Introduction
This naming guide covers six elements:
How to Name Your Incorporation
Choosing a Numbered Company
Exact Name Matches on Ownr
"Other Names" used in Québec
Compliance measure
How to Name Your Incorporation
You can choose a name in French that the company will use in Quebec, other than your personal name, and under which it identifies itself to carry out its activities. For incorporations, our system can only support initial names in French at the moment. If you would like to add a version of this name in a language other than French, you can do so directly on the registraire's website, once the name is initially registered in French.
Your company's name must be in French, unique, and contain three components:
[Generic Element] + [Specific Element] + [Legal Ending]
Example: Quincaillerie Saint-Jean Inc.
Quincaillerie is a component of the name providing an enterprise's general designation. It MUST be in French.
Saint-Jean is a component of the name clearly distinguishing one enterprise from another. You must describe the specific element in case it is not in French or an acronym...
Inc. is the legal ending. The particle, often in abbreviated form, specifies the legal form of the enterprise. You can choose any from the offered selection depending on your personal preference.
Linguistic Considerations
Here are some linguistic notions to respect when choosing a business name in Quebec IN-531:
The Generic Element must be in French.
Compliant example: ÉPICERIE CHALOUX
Non-compliant example: GROCERY CHALOUX
The placement of the generic within the name
The generic element generally precedes the specific element. However, if the specific element is in a language other than French, and the generic has a meaning both in French and in that other language, the generic must be placed at the beginning of the name.
Compliant example: TRANSPORT FASTER
Non-compliant example: FASTER TRANSPORT
Compliant example: MATTHEW’S AMÉNAGEMENT
Non-compliant example: MATTHEW’S
Compliant example: RESTAURANT HURLEY’S
Non-compliant example: HURLEY’S RESTAURANT
The accents in the French language
Compliant example : RÉNOVATION
Non-compliant example: RENOVATION
Phonetics
Compliant example: KLÉ-AN-MIN
This name is phonetically correct in French since it is pronounced clé-en-main. (key-in-hand)
Non-compliant example: 2 DESIGN 4 U
This name is phonetically incorrect in French since it takes on its full meaning when pronounced in English, i.e. to-design-for-you.
Non-compliant example: MECHANIX
This name is phonetically incorrect in French, since it is pronounced mechanics (without the accent on the "e") and not mécanique.
Non-compliant example: SUPER XPERTS
This name is phonetically incorrect in French since the letter "X" must be pronounced in English for the word to be understandable.
The syntax
Compliant example: RESTAURANT WESTERN STAR
Non-compliant example: WESTERN STAR RESTAURANT
Choosing a Numbered Company
Your other option is to choose a numbered company.
A numbered company is an automatically generated number that will represent your corporation's name. For example: 1234-5678 Québec inc.
Exact Name Matches
If the name you want is taken, you will be immediately notified on Ownr:
In this case, you will need to choose a new name. Keep in mind that the Ownr name search tool may not uncover all registrations in all provinces in Canada, nor will it check international registrations, so it’s important to also do your own due diligence.
Other Name(s)
Another name by which an enterprise is identified in Québec (hereinafter, "other name") is commonly called an “assumed name”. It is a name (other than the name in the constituting document) used in Québec to designate an enterprise.
You must declare in the enterprise register any other name that the enterprise uses or plans to use to identify itself when carrying on its activities in Québec. However, such names must be removed from the register once they are no longer used.
To be accepted and deposited in the enterprise register by the Registraire des entreprises, the name and other names of the enterprise must follow certain compliance measures pursuant to the law and certain regulations. The table below indicates the general standards applicable to names.
For more information on creating and using an enterprise's names, see document IN-531, Les noms d'entreprises au Québec (available in French only).
Other information tools are available on the Office québécois de la langue française website to help you learn more about trade marks on public signs and the use of French in Québec.
Compliance Measures
Visit the Charter of the French language.