Home/Company name check
Check a company name properly
The statutory rules first, then the Companies House register itself. It will not tell you a name is available — nothing can, before submission — but it will tell you what stands in the way.
Run a check
Non-resident package — start with the name, and it is already chosen when you get to that step.
What "same as" means
Companies House disregards punctuation, spacing, the company-type ending and a list of common words when deciding whether two names are the same. "The Example Group Limited" and "Example Ltd" reduce to the same thing, so the second cannot be registered while the first exists.
What "too like" means
Separate, and discretionary. Even where two names do not reduce identically, Companies House may direct a change if one is too like another — and a company already on the register can object within a defined period after registration.
What this cannot do
Register data comes from the Companies House public data API and is shown as the register states it, including company status.
Name flagged something?
Sensitive words are usually workable — they need written non-objection from a specified body, and we will tell you which one and what they need. A conflicting company is a harder problem, and worth talking through.
Name enquiry
Tell us what you are trying to do and we will reply with what is involved. No obligation, and we will say so plainly if what you need is not something we do.