Choosing a company name is an exciting part of the company registration process, but there are several important rules and restrictions to bear in mind. Below, we outline the legal requirements and restrictions that affect your choice of company name, which are set out in the following legislation:
When you have chosen a name, enter it into Rapid Formations’ free company name availability checker before completing your company registration application. This tool will check against the Companies House database to determine if your company name is available to register.
It will also tell you if the name requires further attention, for example, if it is too similar to another registered company name, if it contains ‘sensitive’ words, or whether any supporting documentation is required.
Finally, you should check your company name against the Trade Mark Register to make sure that it’s not registered as a trademark.
The following restrictions and requirements must be taken into account when choosing a company name :
A company name is considered the ‘same as’ or ‘too like’ another company name if it is so similar that it may confuse the public and make it difficult to distinguish between the two companies.
You will only be permitted to register a company with a name that is the same as, or similar to, an existing company if:
The following words and expressions must be disregarded to distinguish company names:
The following must be disregarded when preceded by a blank space, a full stop, or “@”:
The following table outlines the characters, words, expressions, signs, and symbols that are considered the ‘same as’ each other:
The vast majority of private limited companies in the UK are required to include ‘Limited’ or ‘Ltd’ at the end of their names, which denotes the company’s limited liability status. Welsh companies can use ‘Cyfyngedig’ and ‘Cyf’ instead.
A company will only be exempt from this rule if it is limited by guarantee with articles of association that state the company:
There is no official difference. The full word and abbreviation both mean exactly the same thing, so you can use either version. Your choice will only affect how your registered company name is displayed on your incorporation documents.
However, Companies House always registers and records company names in capitals and never produces certificates of incorporation in lowercase. During the life of your company, you can use whichever version and letter case you prefer on your company signage, stationery, and websites.
The names of dissolved limited companies can be registered by new and existing companies. There are no legal restrictions when choosing such a name. However, one important point you should consider is the reputation of the dissolved company.
For example, if the dissolved company was well known and provided less than satisfactory services or products, your business could be mistaken for the dissolved company or pursued by scorned creditors and customers.
On the other hand, if the dissolved company had a great reputation, your new business could benefit from this association. You may attract the attention of potential consumers, and provided you deliver excellent service and products to satisfy your customers, your business may flourish through positive association.
Before registering a new company with a dissolved company name, you should:
The registered name of your company must be used and displayed when you carry out any kind of business activity. Therefore, most limited companies trade under their official registered name to avoid any confusion, but it is possible to make small alterations in terms of formatting, letter case, punctuation, and use of accents.
However, you can also use a ‘trading name’. This means that your company can use a different name for branding and marketing purposes. If you decide to do this, your company stationery and websites must clearly state that it is a trading name. You can do this by including a statement like “[Trading Name] is the trading name of [Official Company Name]”.