Companies House Rejects Hundreds of Offensive Company Names in 2023

Companies House, the UK’s official registrar of businesses, rejected 761 company names in the 12 months leading up to April 2023, based on potential offense to a “reasonable person.” The definition of this reasonable person, however, remains ambiguous.

UK entrepreneurs have been incredibly active, with a record-breaking 900,006 companies incorporated in 2023 alone. Despite the high volume, crafting the perfect name remains a priority for many businesses, though not all names make the cut at Companies House. Some, in fact, are deemed too offensive.

According to a freedom of information request from HopeTex, nearly 800 names were rejected last year for potentially causing offense. Among these were creatively dubious entries like Doggy Style Cheshire Ltd, Welsh Bollocks Ltd, Liquid Crack Ltd, Dog Tits Bakery Ltd, Scorpio Bastardo Ltd, and The People’s Dankest Cannabis Company Limited. The list even featured the tongue-in-cheek “I Could Tell That My Parents Hated Me. My Bath Toys Were A Toaster And A Radio Ltd.”

Do these rejections seem unreasonable? Judge for yourself. The rejected names also included puns that ranged from eyebrow-raising to outright shocking, such as W H Spliff Ltd, No.B.S Ltd, Master Baits Limited, and WTF Where’s the Food Ltd. Over 100 of the rejected submissions involved wordplay, turning the government’s register of companies into a stage for linguistic creativity.

It seems UK entrepreneurs have also explored the vast diversity of language, with the f-word proving surprisingly popular among the rejected names.

Companies House Shows Disapproval of Sexual and Drug References:

Of the 761 rejected submissions, a significant majority involved expletives, sexual references, or drug-related content. The remaining names were declined for themes including hacking, paedophilia, violence, and hate speech such as racism, sexism, and homophobia. Many other rejections lacked an obvious rationale.

In the category of drug-related names, a substantial portion centered on substances like hashish, marijuana (weed), psilocybin mushrooms (shrooms), and LSD. Specifically, out of 121 rejected names related to drugs, nearly half were associated with cannabis. Notably, one of the submissions was “Colin Bakes Dope (Responsibly) Ltd.”

With the UK’s burgeoning medicinal cannabis industry and prospects for legalization, such submissions are expected to increase.

Most Company Names Rejected Due to Profanity or Content Related to Sex and Drugs

761 names were rejected by Companies House over the last 12 months

“Companies House, renowned as the world’s leading company registrar, faces criticism for its handling of certain company name rejections,” says Nicholas Campion, a director at HopeTex. “Their approach seems less forward-thinking compared to institutions like the Oxford English Dictionary, which updates to reflect modern language usage. They could better accommodate the Great British sense of humor and affinity for puns.”

Campion argues, “Rejecting names like Boob Snood Ltd and Crappy Nappy Ltd suggests an outdated assessment process. What about legitimate businesses aligning their trading names with their activities, similar to Advertising Standards Agency guidelines?”

Indeed, many of the 761 rejected names appear to belong to legitimate businesses. For example, Crappy Nappy is an incense brand, and Doggy Style Cheshire operates as a fully-mobile dog grooming boutique and spa. Phat Phuc Noodle Bar Ltd might be linked to the renowned Vietnamese restaurant in Chelsea, while Super Sonic Booty Bangers Ltd likely shares a name with a well-established UK record label.

Cannabis-Related Company Names Among Popular Rejections

Approximately 120 Company Names Rejected by Companies House in the Last Year, Including Psychedelic Themes.

It’s not uncommon for UK businesses to face challenges aligning their trading names with their registered names. Take, for instance, the well-known sandwich chain Egg Slut, which, due to its controversial nature (seen by some as misogynistic), would likely be rejected by Companies House. This is why it’s registered under ITICO F+B Limited. Interestingly, Companies House approved The Book Slut Ltd for incorporation in 2018, highlighting a paradox in their approval criteria.

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When it comes to matters of discrimination, violence, and crime, the UK’s register of companies maintains a consistently stringent stance, rejecting all references to such themes. Nevertheless, this didn’t deter attempts by the Sicilian Mafia, or its enthusiasts, to register six different variations of Cosa Nostra, including a fashion-oriented spin-off named Cosa Nostra Clothing Ltd. It appears the family business might be expanding its horizons.

Who is a reasonable person?

Companies House has emphasized that all applications it receives undergo careful consideration. They have clarified that any name deemed offensive will not be registered. Additionally, certain words are automatically flagged for rejection by their systems, while others are subject to individual review. The decision hinges on whether the name, taken as a whole, would offend a reasonable person, defined by Companies House as per the ordinary dictionary definition of ‘reasonable’.

With that clarified, it remains perplexing that the rationale behind a significant portion of the 761 rejected names is not readily apparent, at least not to the author of this article (who, by self-admission, may be considered unreasonable). According to HopeTex, nearly 200 of these rejections (approximately 25%) lacked an obvious justification, as illustrated in the accompanying pie chart. This once again raises the fundamental question: how is a “reasonable person” defined?

What is certain is that any business owner who believes their company name was wrongly rejected can request a review from Companies House. Such appeals may be increasing in number, particularly as the rejection rate by Companies House appears to be rising. Between September 2019 and September 2021, only 800 company names were turned down, contrasting with the nearly 800 names rejected in the most recent 12-month period.

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