How to choose and register a freelance business name: trading names, DBAs and trade names (US, UK, Canada)

You can freelance under your own name, or under a business name such as "Jane Doe Design". Do you have to register it? Which words can't you use? Does registering stop someone else using it? Here's a plain answer, with what the UK, US and Canadian governments actually say.

General information, not legal advice. Not written or reviewed by a lawyer. The step-by-step table and all the wording to copy are ours; the official items come from the UK, US and Canadian government pages linked below. They are general rules for any small business, and none of them is a freelance law. US state, county and city rules, Canadian provincial and territorial rules, and other countries were not checked. Official pages were read on 2026-10-16.

The short answer

1. You can work under your own legal name. In the UK, the US and Canada that usually means there's no name to register.
2. If you use a business name (called a trading name, a DBA or a trade name): in the US you may need to register it with your state, county or city; in Canada, with your province or territory; in the UK there's no register for a sole trader's business name, but naming rules still apply.
3. Registering a business name isn't the same as owning it. Trade marks are a separate system, so search them before you commit to a name.
4. Show the right name on invoices. In the UK, a sole trader using a business name must also show their own name and an address for documents.
5. A business name doesn't change who is responsible: as a sole trader or sole proprietor, the business's debts are still yours.
6. Tax numbers are a separate step: an EIN in the US (the IRS lists when you need one), a business number in Canada (needed for GST/HST and other CRA accounts), Self Assessment in the UK.

On this page

• 1. Your own name or a business name
• 2. Do you need to register a business name?
• 3. Naming rules
• 4. Check the name isn't taken
• 5. Does registering protect the name?
• 6. Your name on invoices and paperwork
• 7. Tax numbers and a business bank account
• 8. A name doesn't change who is responsible
• 9. Step by step
• 10. Wording to copy
• 11. Checklist
• Free tools and kits
• Where the sources differ
• When to get legal advice
• Related
• Sources

1. Your own name or a business name

Our reading of those definitions: your surname with your first name or initials is your own name; add a word like "Design" or "Consulting" and it becomes a business name.

2. Do you need to register a business name?

3. Naming rules

• UK, sole traders: "Sole trader names must not:"
  • include ‘limited’, ‘Ltd’, ‘limited liability partnership’, ‘LLP’, ‘public limited company’ or ‘plc’
  • be offensive
  • be too similar to another company’s trademarked name (because you may have to change it if someone makes a complaint)
  (GOV.UK: Choose your business name).
• UK, any business name: "Some of the rules that apply are:"
  • restrictions on the use of sensitive words included in regulations and names that could imply a connection with a government department, a devolved administration, a local authority or a specified public authority
  • restrictions on using a name that would be likely to give the false impression that the business is connected with a foreign government or an agency or authority of a foreign government
  • restrictions on using a name that would be likely to give the false impression that the business is connect with an international organisation whose members include 2 or more countries or territories (or their governments)
  • restrictions on using a name that Companies House or the CNT has ordered to be changed
  • inappropriate and misleading use of a name ending (false indication of company type or legal form), for example ‘limited’ at the end of the name or RTM anywhere in the name
  • a name that gives so misleading an indication of the nature of the activities of the business as to be likely to cause harm to the public
  • rules requiring the names of sole traders and partnerships using a business name to be displayed on stationery and signs at business premises
  (Companies House: Incorporation and names).
• UK, sensitive words: "If your business name includes any of the words and expressions included in Annexes A to C, you must get approval and, where appropriate, obtain the written views of a relevant body and send it to Companies House with your letter seeking permission to use the name." "If you use a business name with a sensitive word without approval, you are committing an offence. You could get a fine and face legal action." (Companies House). Annex A's list includes, for example: Accredit / Accreditation / Accredited / Accrediting; Association; Britain / British; Chartered (Companies House: Annex A, sensitive words and expressions, page date 2026-07-21). Many entries have their own conditions, for example when the word is your surname, so read the entry itself.
• US: "Multiple businesses can go by the same DBA in one state, so you’re less restricted in what you can choose." "Just remember that trademark infringement laws will still apply." (SBA). Each state's own naming rules for DBAs: not checked.
• Canada: "By law, the name of your business can't be the same as or very similar to an existing corporate name or trademark." (Canada.ca: Choosing a business name, find out if the name is taken, page date 2025-08-15). Provincial and territorial naming rules: not checked.

