If you are thinking of setting up a limited company, you should think carefully when choosing your company name. Alongside the business reasons for choosing an appropriate name, there are also a number of company naming rules you should be aware of.
If you breach certain naming rules, Companies House will simply reject your company formation application.
Here are the main naming rules – at a high level. For a detailed guide to the rules, consult Companies House guide GBF2.
Company naming rules
1) Each company name must be unique. When buying a limited company online, the registration agent will be able to tell you if your chosen name is available or not.
2) Each private limited company name must have a Ltd or Limited suffix (such as Bytestart Limited).
3) You can change your company name at a later date, but you cannot change the company registration number.
4) You should not choose an ‘offensive’, ‘abusive’, or ‘illegal’ company name. Not only would that be an odd thing to do for obvious business reasons, but your choice could also be rejected.
5) Don’t choose a name which contains trademarked words, or words deliberately used to resemble them. You may have trouble later on if you do so.
6) Your company is a legal entity, but you can carry on business using a different name if you choose.
7) You cannot use so-called ‘sensitive’ words unless you have received official permission. You can read a detailed list on the Companies House site.
8) We recommend you also consult available domain names when choosing a company name, as someone else may already own your desired name on the web. Read more here.
You can order a limited company online via our long-term formations partner, Duport.
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