2023 New York Laws › BSC - Business Corporation › Article 3 - Corporate Name and Service of Process › 301 - Corporate Name; General.

§ 301. Corporate name; general.
(a)  Except  as  otherwise  provided  in  this  chapter, the name of a
domestic or foreign corporation:
(1) Shall contain the word "corporation", "incorporated" or "limited",
or an abbreviation of one of such words; or, in the case  of  a  foreign
corporation, it shall, for use in this state, add at the end of its name
one of such words or an abbreviation thereof.
(2)  (i)  Shall  be  such  as  to  distinguish  it  from  the names of
corporations of any type or kind, or a fictitious name of an  authorized
foreign  corporation filed pursuant to article thirteen of this chapter,
as such names appear on the index of  names  of  existing  domestic  and
authorized   foreign   corporations  of  any  type  or  kind,  including
fictitious names of authorized foreign corporations  filed  pursuant  to
article  thirteen  of this chapter, in the department of state, division
of corporations, or a name the right to which is reserved.
(ii) Shall be such as to distinguish it from (A) the names of domestic
limited liability companies, (B) the names of authorized foreign limited
liability companies, (C) the  fictitious  names  of  authorized  foreign
limited   liability   companies,  (D)  the  names  of  domestic  limited
partnerships, (E) the names of authorized foreign limited  partnerships,
or  (F) the fictitious names of authorized foreign limited partnerships,
in each case, as such names appear on the index  of  names  of  existing
domestic  and  authorized foreign limited liability companies, including
fictitious names of authorized foreign limited liability  companies,  in
the  department  of state, or on the index of names of existing domestic
or authorized foreign limited partnerships, including  fictitious  names
of  authorized foreign limited partnerships, in the department of state,
or names the rights to which are reserved; provided,  however,  that  no
corporation  that  was formed prior to the effective date of this clause
and no foreign corporation that was qualified to  do  business  in  this
state  prior to such effective date shall be required to change the name
or fictitious name it had on such effective date  solely  by  reason  of
such  name  or  fictitious name being indistinguishable from the name or
fictitious name of any domestic or authorized foreign limited  liability
company  or  limited  partnership or from any name the right to which is
reserved by or on behalf of any domestic or  foreign  limited  liability
company or limited partnership.
(3)  Shall  not  contain  any  word  or phrase, or any abbreviation or
derivative thereof, the use of which is prohibited or restricted by  any
other  statute of this state, unless in the latter case the restrictions
have been complied with.
(4) Shall not contain any word  or  phrase,  or  any  abbreviation  or
derivative  thereof,  in  a  context which indicates or implies that the
corporation, if domestic, is formed or, if foreign,  is  authorized  for
any  purpose  or  is  possessed  in this state of any power other than a
purpose for which, or a power with which, the domestic  corporation  may
be and is formed or the foreign corporation is authorized.
(5)(A)  Shall  not  contain  any  of  the  following  phrases,  or any
abbreviation or derivative thereof:
board of trade         state police        urban development
chamber of commerce    state trooper       urban relocation
community renewal      tenant relocation
(B) Shall not contain any of the following words, or any  abbreviation
or derivative thereof:
acceptance             endowment           loan
annuity                fidelity            mortgage
assurance              finance             savings
bank                   guaranty            surety
benefit                indemnity           title
bond                   insurance           trust
casualty               investment          underwriter
doctor                 lawyer
unless  the  approval  of  the  superintendent  of financial services is
attached  to  the  certificate  of  incorporation,  or  application  for
authority or amendment thereof; or that the word "doctor" or "lawyer" or
an  abbreviation  or  derivation  thereof  is  used  in  the  name  of a
university faculty  practice  corporation  formed  pursuant  to  section
fourteen  hundred  twelve  of  the  not-for-profit  corporation law or a
professional service corporation formed pursuant to article  fifteen  of
this  chapter,  or a foreign professional service corporation authorized
to do business in this state  pursuant  to  article  fifteen-A  of  this
chapter,  the  members or shareholders of which are composed exclusively
of doctors or lawyers, respectively, or are  used  in  a  context  which
clearly denotes a purpose other than the practice of law or medicine.
(6) Shall not, unless the approval of the state board of standards and
appeals  is attached to the certificate of incorporation, or application
for authority or amendment thereof, contain any of the  following  words
or  phrases,  or  any abbreviation or derivative thereof:  union, labor,
council, industrial  organization,  in  a  context  which  indicates  or
implies   that  the  domestic  corporation  is  formed  or  the  foreign
corporation authorized as an organization of working  men  or  women  or
wage  earners  or  for the performance, rendition or sale of services as
labor or management consultant, adviser or specialist, or as  negotiator
or arbitrator in labor-management disputes.
(7)  Shall  not, unless the approval of the state department of social
services is attached to the certificate of incorporation, or application
for  authority  or  amendment  thereof,  contain  the  word  "blind"  or
"handicapped". Such approval shall be granted by the state department of
social  services, if in its opinion the word "blind" or "handicapped" as
used in the corporate name proposed will not tend to mislead or  confuse
the  public  into  believing  that  the  corporation  is  organized  for
charitable  or  non-profit  purposes  related  to  the  blind   or   the
handicapped.
(8)  Shall  not  contain  any words or phrases, or any abbreviation or
derivation thereof in a context which will tend to  mislead  the  public
into  believing  that the corporation is an agency or instrumentality of
the United States or the state of New York or a subdivision  thereof  or
is a public corporation.
(9)  Shall  not  contain  any  word  or phrase, or any abbreviation or
derivation thereof, which, separately, or in context, shall be  indecent
or  obscene,  or  shall  ridicule  or degrade any person, group, belief,
business or agency of government, or  indicate  or  imply  any  unlawful
activity.
(10)  Shall  not,  unless  the  approval  of  the  attorney general is
attached  to  the  certificate  of  incorporation,  or  application  for
authority  or  amendment  thereof,  contain  the  word "exchange" or any
abbreviation or derivative thereof. Such approval shall not  be  granted
by  the  attorney  general,  if  in  his  opinion  the  use  of the word
"exchange" in the proposed corporate name would falsely imply  that  the
corporation  conducts  its business at a place where trade is carried on
in securities or commodities by brokers, dealers, or merchants.
(11) Shall not, unless the consent of the commissioner of education is
endorsed on or annexed to the certificate of incorporation, contain  the
words  "school;" "education;" "elementary;" "secondary;" "kindergarten;"
"prekindergarten;" "preschool;" "nursery school;"  "museum;"  "history;"
"historical;"  "historical  society;" "arboretum;" "library;" "college;"

"university" or other term restricted by section two hundred twenty-four
of the education law; "conservatory," "academy," or "institute," or  any
abbreviation  or  derivative  of  such  terms. Such consent shall not be
granted  by  the  commissioner  of  education,  if in the commissioner's
opinion, the use of such terms  in  the  corporate  name  is  likely  to
mislead  or  confuse  the  public into believing that the corporation is
organized  for  non-profit  educational  purposes  or  for   educational
business  purposes  that are not specified in the corporate purposes and
powers contained in its certificate of incorporation.