How To Register a Business Name in the UK: A Comprehensive Guide
- Modified: 4 November 2025
- 9 min read
- Starting a Company
Gabi Bellairs-Lombard
Author
Gabi is a content writer who is passionate about creating content that inspires. Her work history lies in writing compelling website copy, now specialising in product marketing copy. Gabi's priority when writing content is ensuring that the words make an impact on the readers. For Osome, she is the voice of our products and features. You'll find her making complex business finance and accounting topics easy to understand for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Mosan Ali
Reviewer
Mosan Ali is our Accounting Manager based in the UK and has a wealth of knowledge of UK GAAP, VAT, and PAYE. With 12 years of experience crunching numbers and ensuring compliance, he keeps our financial reporting ship-shape. Think of Mosan as our blog's accounting guru. He carefully reviews our UK-focused content, ensuring it's accurate, up-to-date, and packed with helpful tips for UK businesses. Get your taxes right from day one with our informative blog posts.
When starting a new venture, choosing and registering a business name may seem like a minor detail. However, it plays a crucial role in establishing your brand identity and ensuring legal compliance.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of registering a business name in the UK, covering the different business structures and the steps involved in securing your chosen name.
Key Takeaways
- Choose a unique business name and check its availability before registering with Companies House.
- Appoint a company director, outline the share structure and obtain a certificate of incorporation to ensure legal compliance.
- Protect your company name by registering it as a trademark, purchasing domain names and setting up social media profiles.
What Is a Business Name?
A business name is a distinct trading appellation and the officially registered name of a sole trader business or a limited company. Both legal and branding considerations make the registration of a company name a key step, and it is typically done through the Companies House register in the UK.
Fees for company formation vary, but it’s not expensive. To find out more about company incorporation and registration fees, it’s worth checking the gov.uk website.
Incorporating your business requires providing information about persons of significant control, such as:
- Their name
- Date of birth
- Nationality
- Country of residence
- Service address
- Home address
- The extent of control they exercise over the company
By the way, we offer efficient and reliable services to help you register your company hassle-free, ensuring compliance with all legal requirements.
Understanding Different Business Structures
Three primary business structures exist in the UK: sole traders, limited liability companies, and business partnerships. Each structure has its own set of responsibilities and requirements when registering a business name.
However, the most popular business structure in the UK, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), is the Private Limited Company (Ltd).
We’ll explore these structures in detail to guide your choice that best suits your needs.
Sole traders
A sole trader business is where an individual runs their business independently, and is held accountable for its operations and losses.
As a sole trader choosing a name, avoid any business names that are identical or similar to those of a competitor, as well as any that could be deemed offensive. You should also not include ‘limited’, ‘Ltd’, ‘limited liability partnership’, ‘LLP’, ‘public limited company’ or ‘plc’.
For sole traders, there is no need to check Companies House since it does not maintain a register for sole trader business names—only for limited liability companies. However, sole traders can still protect their chosen name by registering it as a trademark if desired.
Once you have chosen a fitting name, you should register with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for a self-assessment tax return.
Limited companies
Limited companies are a separate legal entity that provides protection of personal assets and tax efficiency. Every limited company must have at least one shareholder
When registering a limited company, you’ll need to specify the number of shares desired for the company along with the class and price of each share. Different individuals can possess varying degrees of responsibility and proprietorship of the organisation.
Ensure, prior to registering a limited company, that a unique and suitable name has been selected and is available for registration. This will help avoid any legal issues with other registered companies and facilitate a smooth registration process for your limited company.
Forming a limited company in the UK gives you a distinct legal identity, shielding personal assets while allowing flexible ownership through tailored share structures — a smart foundation for long-term growth and credibility.
Accounting Manager
Business partnerships
A business partnership is a legally binding agreement between two or more entities that outlines shared ownership and operation of a business. In a partnership, the partners must appoint a designated nominated partner who is obligated to submit the partnership’s tax returns and register the partnership for Self Assessment with HMRC.
Form SA401 is required to register as a partner in a business partnership. Including all partners’ names in the submission of official paperwork is crucial. This will ensure that ownership is properly documented and filed.
When registering with a nominated partner, you can either register as a Partnership or as a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP). An LLP is similar to a Partnership, except that the partner’s liability is limited to the amount of money they invest in the business.
Choose the right company structure with confidence
Unsure which company structure is best for your business? Our team of experienced advisors in the UK is here to guide you through the decision-making process.
Steps To Register Your Business Name
Having covered the different types of business structures, we will now explore the step-by-step process of business name registration in the UK. This will include choosing a company name, checking name availability, deciding on an official business address and more.
1 Choose a company name
Considerations such as the type of business you own and your branding strategy are vital when selecting a company name. Here are some guidelines to follow:
- Avoid words such as Ltd, Limited, limited liability partnership, LLP, plc, or public limited company if they don’t accurately represent the status of your business.
