South Dakota business name search
Check name availability against the South Dakota Secretary of State database
South Dakota business formation by the numbers
State-level data from official sources on business formation activity in South Dakota.
What the filing data shows about South Dakota
Applicants with a South Dakota address filed 484 federal trademark applications in 2023, compared with 448 in 2015, a change of +8%.
Adjusted for population that is about 53 filings per 100,000 residents, the 39th highest rate in the country.
The most common category for South Dakota filings since 2019 is Class 035, covering advertising, business management and office services.
A trademark and a South Dakota registration are different things
Registering an entity with the South Dakota Secretary of State establishes that name for that entity within South Dakota. 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 South Dakota entity search and still overlap an existing federal mark, and why a federal mark can exist for a name no South Dakota 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 South Dakota mailing address, and reflect filings rather than registrations granted.