Published 27 August 2026 · updated 9 September 2026 · 6 min read
There are three different tests, applied by two different bodies, and a name can pass one and fail another. Most confusion about company names comes from treating them as one rule.
"Same as" — an arithmetic test, applied on submission
Companies House reduces both names by disregarding punctuation, spacing, the company-type ending and a list of common words — the, company, UK, GB, group, holdings, services and others — and treating certain characters as equivalents, so and and & are the same, and 1 and one are the same.
"The Example Group Limited" and "Example Ltd" reduce to the same thing. If the first exists and is live, the second cannot be registered. A dissolved company does not block you — but it can be restored to the register, which would then create a conflict.
This is the test our name checker applies, along with a live search of the register.
"Too like" — a judgement, applied after registration
Even where two names do not reduce identically, Companies House can direct a change if one is too like another, usually after an existing company objects within a defined period following registration. There is no formula. This is why nobody — including us — can tell you a name is definitely safe before submission.
Sensitive words — permission, not prohibition
Words implying a connection with government, a regulated profession, or a status the company may not hold are restricted: bank, royal, institute, chartered, trust, university, police, and many more. They are usable, but usually need written non-objection from a specified body first. The body differs by word, and so does what it wants to see.
If your name is flagged, that is not the end of it. It is a letter to write.
Trade marks — a completely separate system
Registering a company name gives you no trade mark rights at all. A name can be lawfully registered at Companies House and still infringe someone's mark, and the mark holder can force you to stop using it. Search the trade mark register separately before you print anything.
What to do before you commit
- Run the name through a checker that applies the statutory rules and searches the register.
- Search the trade mark register separately.
- Check the domain and the social handles, because a name you cannot use online is a name you will change.
- Say it out loud on a phone call. Spelling it three times a day is a tax you pay forever.
Nothing here is advice about your situation
It is general information about how UK company registration works, written to be accurate at the time of publication. Rules and fees change. Where a decision matters — tax, structure, an insolvent company — take advice on your own facts.