New York business name search
Check name availability against the New York Secretary of State database
New York business formation by the numbers
State-level data from official sources on business formation activity in New York.
What the filing data shows about New York
Applicants with a New York address filed 29,499 federal trademark applications in 2023. That is down from 32,770 in 2015, a fall of 10%, and one of the larger declines of any state over those eight years.
It is not alone. California (down 4%) and Illinois (down 7%) also declined over the same eight years, while Florida (up 39%), Texas (up 36%), North Carolina (up 28%) and Georgia (up 20%) each gained. The filing base has been shifting south.
The most common category for New York filings since 2019 is Class 041, covering education, training and entertainment services.
A trademark and a New York registration are different things
Registering an entity with the New York Secretary of State establishes that name for that entity within New York. 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 York entity search and still overlap an existing federal mark, and why a federal mark can exist for a name no New York 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 York mailing address, and reflect filings rather than registrations granted.