4. Check the name isn't taken

• UK: the Intellectual Property Office's trade mark search lets you "check if a similar trade mark to your brand already exists in the UK" (page date 2017-09-08). Companies House: "Search the UK Intellectual Property Office trademarks register to check your business name does not risk infringing an existing trade mark." (Companies House).
• US: "That’s why you should check your prospective business, product, and service names against the official trademark database, maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office." (SBA). The trademark office adds: "It's your responsibility to search state trademark databases and the internet." (USPTO: Why search for similar trademarks?, page date 2023-11-30).
• Canada: the business name page points to two national searches, the Canadian corporate names and trademarks database (Nuans) and Canada's business registries, and adds: "However, registering a trade name (also known as an operating name) at the provincial and territorial level does not give a business exclusive rights to use that name at the federal level." (Canada.ca: find out if the name is taken).
• Everywhere: search the web, and check the web address and social handles you want. "Your domain name doesn’t actually need to be the same as your legal business name, trademark, or DBA." (SBA).

5. Does registering protect the name?

• US: "There are four different ways to register your business name."
  • Entity name protects you at a state level
  • Trademark protects you at a federal level
  • Doing business as (DBA) doesn’t give legal protection, but it might be legally required
  • Domain name protects your business website address
  "Each of these name registrations are legally independent." (SBA). On trademarks: "You become a trademark owner as soon as you start using your trademark with your goods or services." "You’re not required to register your trademark. However, a registered trademark provides broader rights and protections than an unregistered one." "However, you don’t have rights to the word or phrase in general, only to how that word or phrase is used with your specific goods or services." "You can use “TM” for goods or “SM” for services even if you haven’t filed an application to register your trademark." (USPTO: What is a trademark?, page date 2023-11-30).
• UK: "You can register your trade mark to protect your brand, for example the name of your product or service." "Registering a trade mark costs at least £205. It will usually cost more depending on your circumstances, for example how many types of goods or services you want to protect your brand in." "Registering a trade mark in the UK only protects your brand in the UK and the Isle of Man." (GOV.UK: Register a trade mark, page date 2024-11-08).
• Canada: "Even if your business name is registered federally (Corporations Canada), provincially or territorially, you may also wish to register a trademark to better protect your brand." The advantages it lists:
  • the registration provides proof of ownership
  • it provides you with exclusive rights across Canada for 15 years and may be renewed indefinitely
  • it helps you protect your products and services from imitation and misuse
  • it allows you to flag an infringement under the Trade-marks Act
  • it provides you with licensing opportunities to maximize your trademark's commercial potential
  • it protects your trademark's value
  (Canada.ca: register your name). We did not check the Canadian trademark office's own fees or process.

Our reading, not any of these pages' wording: a registered business name or DBA mostly tells the public who is behind the name; a trade mark is what gives you rights in a name for your goods or services. Before you spend money on a logo, signs or a website, it's worth the search in section four.

