This naming guide covers six elements:
How to name your company
Choosing a numbered company
Exact name matches on Ownr
Prohibited names
How to read your Name Search report
Changing your business name
How to name your company
Your company's name must be unique and contain three components:
[Distinctive Element] + [Descriptive Element] + [Legal Ending]
Example: Rhino Sandwiches Inc.
Rhino is the distinctive element which promotes your corporation's brand.
Sandwiches is the descriptive element, as it describes the nature of your business.
Inc. is the legal ending. The ending has no legal consequences, and the one you choose is only personal preference.
Choosing a numbered company
If you don't want a distinct name, you can choose a numbered company
A numbered company is an automatically generated number that will represent your corporation's name.
Example:
1234567 Canada Inc.
1234567 Ontario Inc.
1234567 Alberta Inc.
1234567 British Columbia Inc.
A numbered corporation can choose to operate using a trade name, but that trade name will have to be separately registered with the provincial government (processing fees vary).
Exact name matches
If the name you want is taken, you will be immediately notified on the Name Confirmation page of the incorporation application.
Under the Requirements section, a warning will appear.
In this case, there are two options:
If you previously registered this name as a Trademark or Trade Name
If you have already registered this name either as the owner of a Trademark or a Trade Name, or if you have already ordered a Name Search Report:
1. Click the Click here button.
2. The Select Existing Name Registration window will appear. Choose the option that is applicable to your scenario using the drop-down menu.
If you have an existing Nuans, upload the document in the Select Existing Name Registration window.
If you previously registered this name as a sole proprietorship or general partnership
If you registered the name as a sole proprietorship or general partnership and now want to incorporate:
1. Click the Click here button.
2. The Select Existing Name Registration window will appear. Select Business Under This Name from the drop-down menu.
3. Sign the consent form to allow the corporation to use the same name.
Alternatively, if you do not fit within one of the options, you will need to choose a new name.
The Ownr name search tool may not uncover all registrations in all provinces in Canada, nor will it uncover international registrations, so it’s important to also do your own due diligence.
Prohibited words
Businesses cannot have names that:
Are too general with no distinctive element
Only describe the type of business
Are primarily a geographic name or personal name
Exceed 200 characters
Cannot contain a year, in parenthesis, unless the corporation is a successor corporation
Cannot appear to be 'number' names' (if you'd like a numbered company, you must choose 'Numbered Company', you cannot choose numbers.)
Cannot include government departments (i.e. "Alberta Municipal Affairs", "Canada Customs Agency", "Ontario Social Services")
Cannot include the words 'University' or 'College' in the name
Cannot reference a public institution
Consult a legal professional if you have further concerns with the name you wish to incorporate with.
How to read your Name Search report
Your Name Search report will list the name you reserved as well as all similar names. The other names on your search report under your chosen name provide a list of existing corporate names, business names and trademarks that are similar to the one being proposed.
Your business name cannot be identical, phonetically identical, or extremely similar to an existing business name. A different legal ending (Inc. v. Ltd.) does not change the fact that the business name is identical and cannot be used.
You must review these names and confirm that your proposed business name is not sufficiently similar before proceeding.
Changing your business name
You are able to change your business name in the future. You would need to file documents to amend the Articles of Incorporation in order to do so.
Ownr can only assist with filing business name amendments for federal Ontario corporations. Learn more about how to amend your federal corporation's business name on Ownr in the Federal Articles of Amendment article.
Did you know?
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