What naming rules apply to a professional corporation in Ontario?

A professional corporation's name has to satisfy two layers of rules. First, the ordinary corporate-naming requirements apply, just as they would for any Ontario corporation: the name must clear a name search (unless you choose a numbered company) and can't be confusingly similar to an existing name. Second, professional-corporation names generally must include the words "Professional Corporation" (or the French equivalent), and typically must incorporate the name of one or more of the licensed shareholders or otherwise identify the profession being practised.

On top of that, most governing bodies impose their own naming bylaws — restricting the use of certain descriptive words, requiring specific formats, or limiting how a group practice with multiple shareholders can be named. These profession-specific rules can be stricter than the general corporate rules and are enforced separately by the regulator when it issues the certificate of authorization. Before settling on a name, check both the corporate registry's name-search requirements and your governing body's current naming rules, since a name that clears one hurdle can still be rejected by the other.