How to Check if a Company Name is Available in the UK

Starting a business in the UK? Before you print business cards or build a website, you need to verify your name is legally available. Here's the complete checklist — from Companies House to UKIPO trademarks and post-Brexit conflicts.

Why Company Name Checks in the UK Are More Complex Post-Brexit

Before 2021, registering a trademark in the EU automatically protected your brand in the UK. That changed with Brexit. Now the UK has its own independent trademark system through the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), separate from the EU's EUIPO.

This means two things for founders:

• A name that's trademark-free in the EU might already be registered in the UK — and vice versa
• If you plan to operate in both markets, you now need to check and register in both jurisdictions

The 4-Step UK Company Name Check

1. Companies House — Register of Companies
   This is the official UK company register. Any limited company (Ltd) or public limited company (PLC) must have a unique name here. Go to find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk and search your exact name and variations. Note: Companies House only checks for identical or very similar registered company names — it doesn't protect against trademark conflicts.
2. UKIPO Trademark Search
   Search the UK trademark database at trademarks.ipo.gov.uk. Look for your name across relevant Nice Classes (the international system for categorising goods and services). Even if your name isn't registered as a company, someone may already own the trademark.
3. .co.uk and .uk Domain Availability
   For UK credibility, you'll want the .co.uk or .uk domain. Check availability via Nominet (the .uk registry) or any domain registrar. A name with no available .co.uk is a red flag — either someone is already using it or squatting on it.
4. EU Trademark Check (Post-Brexit)
   If you plan to sell in Europe or use the name internationally, also check EUIPO (euipo.europa.eu). A conflicting EU trademark won't stop you from operating in the UK, but it will block expansion into EU markets.

Common Mistakes UK Founders Make

Mistake 1: Only checking Companies House

Companies House tells you if the exact company name is taken — but it doesn't protect you from trademark claims. You can successfully register "Swiftly Ltd" at Companies House and still receive a cease-and-desist letter from a trademark holder weeks later.

Mistake 2: Ignoring similar names

Trademark law doesn't just protect identical names — it protects names that are confusingly similar in the same industry. "Spotifai" doesn't infringe on Spotify at Companies House, but it very likely does under trademark law.

Mistake 3: Skipping the EU check

Post-Brexit, many founders assume EU trademark checks are irrelevant if they're only launching in the UK. But if your product goes digital — SaaS, apps, e-commerce — your market is Europe by default. A conflicting EU trademark discovered after launch can force a costly rebrand.

Mistake 4: Not checking social handles

Your company name might be available legally but already taken on Instagram, X, or LinkedIn. Consistent handles across platforms are critical for brand recognition. A mismatch creates confusion and weakens SEO.

UK vs EU: What You Need to Register Where

Check	UK only	EU only	Both
Companies House	✓	—	—
UKIPO Trademark	✓	—	—
EUIPO Trademark	—	✓	—
.co.uk / .uk domain	✓	—	—
.com domain	—	—	✓
Social handles	—	—	✓

How NameProof Handles UK Name Validation

The NameProof brand validation report covers all the checks above — including UKIPO, EUIPO, USPTO, and WIPO trademark searches — alongside domain availability (.com, .co.uk, .io) and pronunciation analysis across 8 languages.

Instead of spending hours manually checking 4 different government databases, you get a single professional PDF delivered the same day for €19.