How to Change Your North Carolina Business Name

How to Get a New Business Name

A business name change in North Carolina requires planning. We break down the general steps for you below. 

1.) Choose a new business name

Many entrepreneurs find that it’s tricky to choose a new business moniker. After all, your business name reflects your business’s identity. Select a name that best reflects your mission, your products, or any updates to your business since you first formed. You may even want to include the name of the city or town your business is located in to solidify your local reputation.

North Carolina has a few rules about naming your company.  In general, your business’s new name needs to:

• Contain words or abbreviations that indicate what kind of business you’re running (e.g., LLC, corporation, LP, etc.)
• Be distinguishable from names already actively in use by other businesses, and not use LLC or Inc. to distinguish it from another business 
• Not use words offensive to accepted standards of decency
• Not contain language implying that the business is organized for an unlawful purpose or any purpose other than the one stated in its organizing documents

These rules are pretty straightforward. However, confirming that your business’s new name is unique from others can be more difficult. We simplify part of the process for you with our Business Name Checker.

Once you’ve confirmed that your name is unique, you’re ready to move on to the next step. 

2.) Gather information for filing your amendment

Once you’re ready to change your name, you’ll need to file Articles of Amendment to update your corporation or LLC’s formation documents. To do that, you’ll need to gather and provide key business information to the Secretary of State. Typically, the North Carolina Secretary of State will need to know: 

• The business’s exact current name
• The new business name and date the business adopted the name change
• Information about any corporate or board resolution adopting the name change
• The date the name change should go into effect (if not the date of the filing)
• The signature of an appropriate party

It’s easy to change your business name in North Carolina if you have good governance in place. Our comprehensive suite of business services offers North Carolina companies ways to make amendments easier.

3.) File your North Carolina amendment

Once you’ve chosen a new name, and completed your paperwork, you can file the amendment online through the Secretary of State’s Online Business Services portal. You can also file by mail. All major credit cards are accepted. Check with the Secretary of State’s office for payment options for filing by mail. We can also do this for you with our Amendment Filing Service. 

After You Change Your Business Name

Making a business name change in North Carolina is only step one in an image reboot. After you’ve made the change on paper, there are practical considerations to take care of. These include:

• Updating your business name on all of your contracts, agreements, and accounts
• Changing the company’s name on any employment contracts or independent contractor agreements
• Reviewing and updating marketing materials like business cards, stationery, website materials, logos, and more

Make sure to budget time and money to handle these updates. You’ll want to begin operating under your new name immediately upon approval of your business name change.

We can help

We’re here for you throughout every step of this process. We can help make changing aspects of your business simpler with our Amendment Filing Service. And if you don’t have a business entity formed yet or are making a full-scale business entity change, our North Carolina LLC and North Carolina Corporation Formation Services can get you up and running fast.

We can also help you keep your business legally compliant with our Worry-Free Compliance Service. Our flagship corporate compliance service includes up to two amendment filings per year.