- Avoid punctuation, special characters, or words commonly used in UK company names.
- Steer clear of sensitive words or terms that could be deemed offensive or suggest a connection with government or local authorities.
Companies House provides a compilation of sensitive words that are not allowed in a corporate title. If you wish to use a sensitive word in your company's registered name, you must contact the relevant government body for permission. Using a sensitive word without authorisation may result in the rejection of your submission.
2 Check name availability
Verifying that the chosen name is not already taken or is too similar to an existing company’s name is a must before you register it. You can use our Company Name Availability Checker, a tool that helps you determine if a company name is available or not.
Checking name availability helps prevent potential legal issues with other businesses and ensures that your chosen name is unique and suitable for your legal entity. This step is crucial in establishing a strong brand identity and avoiding confusion in the marketplace.
Beyond checking Companies House, search trademarks to ensure your name isn’t legally protected. Use the UK Intellectual Property Office’s tool to avoid disputes or costly rebranding.
3 Decide on the official business address
The selection of an official company address is a key step, as it will be the address used for all official communication and documents associated with the entity. You have several options for selecting a company's official address, such as registering an address with Companies House or purchasing a certified service address from Osome or other reliable formation agent.
4 Choose an SIC code
A Standard Industrial Classification code represents the type of activity your organisation engages in. Selecting an appropriate SIC code is important when registering your company name as it helps identify the nature of your business. Start by examining the overview screen for the company on the register. You need to provide at least one code that describes the economic activities of your company.
Use our SIC Code Lookup Tool to choose the most suitable code for your business activities.
5 Appoint a company director
Your company must have at least one director. The director is the individual responsible for overseeing all aspects of the business, and are also legally obligated to ensure reports and company accounts are prepared. Company directors must be aged 16 or over and not disqualified from being a director.
It’s a requirement that each director provide two addresses. If the service address is the same as the company address, an alternative residential address must also be provided.
6 Outline a company share structure
Outlining your company’s share structure includes:
- Determining the quantity, type, and cost of shares (you need to register your company name to get this information)
- Specifying the extent of ownership and control among shareholders in the company
The statement of capital is a document that outlines the share responsibility of a limited company, including the number of shares of each type and their cumulative value. There is no upper limit of shares a company can possess, but it is important to carefully consider the distribution of shares to ensure a fair and balanced ownership structure of the company.
7 Get a certificate of incorporation
A certificate of incorporation serves as essential proof of your company's legal existence and compliance with regulations. You can access it via the Companies House website by searching for your company's name or number, selecting filing history, and scrolling to the bottom of the page to locate the filing that states ‘Incorporation'.
8 Pay the company formation fees
Depending on the application method, the cost of registering a company name in the UK varies on the application method. Online company registration, for example, costs £ 50. You can pay the company formation fee by debit or credit card.
Payment can be made online via the Companies House website or through an approved formation service provider. Be sure to factor in these fees when planning your registration process and budget accordingly.
Don’t just register a business name
Register the best kind of business name with insightful guidance from our registration experts. Make your mark in the UK business world today.
Registering with Companies House
Companies House is the UK's registrar of companies, responsible for registering business names. To register your company name, you must provide the official SIC code and business address. Registering with Companies House ensures your legal entity is recognised and compliant with UK regulations while also protecting your registered name and solidifying your brand in the marketplace.
Protecting Your Company Name
One way to protect your company name is by registering it as a trademark. Complete a trademark application form and submit it to the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) along with the relevant documents and fees – this will help you get the process started.
Other measures to secure the company names include purchasing the domain name, creating social media profiles, and setting up a Google Business Profile. By taking these steps, you can ensure that your registered name remains unique and associated exclusively with your company.
While registering a company name is an important step, it does not automatically grant trademark protection. To secure exclusive rights to your company name, consider registering it as a trademark. Before deciding on a name, it's advisable to conduct thorough trademark searches and seek legal advice to avoid potential infringement on existing trademarks.
Operations Lead
Registering a business name in the UK can be simple, but getting it right from the start saves time and prevents costly changes later. Osome helps entrepreneurs choose and register unique, compliant business names with Companies House, ensuring your brand meets all legal requirements. Beyond name registration, Osome provides end-to-end support with UK company incorporation, accounting, and business bank account opening, so your business can launch and grow seamlessly from day one.
How Osome Can Help
Summary
In conclusion, business name registration in the UK is a critical step in establishing your brand identity and ensuring legal compliance. By understanding the different organisational structures, following the step-by-step registration process, and protecting your business name, you can lay a strong foundation for your company’s success.
Gabi is a content writer who is passionate about creating content that inspires. Her work history lies in writing compelling website copy, now specialising in product marketing copy. Gabi's priority when writing content is ensuring that the words make an impact on the readers. For Osome, she is the voice of our products and features. You'll find her making complex business finance and accounting topics easy to understand for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
