No. You can only use a name which is completely individual and not too similar too another existing company. The manner a company name is deemed "Too Similar" to another has also changed greatly since the full implementation of the Companies Act 2006. The new rules mean there are several words which will not distinguish two names from one another, an example of this can be seen below, where all names are deemed to be the same -
- B & S Limited
- B and S Limited
- Bands Limited
- BANDS UK Limited
- B & D S International
- Bands.co.uk Limited
- B & S Company UK Limited
- Bands.org.uk Limited
There are further examples of words which cannot be used to distinguish company names, these can be found on the Companies House website.
There are several words which are classed as sensitive by Companies House, as per this list of sensitive words. The sensitive words can always be used, however they would require being justified, whether this would be getting confirmation form the relevant association or board, or simply adhering to the rules behind the sensitive word. Examples of these are words which are related to the royal family (Prince, Princess etc) which would require confirmation from he justice department that there is no objection; or the word Group which indicates the company would be in a group arrangement with two or more other companies.
One further area to consider is that if a Company Name is trademarked they can opt to enforce a Company name change through legal means.