6. Your name on invoices and paperwork

• UK: "You must include your name and business name (if you have one) on official paperwork, for example invoices and letters." (GOV.UK). "If you’re a sole trader, the invoice must also include:"
  • your name and any business name being used
  • an address where any legal documents can be delivered to you if you are using a business name
  (GOV.UK: Invoices, what they must include, page date 2015-08-07).
• UK, the law behind it (Companies Act 2006):
  • Section 1192: "this Chapter applies to any person carrying on business in the United Kingdom." (legislation.gov.uk, page date up to date on or before 16 October 2026).
  • Section 1201: the information is, for one person, "in the case of an individual, the individual's name;" and "an address at which service of any document relating in any way to the business will be effective." (legislation.gov.uk).
  • Section 1202: you "must state the information required by this Chapter, in legible characters, on all—"
    • business letters
    • written orders for goods or services to be supplied to the business
    • invoices and receipts issued in the course of the business
    • written demands for payment of debts arising in the course of the business
    and you "must secure that the information required by this Chapter is immediately given, by written notice, to any person with whom anything is done or discussed in the course of the business and who asks for that information." (legislation.gov.uk).
  • Section 1204, for premises your customers or suppliers visit: "display in a prominent position, so that it may easily be read by such customers or suppliers, a notice containing the information required by this Chapter." (legislation.gov.uk).
  • Section 1205: "A person who without reasonable excuse fails to comply with the requirements of" section 1202 or section 1204 commits an offence (legislation.gov.uk).
  • Section 1206, if you go to court over a contract made while you weren't showing those details: "The proceedings shall be dismissed if the defendant (in Scotland, the defender) to the proceedings shows—"
    • that he has a claim against the claimant (pursuer) arising out of the contract that he has been unable to pursue by reason of the latter's breach of the requirements of this Chapter, or
    • that he has suffered some financial loss in connection with the contract by reason of the claimant's (pursuer's) breach of those requirements,
    "unless the court before which the proceedings are brought is satisfied that it is just and equitable to permit the proceedings to continue." (legislation.gov.uk).
  In plain words (ours): put your own name and an address on every invoice, quote, receipt and payment reminder that uses your business name, and give them to anyone who asks. It matters most when you have to chase an unpaid invoice. See what goes on an invoice and, if you're VAT registered, what a UK VAT invoice must show.
• US: a client's tax form has a separate line for a business or DBA name: see filling in Form W-9. We did not check state rules on showing a DBA on invoices.
• Canada: the pages we read don't say how to show a trade name on invoices; for GST/HST invoices see what a GST/HST invoice must show. Provincial rules: not checked.

7. Tax numbers and a business bank account

• US: "Generally, you need an EIN to:"
  • Hire employees
  • Operate a partnership or corporation
  • Pay sales and excise taxes
  • Change business structures or ownership
  • Administer certain trusts, retirement plans and estates
  "You never have to pay a fee for an EIN." "Beware of websites that charge for an EIN." (IRS: Get an employer identification number, page date 16-Oct-2026). The SBA adds: "As an added bonus, getting a DBA and federal tax ID number (EIN) allows you to open a business bank account." (SBA). Our reading: working alone under a DBA isn't on the IRS list, but a bank may still ask for one. Which number goes on Form W-9: the TIN section of our guide.
• Canada: "Not all businesses are required to get a BN." "You need a BN in the following situations:"
  • You need a GST/HST, payroll or another CRA program account
  • You incorporate your business
  "If your business is unincorporated, you only need a BN when you register for program accounts with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)." "You will receive a BN when you register or incorporate with the following provinces:" Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan (CRA: When you need a business number, page date 2026-06-30). The canada.ca registration page: "If you register your business in one of the following provinces, you will automatically receive your federal business number as part of your provincial registration:" British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan (Canada.ca). See the GST/HST number on invoices.
• UK: the pages we read give a sole trader no separate business number for the name; you register for Self Assessment (how) and for VAT if you meet the requirements (VAT threshold checker).

8. A name doesn't change who is responsible

• UK: "Sole trader businesses have ‘unlimited liability’ which means owners are personally responsible for all of the debts of the business." (GOV.UK: What a sole trader is).
• US: "You can be held personally liable for the debts and obligations of the business." (SBA).
• Canada: not covered by the pages we read.

Forming a limited company, an LLC or a corporation is a separate step with its own name rules, and it isn't covered here. Whether you're self-employed at all depends on how you work, not on the name: see employee or independent contractor.

9. Step by step

Our suggested order (general practice, not an official list):

10. Wording to copy

Replace everything in [brackets]. This is ours, not from any government page, and it's not legal advice.

The "your details" block on an invoice or quote

[Your full name] trading as [business name]
[An address where documents can be delivered to you]
[Email] | [phone]
[Tax registration number, if you have one]

Email to clients when you start using a business name

Subject: My business name on invoices from [date]

Hi [name],

A quick note before my next invoice: from [date] I'm working under the business name [business name]. It's still me, and the work, terms and payment details stay the same unless I tell you otherwise in writing.

