List of banned business names shows Brits still love swearing

Choosing a business name requires a bit of creative thinking. But new data suggests that the upper limits of creativity are being curbed by the government, as profanity-loving business owners come up against the censorship of Companies House.

In total, 766 business names were rejected in 2023, with swearing being the main offence. According to a Freedom of Information request, submitted by 1st Formations, curse words made up 24% of business name applications rejected by Companies House last year.

Companies House has strict rules about what is and is not allowed in a firm’s title. But experts are now cautioning that the government’s laws on registering a trademark or name might be behind the times with Brits’ love of a good swear word.

‘Doofus’ too rude to be registered as a company name

Entrepreneurs might be curious about just how profanity-laden their business name idea needs to be for Companies House to turn it down. As the 1st Formations findings suggest, even a mildly offensive term might be enough to earn entrepreneurs a rejection letter.

Blasphemous business names rejected by Companies House in 2023 include:

• Little Pricks Tattoo Studio
• Wtf Where’s The Food
• Phat Phuc Noodle Bar Ltd
• See You Next Tuesday Ltd
• Forkin Recruitment Ltd
• Fukin Takeaway Ltd
• Fukim Ltd
• Fart Limited
• Cfuk Limited

Insults that wouldn’t be out of place on a primary school playground can be turned down by Companies House. Just ask the owner of ‘Doofus Dream Cars Limited’ and ‘Lmao Ltd’, both of which were rejected as expletives.

Of the 188 business names rejected for swearing, ‘crap’ was also a common occurrence within the list, with names like ‘Crappy Nappy’ and ‘Scrap Your Crap Ltd’ both turned down.

This is despite the eco-friendly toilet paper brand, ‘Who Gives A Crap?’, which is based in Australia, announcing it achieved record UK sales this week, suggesting that Aussie attitudes to swearing are more relaxed than the British government.

Companies House needs bringing “up to date”

Earlier this year, data compiled by US recommendation service Enjoy Movies Your Way found that the annual number of swear words across mainstream TV shows and films in Western media has surged from fewer than 5,000 in 1985, to over 60,000 last year.

Linguists today argue that swear words are becoming more acceptable in the UK, and are today used merely to emphasise points rather than cause offence.

This language transformation could be why Companies House’s strict policies on supposedly rude names now feel out of touch with modern society. 1st Formations’ Director, Nicholas Campion, argues the list shows the government has an “outdated assessment process.”

“Companies House [may] need to bring itself up to date with modern language usage, as the Oxford English Dictionary has done, and, while we’re at it, accommodate the Great British sense of humour,” he adds.

There could be a real business incentive to adopting a punny business name. Last year, a consumer survey by BusinessNameGenerator showed that 64% of Brits would be more likely to notice and remember a funny company name, which could lead to a boost in sales.

How to choose a business name

Profanity was not the only reason for business names being rejected in 2023. The 1st Formations data sorts the list into six prohibited categories:

• Profanity – 24%
• Drug references – 16%
• Sexual content – 15%
• Violence – 11%
• Discrimination – 8%
• Uncategorised – 26%

Here are some examples of the kind of organisation names that are forbidden by Companies House for the above reasons:

There are also a number of other reasons why a company name may be rejected by Companies House, such as excluding “Limited”, “Ltd”, “Cyfyngedig”, “Cyf” or if the name lacks uniqueness or is too similar to another company.

For example, W H Spliff would likely be considered objectionable even without the drugs reference, thanks to its similarity to the name of a certain, well-known UK retail chain.

Campion advises that “if your proposed company name is similar or identical to a name already registered, Companies House will likely reject the application.”

Registering a company name is a fundamental step when setting up a new firm. Read our full guide on how to choose the perfect name for your business.