New Jersey business name search
Check name availability against the New Jersey Secretary of State database
New Jersey business formation by the numbers
State-level data from official sources on business formation activity in New Jersey.
What the filing data shows about New Jersey
Applicants with a New Jersey address filed 11,921 federal trademark applications in 2023. Adjusted for population that works out to 127 filings per 100,000 residents, the 8th highest rate in the country, which puts New Jersey well above its 6th place by raw volume.
Nationally the picture moved south over the same period: Florida (up 39%), Texas (up 36%), North Carolina (up 28%) and Georgia (up 20%) gained while California (down 4%), New York (down 10%) and Illinois (down 7%) declined.
The most common category for New Jersey filings since 2019 is Class 035, covering advertising, business management and office services.
A trademark and a New Jersey registration are different things
Registering an entity with the New Jersey Secretary of State establishes that name for that entity within New Jersey. 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 New Jersey entity search and still overlap an existing federal mark, and why a federal mark can exist for a name no New Jersey 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 New Jersey mailing address, and reflect filings rather than registrations granted.