My invoices will now show "[your full name] trading as [business name]". If your accounts team needs an updated supplier record or tax form from me, tell me what you need and I'll send it.

Thanks,
[Your name]

11. Checklist

• Decided between your own name and a business name.
• Checked the naming rules where you live (UK: no Ltd or plc, sensitive words need approval).
• Searched the trade mark register, business registries and the web.
• Registered the name where your state, county, city, province or territory requires it, and noted any renewal date.
• Invoices, quotes and receipts show the business name and, where required, your own name and an address.
• Clients told, and supplier records, tax forms and payment details updated.
• Tax registrations done separately (Self Assessment, an EIN if you need one, a business number if you need one).

Free tools and kits

• Our free invoice generator runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent or saved.
• Our paid Freelance Billing Kit by Small Rows (US$12, one-time) has one "Your name or business name" field and two address lines on its Settings tab, and they print on every invoice. To show both names, type them into that one field, for example "[your name] trading as [business name]". It doesn't register a name or check it against any rules.
• Our paid Quote & Proposal Kit by Small Rows (US$12, one-time) prints the same kind of name field on every quote and proposal, so a new client sees the name you'll invoice under from the start.
• All three kits together: the All-Kits Bundle by Small Rows (US$24, one-time).

Where the sources differ

• Registering the name: the UK has no register for a sole trader's business name; the SBA says most states require a DBA to be registered; Canada leaves trade names to each province and territory, and one has no register at all.
• Business number with a provincial registration: the CRA page and the canada.ca registration page list different provinces (the CRA's list also includes Alberta, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island). Check with your own registry.
• Page dates: some GOV.UK pages show an old page date; that may only mean the text hasn't changed. Check the live page before relying on it.
• What we did not check: US state, county and city DBA rules, fees, publication and renewal requirements, and state trademark registers; Canadian provincial and territorial rules, fees and renewals, including Quebec's; the Canadian trademark office's process and fees; the full Annex A and Annexes B and C; Welsh-language names; differences in Scotland or Northern Ireland; limited companies, LLCs and corporations; whether a contract signed under an unregistered name is affected where you live; the EU and other countries.

When to get legal advice

• your name is close to an existing business or brand in your field;
• you receive a letter asking you to stop using a name;
• you want to register a trade mark;
• you want to use a word that needs approval;
• you work in several states, provinces or countries under the name;
• you plan to form a company, an LLC or a corporation.

Contact your business registry, a lawyer, or a trade mark attorney or agent where you work. This page is general information only.

Related

• How to write a freelance invoice
• Freelance contract checklist
• Employee or independent contractor
• Form W-9 for US freelancers
• UK Self Assessment for freelancers
• What a GST/HST invoice must show (Canada)
• How to invoice international clients

Sources

• United Kingdom: GOV.UK: What a sole trader is (page date 2015-02-09) · GOV.UK: Choose your business name (page date 2015-02-09) · Companies House: Incorporation and names (page date 2026-07-21) · Companies House: Annex A (page date 2026-07-21) · Companies Act 2006: section 1192, section 1201, section 1202, section 1204, section 1205, section 1206 (page date up to date on or before 16 October 2026) · GOV.UK: Invoices, what they must include (page date 2015-08-07) · GOV.UK: Search for a trade mark (page date 2017-09-08) · GOV.UK: Register a trade mark (page date 2024-11-08)
• United States: SBA: Launch your business (no page date shown) · SBA: State registration lookup (no page date shown) · USPTO: What is a trademark? (page date 2023-11-30) · USPTO: Why search for similar trademarks? (page date 2023-11-30) · IRS: Get an employer identification number (page date 16-Oct-2026) · IRS: Sole proprietorships (page date 28-Jun-2026)
• Canada: Canada.ca: Choosing a business name, register your name (page date 2025-08-15) · Canada.ca: Choosing a business name, find out if the name is taken (page date 2025-08-15) · Canada.ca: Registering a sole proprietorship or partnership (page date 2024-02-06) · CRA: When you need a business number (page date 2026-06-30)

Checked 2026-10-16. Found a mistake? Tell us via Support.