If you are looking for a catchy business name, it is important to know where to start. In this blog post, we will discuss the best places to undertake free business names searches in the United Kingdom. Whether you want an easy-to-remember company name or something more unique, there are options for every type of business. This guide will help you find your perfect match.
To find the perfect business name in the United Kingdom, the first thing to do is develop ideas for a name and then check those against the UK trademark register. To come up with a free name ideas, use a business name generator or another online resource. After finding one you like and that is available, register it. For all the details in-between, keep reading.
The process of finding a free business name that suits your needs can be a tedious job. But ultimately, it is worth the time and effort you put into it.
In today’s competitive market, you need something catchy and memorable. But most importantly, it needs to communicate what you without the client even having to read your company tagline or product description. So, taking steps to find the right one is key.
As we move through each of these steps in detail, hopefully, finding a free business name in the United Kingdom becomes clearer.
The first step to finding a great business name is to figure out the type of company you want to be. If you are starting your own business, it can be helpful to think about what your personal goals for this venture are to choose something that matches those needs.
For example, if you’re looking for a high-end clothing business, you can be more creative with your name, but if you’re opening a family restaurant, on the other hand, it might be better to choose something easy for customers to recognise and pronounce.
Once you’ve chosen what type of business you want and have figured out your goals or purpose for this venture, the next step in finding the perfect company name is determining who your target audience is.
The following are questions you can ask yourself as you begin to develop your business plan and decide on a name:
Know that all business names should not cost you a thing, and there is no need to spend money on a name.
Think of the great business names you know. What makes them good? Are they hard to remember and difficult to pronounce? Probably not. Here are some things to think about as you start putting together your perfect business name.
Here are some unique aspects of your business to think about and inspire you while you brainstorm a business name:
Thinking about these things can help you warm up and get ideas flowing.
The top four tips and tricks for creating a memorable company name include:
The business name must be memorable and easy enough for customers to say, spell and remember!
A memorable business name can help you stand out from the competition. And remember: the more people remember your company and its name, the more likely they are to make a purchase.
While some puns can be catchy, others can sound a bit, well, cheesy. It can be hard to find the sweet spot between clever and corny.
The memorability of a pun is not easy to pinpoint – because it’s very relative.
While a good pun may make it easy for someone to connect your business to your product, like “All You Knead Bakery,” when it comes to remembering your business name, if customers can’t quite remember the words in the pun, it may quickly defeat your purpose.
Depending on the business and audience, you may want to avoid puns in your business name if you want to be clear and concise – especially if you have an international audience. Puns and idioms don’t translate well.
Keep in mind that, unlike domain names, there is no limit on how many characters you can use in your business name. However, if your business name is exceptionally lengthy, you should consider abbreviating it.
For example, “Sam Smith and Son’s Paving Specialists” could be shortened down to “Smith & Sons Paving.” The latter has fewer characters with the same impact. And shorter is easier to pronounce and remember!
Because there are no “rules,” per se, on how to create your perfect company name, it may be beneficial to consult with others who might have some good insights for naming your new venture before settling on anything final.
We usually brainstorm with friends, family members, employees, and other close confidantes. The following are topics you can cover when brainstorming business names in a group:
Get a large pad of paper or whiteboard and just start writing everything down. Every idea, every word, no matter how disconnected some of it seems. Brainstorming can get weird before ideas that “click” really start to take shape. Don’t censor yourselves!
Remember that getting other opinions doesn’t mean someone else gets any say in the matter! And don’t feel obligated to change everything just because someone has an opinion different than yours. In most cases, though, these brainstorming discussions will help guide you towards the name that fits best for you.
You will want to do a business name search. And a business name search is a way for you to find out if the company name, domain, or trademark that you’re considering using has already been taken by someone else.
It might also be helpful to start with a few keyword searches to inspire as well as eliminate possible business names. The following is a list of keyword searches you can use to help you narrow down a free business name:
You don’t have to make any decisions based strictly on keywords, but this is good research to do. You want to see where your product or service ranks in terms of keywords and what common keywords are used for your industry. And you want to find out what the competition is like out there, too.
In the following sections, we address some frequently asked questions surrounding the process of identifying free business names in the United Kingdom:
It might sound silly, but there are plenty of people who don’t read this far in before making their choice - and they end up disappointed later down the line because they have wasted time and energy selecting a name that is already taken.
Think about whether the name is unique enough, how it will be seen by potential customers, and what you want your business to represent.
You can search for a suitable company name that doesn’t already exist or make use of one of these that does – but only after checking it’s not been taken first!
It is important to choose a great name, but it is equally as important to choose a name that people can easily recognise and spell. This is because it makes it easier to find your business online.
There are few reasons why it is important to choose a name that is easy to spell and pronounce:
You can easily find free and affordable name generation tools for aspiring entrepreneurs. Next up, we will move on to using an online business name generator to find free business names.
