Council Post: 15 Mistakes To Avoid When Naming Your Business (2023)

FAQs

What should you not do when naming a business? ›

Branding experts believe you should keep your business name short. This helps to keep it catchy and memorable. Try to avoid business names with more than two words or with more than three or four syllables in total.

Must contain the word "corporation", "incorporated", "company", or "limited," or the abbreviation, with or without punctuation, "corp.", "inc.", "co.", or "ltd.". A corporate name may include words in any language but must be written in English letters or characters.

Typically, your business's name must end with the words “Limited Liability Company,” company” or “Limited.” Or you can use abbreviations like “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” or “Ltd.” Usually, you can even opt to abbreviate the words “Limited” and “Company” as “Ltd.” and “Co.” (Most people just stick with “LLC”.)

But a lot of one word brand names are already trademarked. That means you may not be legally allowed to use them. So when you have a one word brand name, you have to run a trademark search to make sure your brand name is available before you start the brand and pay for branding. Otherwise you may have to rebrand.

Generally, as long as no one else in your state is using that business name, you can call your company whatever you like.

Name Length & Syllables

The general rule is that your name should be 1-2 words and no more than 3 syllables or 10 letters. This rule might be too inclusive for some names and too exclusive for others.

The highest point letters (least often used in English) are Z, Q, X, J, K. These are memorable letters for people because they are so seldom used. Use them in your brands.”

How do you name a company example? ›

Keep the name short, simple, easy to write, and easy to remember. "The companies you admire typically have names that are short, simple, easy to write, and easy to remember." Kimbarovsky observes. Examples include Apple, Chanel, Virgin, and Southwest. "Obscure business names are often difficult to remember," he says.

Improved Odds of Success

Your customers or investors fluency with the name you choose to give your business can make a huge difference when it comes to the ultimate success of your overall venture. A study on behalf of the Society of Personal and Social Psychology, Inc.

A good brand name should be easy. The brand should be easy to pronounce, easy to understand, and easy to spell. You want your name to engender trust and be shareable, not to create uncertainty or confusion.

A good name should be short – two to four – syllables and easy to pronounce. Warren Diggles, president and creative director of Diggles Creative, said short names are ideal, because they tend to be very brandable and easy for consumers to remember.

Including your own name in your business' brand creates a personal identity that resonates with customers and clients. “I am the person who my clients work with from meeting to wedding day to final delivery of finished products, so it is me who my clients associate my business with the most.

However, the word “Group” is no longer deemed to be a silent word, which means that if the proposed name would be the same as an existing company name but for the word “Group”, this would no longer prevent you from registering the name.

"Co" is just an abbreviation for the word "company." A company is an association of people working in a commercial business. This can be a limited liability company, sole proprietorship, or another structure. Abbreviating "company" as "co" does not have a specific meaning regarding a business's legal structure.

Can I put the word “company” in my business name? You can only use the word “company” in your business name if your business is a corporation.

What does co stand for in a business name? ›

Co. is used as an abbreviation for company when it is part of the name of an organization. [business] ...the Blue Star Amusement Co.

Most company names in this sample come in within the 3-5 word limit. From our sample the median average was 4 words while the most common (mode) was 3 words. Of course at the outer edges of this range you do get some extremes but over 47,500 of the 50,000 companies we looked at had company names of 5 words or less.

A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one of many names for a person or an object.

Restricted Name means any Acquired Intellectual Property constituting a Trademark. Restricted Name means any Borden Mark and any Trademark included in the Assets.

Registering a trade mark is another way to protect a business name. A trade mark provides the owner with exclusive rights to market or sell goods and services using this trade mark, and the right to prevent others from using the same or similar marks to market their products.

Can Two Companies Have the Same Name? Yes, however, certain requirements must be met in order for it to not constitutes trademark infringement and to determine which party is the rightful owner of the name. These requirements include: Are the businesses in the same industry or geographic location?

A registered business name helps customers find, identify and connect with your business.

The minimum length of a name is one letter.

Use numbers in your name

It's best to keep it as short and memorable as possible. Using numbers at the beginning or end of your business name is a creative way to get around using a word that you really want. Just add a number at the beginning or end and you've got a new, original business name.

How do you create a unique name? ›

If you describe a tune, name, or advertisement as catchy, you mean that it is attractive and easy to remember.

Your name cannot be the same as another registered company's name. If your name is too similar to another company's name or trade mark you may have to change it if someone makes a complaint. Your name must usually end in either 'Limited' or 'Ltd'.

Before you apply, you should search the USPTO's trademark database (Trademark Electronic Search System, or TESS) to see if any trademark has already been registered or applied for that is: Similar to your trademark.

The Name Reservation application takes 2-3 working days. However, If there is a delay from CIPC due to excessive workload, the process could take longer.

Generally, as long as no one else in your state is using that business name, you can call your company whatever you like.

In trademark infringement cases, courts look at whether consumers would be confused by two businesses that operate in the same industry. Essentially, if your name is likely to cause consumer confusion because it's the same or like another business name, then you cannot use that name.

If you follow the company names guidance and observe the restrictions, a company name can be anything you choose - as long as it's not the same as or too similar to another name on the register.

You will need a unique name for your company when you file the paperwork to formalize your business structure.

For example, a company's trade name is Mike's, but their legal business name is Mike's Corporation. A business can opt to have their business name and trade name be the same. A trade name may also be called a doing business as (DBA) name. It's the name the public sees.

What are restricted names? ›

Restricted Name means any Acquired Intellectual Property constituting a Trademark. Restricted Name means any Borden Mark and any Trademark included in the Assets.

Registering a trade mark is another way to protect a business name. A trade mark provides the owner with exclusive rights to market or sell goods and services using this trade mark, and the right to prevent others from using the same or similar marks to market their products.

Can Two Companies Have the Same Name? Yes, however, certain requirements must be met in order for it to not constitutes trademark infringement and to determine which party is the rightful owner of the name. These requirements include: Are the businesses in the same industry or geographic location?

If you have determined that a confusing similarity exists and that similarity has, or is likely to cause confusion, you may seek legal action. The most common result is that a court will require one of the companies to stop using that name through an injunction.

1 Answer. Show activity on this post. If you use an identical or similar trade mark for identical or similar goods and services to a registered trade mark - you may be infringing the registered mark if your use creates a likelihood of confusion on the part of the public.

Using Royal names or Royal residences on products, rather than as part of a Company's name, is illegal if the use of the name suggests the goods have some connection with or are supplied to a Member of the Royal Family.

Company names – the legal requirements

The name of your limited company must not: be exactly the same as an existing name on the UK companies register. be too similar to the name of an existing company on the register. be offensive in nature nor include any words that are likely to constitute an offence.

In most states, the website of the state business filing agency includes an online entity name check tool. You can use the online tool to search business names and find out whether another business is already using the name you have chosen.

When creating a company, you need to reduce the barriers keeping customers and investors from buying into your vision. If your company name is hard to pronounce, difficult to spell, or makes little sense in relation to your product, you've unknowingly created a barrier to your own success.