Usually, yes. If you trade under your own name, it’s doing the job of a brand, and you can trademark your own name through a normal UK trademark registration, for the goods and services you actually provide.
It’s easy to assume your name is protected because it’s yours. It isn’t, not in the way a registration is. Being called something gives you very little to act on when somebody else starts trading on it, and the alternative, passing off, means proving goodwill and that the public was actually misled.
When can I trademark my own name?
- You use it in business, or genuinely intend to. If you don’t use a registration for five years, somebody can apply to cancel it.
- It’s distinctive in your field. Most personal names are, but it can be harder if yours is very common in your sector or already belongs to somebody well known there.
- Nobody already owns something confusingly similar for the same or related goods and services. That’s what the search is for.
- It’s filed in the right classes, the categories of goods and services you trade in. A speaker might need education and events; an author, publications and downloadable content.
What a registration won’t do
It won’t stop another person with the same name using their own name honestly. UK law lets individuals use their own name in business, as long as they do it in line with honest practices. What a registration stops is somebody using your name, or something confusingly similar, to trade in your field or borrow your reputation.
How we approach it
We start with a free trademark search, then talk through how you earn money from your name, so the registration covers that and nothing you’ll never use. The UK IPO fee starts at £205 for one class, applied for online, plus £60 for each extra class.
A registration is only one part of protecting a personal brand. If what worries you is what people find when they search for you, our personal brand protection audit is free and doesn’t need a trademark.
Search your name on the UK register for free, then let us tell you honestly whether it’s worth registering.
Want to talk it through? Book a free 15 minute call, email enquiries@thetrademarkhelpline.com or call 0161 833 5400.
Related questions
- Can you trademark your face or your voice?
- Will a trademark stop deepfakes and scams using my name?
- How do I protect my name, face and voice, and control what people find when they research me?
This answer is for information purposes only and does not constitute trademark advice or guidance. Last reviewed 2 November 2026.