When choosing a new business name, there are many things to consider. Many people don’t know that there are also several free online resources where you can find business names - some may even be perfect for your company!
The following list shows a few different name generator sites that will help you find a business name for no cost:
Creating your business name may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. With an online name generator at your fingertips, you can find the perfect free business name in minutes without breaking a sweat!
Now that you have picked a name for your business, it is time to check if it is available in the United Kingdom. The easiest way to do that is to look at what has been trademarked in the past.
The first place to start to check if the business name you want is free and available in the United Kingdom.
The United Kingdom has an online register of trademarked business names. This is an invaluable resource because:
The United Kingdom’s Trademarks and Company Names Registry (TMCR) website covers the following regions:
The following is a list of three steps to take to check if the tentative name you have chosen for your new business is available:
At the end of this, you’ll come up with one of two possible outcomes:
One note is that you do not need to trademark your business in the United Kingdom, but it provides you with many benefits and can save you a lot of headaches later:
If your business name is free based on the Intellectual Property Office’s search features, you should then check if it is available through the European Union’s Intellectual Property Office.
If your business name is available through both sites, then you are ready to move forward. If not, move to the next section to find out what to do when your business name is not available.
Now it is time to check if your proposed company name is available for use online. You want to check out the potential online presence of your free business name. This is because if you want to trademark your business name, you want to be consistent across all your platforms. And several websites will enable you to do this free of charge; one such option is Namester.
Make sure you have checked the domain availability as well for your potential business name in case you want to use it as an online presence and create a website with “. co.uk”, “.com,” or some other web extension. Need to know this because companies without an online presence struggle to be successful in the long term. If the company name is available, unregistered in the United Kingdom, and it is available for use online, you can move forward in using your free business name for your UK business.
If you find out that the business name you want to register is not available, you can do the following things:
Remember that UK company names are public domain, and you can register any name if it is not trademarked or in use by another business.
Also, many firms will search the United Kingdom business registry free of charge for you but be wary about their intentions with your information. Be cautious of scammers looking to steal your information and profit from it.
Read more about: Brand name evaluation
Your business name must not have any of the following factors or aspects. Otherwise, your application for trademarking will be denied:
Business names are not protected in the United Kingdom. This means that you must register your company name before moving forward with trademarking.
If you do find a name that is trademarked elsewhere, it may be worth checking if you can avoid using those words or phrases while still achieving the statement or brand you are trying to create.
To register and set up your new business in the United Kingdom, you need to go through the Companies House. This house lets you find a wealth of information on current UK companies and how to start and run a new business.
When you are starting a company, you want to register is as a private limited company through the Companies House. The following are a list of seven steps leading up to registering your new business in the UK properly:
And now the final step of registration includes the following three sub-steps:
The above information will also be needed for trademarking through the proper channels.
The best way to protect your trademarks and intellectual property from infringement for your company overall and any associated designs would be to register them as trademarks with HM Revenue & Customs.
You will be able to register a trademark online as long as it does not conflict with another one that’s been submitted in the last six months. If there are any issues, we would recommend you contact HM Revenue & Customs for further advice.
When contacting HM Revenue & Customs, you will need the following information, which is similar to the information you provided to the Companies House:
If applying via HMRC’s system, you may also need details of importers for goods originating outside the European Union.
You can apply online using two different forms or put all your paperwork in the mail to apply using hard copies. Either way, it will cost you to apply for a trademark through the Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs.
The following table breaks down the cost to apply for a UK trademark:
| Type of Application | Cost to You |
| Standard online application | £170 +£50 for each additional class |
| Right start online application | £200, in two split payments of £100 each +£50 for each additional class, in two split payments of £25 |
| Standard application submitted by post | £200 +£50 for each additional class |
As you can see, it may be quite costly to apply for trademarking your business name. Keep in mind if you choose to use a trademark attorney to file the paperwork for you, you should consider their fees in addition to the ones above.
After you have applied for a trademark on your business name, it is a waiting game. At some point, you may need to take action, especially if your application is opposed. But if there are no objections, you will receive a certificate confirmation.
The following is a list of the things you can expect after submitting your trademark application:
Congratulations, if your application is accepted and you receive a certificate, you are ready to start doing business in the UK.
Remember that the Companies House has quite a few resources for new businesses.
If your application is denied or opposed by a third party, you have some work ahead of you. Most of this can be avoided if you do your proper research to choose a free business name, as we discussed above. Additionally, if you end up hiring a trademark attorney, the chances of our application being denied or opposed are lowered.
If your trademark application is denied, you can do one of the following three things:
And if after all that you successfully defend your application, you will receive certificate confirmation of your trademark.
Get your business name now and save yourself time in the future. With so many options, it is easy to find a perfect match for any type of company. What are you waiting for? Try one of these free websites today to start brainstorming that next big idea.
Finding a catchy business name may seem like an impossible task, but with this helpful guide on where to go online, you will be able to get started right away and finally have the answer when people ask, “What’s your company called?”
