NameVetted
Free · live register

Company name availability checker

Find out whether a company name is free to register in the UK, and if not, exactly which existing company blocks it and under which rule.

Used to work out your trademark classes — the more specific, the better the screen.

Domains that must be available (optional)

If you pick any, the domain check only clears when every one of them is free — a taken one counts as a conflict.

“Same as” rule

Punctuation, “Ltd”, “UK”, “.com” and the other disregarded words are stripped exactly as Companies House strips them, so “Fox-Glove Coffee Limited” finds “Foxglove Coffee Ltd”.

“Too like” warnings

Near-miss names that a registrar objection or a later complaint could catch, ranked, and weighted higher when the other company is in your industry.

Format & status rules

Permitted characters, the 160-character limit, forbidden opening signs, and whether a matching dissolved company creates phoenix-name liability.

How Companies House decides a name is taken

The registrar does not compare names letter for letter. It first normalises both names: case is ignored, most punctuation is dropped, “and” and “&” are treated as the same, words such as “UK”, “www”, “.com” and “services” are disregarded, and legal endings such as Ltd, Limited, PLC and LLP are removed. If what is left is identical, the name is “the same as” an existing one and will be rejected. This checker applies that normalisation to the full register, which is why it catches conflicts a plain search misses.

A second, softer rule catches names that are “too like” an existing one. These are not blocked automatically, but an existing company can object within twelve months and force a change. See can two UK companies have the same name? for the detail.

What “available” does and doesn’t mean

A clear result here means Companies House should accept the name. It does not mean the name is safe to trade under: trademarks are a separate register with different rules, and a registered mark can stop you using a name the registrar happily accepted. That is why this check also counts similar trademarks in your classes and the full report screens them properly.

Dissolved companies and phoenix names

A name held by a dissolved company can usually be registered again. But if that company went through insolvency, reusing its name can create personal liability for its former directors under section 216 of the Insolvency Act. The check flags these matches separately rather than reporting the name as simply free.

NameVetted is a pre-screening tool, not legal advice. For anything high-stakes, confirm with a qualified trademark attorney.

Comprehensive & Thorough

10+ checks for peace of mind

Companies House

“Same as” conflicts and “too like” warnings against the live UK register, plus phoenix-company and statutory name-format rule checks.

Trademark risk screen

The UK trademark register searched for identical, phonetic and fuzzy matches in your Nice classes, then scored with an AI risk assessment.

Domain availability

.co.uk, .uk, .com, .io and .ai checked in real time — with confusion-variant siblings and prior-life reputation flagged too.

Sensitive words & registers

Words that need approval before Companies House will accept them, plus Charity Commission and FCA register checks where the business calls for it.

Social & dev handles

Instagram, X and — for software names — GitHub, npm and PyPI namespaces checked, so your brand is consistent everywhere it matters.

Linguistics & spellability

Cross-language meanings, awkward smooshed-domain readings and a “radio test” for how easily people can spell it after only hearing it.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the same as the Companies House name availability checker?

It applies the same statutory rules to the same register, and adds what the official checker leaves out: too-like warnings, format rules, phoenix-name flags, sensitive-word approvals, and a count of similar trademarks.

Can I reserve a company name?

Not as such. A name is secured by incorporating the company. If you are not ready to trade, some founders incorporate and keep the company dormant, which has its own filing obligations.

What if the name is “too like” an existing company?

You can still register it, but the other company may object within twelve months of your incorporation and the registrar can direct you to change it. If the other business trades in your sector, treat it as a real risk.

Other free checks

Companies House name checker

The register searched with the registrar’s own normalisation, plus the rules the official search skips.

UK business name checker

Companies House, sensitive words, domains and a trademark count in one free check.

Trademark name checker

Similar live marks in your classes, scored for how they look and sound. Pre-screening, not legal advice.

All free naming tools →

Read before you decide

Companies House · 5 min

Can two UK companies have the same or similar name?

Two companies can’t share the “same as” name — but the rules on what counts as the same, and on merely similar names, surprise most founders.

Companies House · 4 min

Sensitive words in UK business names: the list that needs approval

Some words can’t go in a company name without approval from Companies House or another body — and “Ltd” won’t save you. Here’s what triggers a sensitive-word review.