Study reveals business names entrepreneurs should avoid
New research from company registration provider Tide analysed the names of over 101,000 UK independent businesses, from hairdressers and driving schools to accountants and estate agents, to reveal the words founders are reaching for most often and why those choices might be working against them.
The most overused words in UK brand names
‘City’ takes the crown as the single most overused word by UK business founders, appearing in brand names for plumbers, bars, accountants and more, with an estimated 1,735 businesses nationwide sharing the word.
Meanwhile, words intended to project quality, such as ‘prestige’, ‘kings’, ‘elite’ and ‘apex’, all rank as being particularly overused, turning them into some of the most ordinary naming choices available.
Outside of singular words used in a wider name, it’s ‘The Hair Room’ that takes the title of the most duplicated full business name in the country. On the face of it, this isn’t an issue with the salons being based in different locations, however when factoring in potential customers attempting to search for the right ‘Hair Room’ on Google, social media or ChatGPT, it fast becomes a choice that results in fierce competition, and likely some customer confusion.
The 15 Most Common Words Used in UK Business Names
Rank | Word | No. of UK businesses |
1 | City | 1,735 |
2 | Automatic | 1,512 |
3= | Atlas | 1,288 |
3= | Hunters | 1,288 |
5 | Prestige | 1,176 |
6 | Istanbul | 1,063 |
7= | Kings | 1,007 |
7= | Ali | 1,007 |
9 | Townhouse | 952 |
10= | George | 896 |
10= | Taylors | 896 |
10= | Abbey | 896 |
13= | Apex | 840 |
13= | Minster | 840 |
15 | Diamond | 784 |
How to name a business that lasts (and avoid a £50,000 mistake)
A professional rebrand for a UK small business can cost anywhere from £5,000 to £50,000, a significant sum that the right name and branding from day one could prevent.
The brands that appear untouchable, like Spotify or Uber, share one thing: their names tell you nothing about what they do, which is exactly why they stand out. However, that logic doesn’t work for a local plumber or a hairdresser, since service businesses are competing on Google, some description in a name is useful. ‘The Hair Room’ tells customers exactly what they will find inside, and so do the other dozens of other businesses using the same name. The sweet spot is a name that signals what you do without disappearing into a crowd of businesses that made the same call.
Mark Fensom, managing director and founder of brand communications agency Warbox, argues that most founders are asking the wrong question when it comes to naming their business, and in the wrong order: “A lot of founders get it all the wrong way round: they start with the name and try to build meaning into it afterwards.”
Tide member and business influencer Lauren Spearman put that approach into practice when she founded Careering: “I wanted a name that captured the reality of modern careers – they aren’t always linear and sometimes it can feel like you’re careering off course.
“Careering had the right mix of humour and meaning. It reflects what we’re trying to help people do: take more control of their career and be more intentional about where they’re going. Before touching the visual identity, I did some proper brand strategy work to get really clear on our positioning and what we wanted Careering to feel like. This meant we were able to create a brand that people feel good about and are excited to be part of.”
A free tool that helps with naming woes
For founders at the start of that journey, Tide has launched a free Business Name Generator that can help to surface more distinctive options before committing on a name.
Heather Cobb, UK managing director at Tide, adds: “Every founder wants a name that works as hard as they do, something unique and built to last that reflects their values. The instinct to reach for words that speak to quality or ambition is completely understandable, but our findings show that when hundreds of businesses have the same idea, those words lose the meaning that founders were hoping to capture.
“Getting the foundations right from day one matters and that is why we built our free Business Name Generator: to help founders explore options they might not have considered before they commit. Once the name is sorted, Tide is there with the business management tools and lending products to help them grow.”