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California business name search

Check name availability against the California Secretary of State database

569,091
Business applications, last 12 months
Census BFS via FRED, trailing 12 months
165,035
Filed Q2 2026
Census BFS via FRED, Q2 2026
+5.7%
Year-over-year growth
FRED, trailing 12 months vs prior 12
2,258
Filings per business day
Derived from TTM applications, FRED
California seal
Websitebpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov
Phone(916) 657-5448
Address1500 11th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Hours8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Mon-Fri

California business formation by the numbers

State-level data from official sources on business formation activity in California.

#2
California ranks 2nd in U.S. business formations
Ranking is based on total business applications filed in the trailing twelve months across all 50 states and D.C.
Census BFS via FRED, TTM rank
+55.9%
Formation activity since 2019
Comparison of trailing-twelve-month business applications to the 2019 calendar year total. Captures the post-pandemic formation surge.
FRED / BABATOTALNSACA
+19.9%
Quarter-over-quarter change
Current quarter applications compared to the prior quarter. A useful read on whether momentum is building or fading.
FRED, latest 3 months vs prior 3
$70
LLC filing fee and processing time
Standard processing: 5-7 business days.
California Secretary of State, verified Mar 2026
66,246
Federal trademark applications from California businesses
Filed with the USPTO in 2023 by applicants with a California address, the highest total of any state. Trademarks are federal, so this is separate from registering a business name with the California Secretary of State.
USPTO Trademark Case Files, 2023 vintage
-4%
Trademark filing change since 2015
California filings went from 69,068 in 2015 to 66,246 in 2023, down 4%.
USPTO Trademark Case Files, 2023 vintage

What the filing data shows about California

Applicants with a California address filed 66,246 federal trademark applications in 2023, more than any other state. Filings rose from 69,068 in 2015, a change of -4%.

Adjusted for population that is about 169 filings per 100,000 residents, the 3rd highest rate in the country.

The most common category for California filings since 2019 is Class 041, covering education, training and entertainment services.

A trademark and a California registration are different things

Registering an entity with the California Secretary of State establishes that name for that entity within California. A federal trademark is granted by the USPTO, applies nationally, and covers only the goods or services it is registered under.

The two records are separate, which is why a name can clear a California entity search and still overlap an existing federal mark, and why a federal mark can exist for a name no California entity has registered.

Trademark figures on this page come from the USPTO Trademark Case Files dataset, which covers applications through March 2024. Counts are applications filed by applicants with a California mailing address, and reflect filings rather than registrations granted.