There are more than 3.5 million limited companies registered in the UK, with about 500,000 new incorporated companies, and in light of this, there’s a strict list of guidelines for the names which will require approval from the Secretary of State.
Companies House lists over 100 points which need to be considered when naming a limited company, 135 to be exact. Amongst this, the rules typically imply that if a limited company name represents one used by a public body, a regulatory body or a government institution – the name will often be rejected.
The list of Sensitive words and expressions specified in regulations that require the prior approval of the Secretary of State to use in a company or business name can be found here.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by BBC Wales obtained a list of company names which were rejected by Companies House as they were considered to be offensive.
Some of the rejected names include, Sod it Systems Limited and Titanic Holdings.
A companies house spokesman told the BBC,
“The index of company names is a publicly available statutory register and it’s important that it is not abused by being used to register offensive names.
“A company must not be registered by a name if, in the opinion of the Secretary of State its use by the company would be offensive.
“The registrar acts on behalf of the Secretary of State and in forming that opinion considers whether a name would be offensive in any way to the general public.”
The company name availability checker can be found here.
Read More: Contractor Guide: Naming Your Limited Company
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