underestimating the value of a powerful name could cost your business in the long term. Naming an LLC after yourself isn’t an easy option as branding concerns and audience reactions must be considered either way.

Drawbacks of Naming an LLC After Yourself

While naming an LLC after yourself has its benefits, solely relying on your identity for your brand also has its cons. Below are some significant downsides to consider when deciding whether self-naming your business makes the most strategic sense.

Potential challenges with future growth:

When most business owners start their LLC, they usually focus on one or two business offerings. However, as time passes and the business grows, many entrepreneurs consider scaling up and diversifying their products and services into other verticals. Naming your LLC after yourself can make that tricky.

For example, Jane Doe might want to expand her “work from home” freelance service into a full-scale in-office agency offering SEO and different marketing services. She would quickly realize that the “Jane Doe LLC” name she has been operating under would not be a perfect fit for a much bigger, multi-faceted company.

Potential issues with a future sale/acquisition:

It is commonplace for business owners to sell their businesses when they attain retirement age or simply for a big payday after the business has grown considerably. With your LLC named after you, your brand value is tied to your involvement in the business. Selling the business entity might be challenging as buyers tend to prefer businesses that are not tied to any personal brand or name.

Less clarity in communicating your offerings:

Generally, it is good practice to use your business name as a platform to announce what your business is about. Naming an LLC after yourself robs you of the opportunity to communicate the core offerings of your business to potential customers instantly at first glance. However, a workaround for this drawback is appending your business niche to your name. For example, “Amelia Brown Photography Limited”, Jim Jones Design LLC”, etc.

Loss of privacy and anonymity:

In most states, you can easily find the owner or owners of an LLC with a public records lookup. However, potential customers hardly want to spare a minute or two to search business owner records. In a situation where you aren’t using your personal name as your LLC’s name, you will enjoy some form of limited anonymity. However, when you name your LLC after yourself, your name and identity are unavoidably out in the open for everyone to see.

Should I Name My LLC After Myself?

There is no right or wrong answer to this question. Some companies like Walt Disney and Harley Davidson have enjoyed wild success while bearing their founders’ names. Other entities like Facebook and Apple have equally recorded tremendous achievements using strategic business names. So it all boils down to your circumstances, current personal brand, and the potential future of your business.

That said, bear in mind that, in some cases, naming your LLC after yourself can hinder your business’ expansion down the line. You need a long-term vision when naming your business.

Using a DBA for an LLC

If you want to separate your personal identity and your registered LLC business name, using a DBA (Doing Business As) is the perfect solution. A DBA is a fictitious name that allows an LLC to legally open bank accounts and transact business using an assumed name instead of the legal business name registered with the state filing office. 

Using a DBA gives business owners flexible brand positioning, precisely projects what a business offers, and simplifies the operation of multiple businesses. For founders who name their LLCs after themselves, a DBA can provide some level of anonymity while still maintaining their real names on official filing documents.

Operating as a DBA also makes it easy to rebrand your LLC later in the future if desired. Simply stopping the use of the DBA name allows your LLC to change its public face without altering any of your entity’s legal charter documents. 

Applying for a DBA is relatively simple. It doesn’t require amending any articles of organization. Business owners simply file the fictitious name with their state filing office to obtain a DBA certificate or statement. 

Wrapping Up

Now that you know the benefits and drawbacks of naming an LLC after yourself, you can decide if you want to use your name or a powerful, creative moniker for your business name. 

Whichever direction you choose to go, ensure that the name you settle for is not already registered in your state as an existing entity or as a trademark. You also want to confirm that the domain name of any brand name you select is available for purchase.

To simplify the entire process of finding the perfect business name, you can browse through the carefully curated brand and matching domain names in our premium marketplace.