How To Create a Business Name for Your Company – Tips and Ideas

You need to choose a name before you apply to register any business details with Companies House. This applies whether you’re starting a new business or converting a sole tradership to a limited company. How you choose to name your company is a tactic to distinguish yourself among the millions of others in the UK. Here’s what you need to know when setting up:

Choose a business name that’s suitable

Knowing how to create a business name that’s relevant comes down to applying strategy and contextual customer perception. Don’t choose a company name that includes an unrelated or misleading term like “Electronics” if your flagship products are animal plush toys.

Choose a business name that’s compliant

While you can let those creative juices flow in the name-picking process, keep in mind that the UK has rules and restrictions you need to adhere to. Here’s where you’ll find them:

• The Companies Act 2006
• The Company,Limited Liability Partnership and Business (Names and Trading Disclosures) Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/17)
• The Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business (Sensitive Words and Expressions) Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/3140)

Along with the appropriate ending of “Limited” or “LTD”, an important aspect of naming a limited company is making sure what you’re proposing is available and not in breach of any specific rules. Know how to pick wisely and make sure:

• Your business name isn't offensive, culturally insensitive or in any way discriminatory
• The name isn't the same as any others existing in Companies House online index
• The name doesn't include sensitive terms of words and language – unless you've got official permission to use them

Make sure the company name you’re proposing is one-of-a-kind and doesn’t clash with another business that may already be registered by doing a search on Companies House Web Checker.

Along with that, do trademark checks, a little market research and some thorough Googling to see how similar or common search results may be (spoiler alert: too many similar results may mean it’s time to switch up your thinking or reassess your naming preference).

Use these tips when choosing a business name to help you make sure the solution you land on is memorable, connected to your core business, easy to pronounce on a call, and simple to spell via text:

Choose A Name That Describes Your Business Literally

Not everything has to be over-engineered. If it’s literal, it often has higher consumer recall which may be good if you’re looking to establish your new business. Some successful companies with literal names include Toys R Us, Burger King, and Hertz Rent-A-Car.

Make Up A Name that’s Novel, Fun & Fresh

Like the frabjous words Lewis Caroll coined, you too can create an entirely new word to play the esteemed role of your company name. Pick any alphabetic combo that works for you, just make sure it’s easy to pronounce and remember.

Keep It Simple

A business name that’s easy to say aloud and weave into the conversation when the need arises is often something short and memorable! You also don’t want something that sounds fancy or is deceptively unrelated. Simplicity can be the ultimate sophistication in this case!

Weave Relevant Phrases Into Your Business Name

You may be running a traditional business but your company name doesn’t have to be traditional in itself. Perhaps consider options that tap into societal vocab or popularised phrases, like: “Thankgoditsfriday.com”, “Canthelpfeelinggreat.com” or “Hakunamatata” etc.

Pick A Name With A Related Domain

This is where research comes in. Start by workshopping ideas for your company name and once you’ve got a shortlist, make sure the options you’re considering are available, along with a related domain or URL. These two corporate “identifiers” live hand in hand and you’ll want to consider your marketing holistically, which includes your online brand presence and any plans for e-commerce

Take the time upfront to check availability of the whatever domain you’re after before you go too far down a branding rabbit hole. Don’t let this process deter you from that business name you feel passionate about! You can always make a few clever tweaks to find a domain that still connects to your business without having to compromise on your name. When picking a domain name, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• You could purchase a parked domain (especially if it’s memorable and SERPs friendly)
• You can modify your proposed name. Consider adding additional words to give more context, replacing letters with numbers, using different tenses or even turning your domain into a CTA.
• Going one step further, you can also enhance your online address by taking domain extension into consideration when conceptualising your company name

Choose a Name That’s Scalable

This is just the start of your startup, so don’t let your naming process confine your business potential. Don’t limit your selection to a particular place or product – it could be worth it to think big and broad when choosing a company name so you’re set to expand and grow when the time comes. If you do look into domains, it could be worth it to purchase both .com and .co.uk endings if you plan to expand your business out of the UK in the future.

Assess if the Name Is Catchy

Along with being comfortable saying and spelling as we covered above, you also want to choose an appealing name for your company. This helps with recall and the right consideration means that it’ll resonate with your desired audience. Do a little market research and see what reactions different naming options evoke to test your theories.

Use Resources to Brainstorm Names

Tap into the many resources out there during the brainstorming stages of choosing a new name for your business. This is a big decision and it deserves big consideration!

• Suggest a theme to set the tone with a tool like Namium
• Tools like Shopify’s Business Name Generator helps you broaden your thinking and check domains all in one
• Ideal for startup thinkers, Name Mesh helps you connect your dots of creativity
• Visual name generators like Visual Thesaurus give visual cues based on keywords to encourage ideas

Consider Oversights or Overseas Hurdles

If you’re planning on taking your business into overseas territories, you need to do your due diligence when choosing a business name. Make sure the name you’re proposing doesn’t inadvertently cause disrespect, disrepute or detriment to anyone (including yourself and your shareholders) by checking its meaning, denotation or cultural interpretation across different languages.