different, are deemed to be the same as each other. Restrictions Companies may not have names which if used would constitute a criminal offence, or which are offensive. Approval from the Secretary of State is required if a company wishes to use a name indicating a connection to government, or other so-called 'sensitive' words or phrases. Indication of status Generally, undertakings registered with Companies House are required to indicate their legal form in their names: Public limited companies, the names of which must end with 'public limited company' or 'plc', or, in the case of Welsh companies if they so choose, the Welsh language equivalents 'cwmni cyfyngedig cyhoeddus' or 'ccc' Societates Europaeae, the names of which had to include 'SE' (replaced with 'UK Societas' for SEs remaining registered in the UK on 1 January 2021 as a consequence of Brexit) Private limited companies, the names of which ordinarily must end with 'limited' or 'ltd', or, in the case of Welsh companies if they so choose, the Welsh language equivalents 'cyfyngedig' or 'cyf' Community interest companies, the names of which must end with 'community interest company' or 'cic' (or, if it is a public company, 'community interest public limited company' or 'community interest plc'), or, in the case of Welsh companies if they so choose, the Welsh language equivalents 'cwmni buddiant cymunedol' or 'cbc' (or, if it is a public company, 'cwmni buddiant cymunedol cyhoeddus cyfyngedig' or 'cwmni buddiant cymunedol ccc') Limited partnerships, the names of which must end with 'limited partnership' or 'lp', or if the principal place of business is Wales and they so choose, the Welsh language equivalents 'partneriaeth cyfyngedig' or 'pc' Limited liability partnerships, the names of which must end with 'limited liability partnership' or 'llp', or in the case of Welsh limited liability partnerships if they so choose, the Welsh language equivalents 'partneriaeth atebolrwydd cyfyngedig' or 'pac' Notwithstanding the above, private limited companies need not indicate their legal form in their names if they are charities, exempted by new regulations made by the Secretary of State, or subject to a continuing exemption. Registered numbers Every undertaking registered with Companies House is issued with a registered number. Once issued, a registered number remains the same, even if the undertaking changes its name. Registered numbers consist of eight digits, and in certain circumstances a two letter prefix, including: Companies incorporated in Scotland: SC Companies incorporated in Northern Ireland: