Naming your business
A strong business name makes you memorable to customers and helps you stand out from competitors, but it must comply with naming rules.
Legal names and trading names
Your legal name is the official, legal name of your business. You may have a different trading name – the name you use to market your products or services.
Your legal name must appear on all business paperwork, so customers and suppliers know who they are dealing with. Your legal name may be:
- the business name registered with Companies House if you are a limited company
- your full name if you are a sole trader
- all partners’ full names if you are a business partnership
A limited company’s legal name is protected and cannot be used by others. But you need to register any trading name as a trademark if you want to protect it.
Check your business name meets naming rules
Your name cannot:
- be offensive
- be the same as an existing company name or trade mark
- include sensitive and restricted words or expressions, unless you’ve got permission to use these
- include words that imply a connection with government departments, local and public authorities or devolved administrations, unless you have permission
- include the terms ‘limited’, ‘Ltd’, ‘Limited Liability Partnership’, ‘LLP’, ‘public limited company’ or ‘plc’ if you are operating as a sole trader, general partnership or limited partnership
Rules for limited companies
Your name must end with either 'Limited' or 'Ltd'.
Your name must end with either 'Limited' or 'Ltd'.
Rules for limited liability partnerships
Your name must end with either 'Limited Liability Partnership' or 'LLP'.
Your name must end with either 'Limited Liability Partnership' or 'LLP'.
Choose a strong trading name
When choosing a name:
- think about what your business does and what makes it different
- keep it simple, clear and memorable
- avoid generic names or names that are similar to other brands so customers can find you online
- pick something that’s easy to spell and pronounce
Future-proof your business name
Consider your ambitions for your business. Make sure the name you choose does not limit where or how you could do business in the future.
Consider your ambitions for your business. Make sure the name you choose does not limit where or how you could do business in the future.
Check the name you want is available
You cannot use a name if it:
- is a trade mark and there’s a possibility of confusing your goods or services with those of the trade mark owner
- is the same as, or too similar to, a business name that’s already registered with Companies House
Get web domains and social handles
It's essential to check if the web domains and social media account handles you want to use are available and to sign up for these, even if you're not ready to start using these.
It's essential to check if the web domains and social media account handles you want to use are available and to sign up for these, even if you're not ready to start using these.