Choosing a company name

Choosing a company name

It’s important to ensure that the name you choose is appropriate for your business and complies with the basic naming conventions set out by Companies House.

Companies House rules

Companies House (the government organisation through which your company will be registered) have a number of restrictions related to naming a company. The rules are fairly straightforward to apply and in the main they are common sense. 

Before allowing you to incorporate, Companies House check to make sure that the name (exact or similar) isn’t already in use. They have a handy company name checker that will tell you if it's available or too similar to an existing company name.

Sensitive words

Sensitive words and expressions are to be avoided in the main. These are defined by Companies House as those that:
  1. suggest business pre-eminence, a particular status, or a specific function (e.g. corporation, group, registered)
  2. imply a connection with a government department, devolved administration or, public authority (e.g. assembly, cabinet office, commissioner, Crown Estate)
  3. cause a criminal offence by infringing controlled or protected titles (e.g. architect, dietician, speech therapist, Olympic)
  4. offensive words

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