A proposed name needs more than a clear register search. Check the CRO’s naming guidelines, any permissions associated with particular words, the company type and the impression the name creates.
Begin with the whole name
Read your proposed name as a customer would see it, without the explanation you give friends. Does it sound like a private business, a public authority or a regulated professional service? Put that impression beside what the business will actually do. This is a useful preparation exercise rather than a legal test.
The Companies Act gives the Registrar discretion to refuse an undesirable company name. For a standard LTD, the legislation addresses the Limited or Teoranta ending. Other company types need their own requirements checked. Read section 26, then use the current CRO guidance for your proposed structure.
Highlight words that deserve a question
The CRO guidelines identify names suggesting state sponsorship, restricted wording and permission requirements. Banking words, for example, can require Central Bank permission. Treat the published guidelines as the starting point for checking the complete wording rather than an exhaustive automatic pass/fail list.
Make a copy of the name and underline every word that implies a status, membership, qualification or public role. Ask the agent handling your application which words require evidence, who must provide it and when it must accompany the application. Keep their reply with your shortlist.
Use a short review worksheet
| Question | What to write down |
|---|---|
| What does this word promise? | The meaning a customer is likely to infer |
| Can we explain why it belongs? | Your actual activity, structure or qualification |
| Does guidance mention it? | The official page and the point to clarify |
| Who will resolve the question? | A named agent, adviser or relevant body |
| What is our alternative? | A separate name that avoids the uncertainty |
This worksheet prevents an unresolved naming question from disappearing inside a longer incorporation checklist. A blank evidence box means research remains open; it does not mean permission is unnecessary.
A fictional example: a misleading first impression
Imagine two founders developing a private booking service. They shortlist “National Founder Authority Limited” because it sounds established. In our fictional exercise, readers interpret the name as a public body. The founders return to their brief and explore a distinctive invented brand instead.
That change does not establish that a replacement name is legally acceptable or available. It removes an avoidable communications problem before the official checks. All example names here are fictional and have not been cleared for use.
Keep the decision and the design connected
Give your designer the shortlist status: research open, questions referred, or official registration confirmed. Avoid describing a name as approved because the matching domain can be bought. Keep company, trading-name and trade-mark questions separate.
If you receive a request for supporting information, answer the specific issue raised. Ask an appropriate professional to review a sensitive name rather than guessing from a search result. Use our similarity guide for the next part of the shortlist review and the name-check tool for preliminary research when live search is available.
Sources & review
Editorial owner: Thomas O'Sullivan. Sources checked 9 October 2026. Professional review: Thomas O'Sullivan (Company formation expert and writer), 9 October 2026. Scope: Current naming, formation and domain guidance, practical examples and source references.
Examples are fictional and do not establish name or domain availability. Confirm current requirements with the relevant authority or provider. Report a correction.