Named houses are common across the UK, particularly in rural and suburban areas. From Rose Cottage to The Old Rectory, a house name adds character and can make a property feel more distinctive. Whether you can name your house, and how to go about it, depends on whether your property already has a street number and how you plan to use the name going forward.

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Can You Name a House That Already Has a Number?

Yes, but with an important caveat. If your property already has a street number, you can add a name to it, but in most cases you cannot replace the number with the name as your official postal address. Royal Mail and local authorities generally require numbered properties to retain their number for postal and administrative purposes. The name can be used alongside the number, for example The Willows, 42 High Street, but the number must remain part of the address for postal delivery.

There are properties that have a name as their only address identifier, typically rural properties or those on private roads without numbered addresses. These properties acquired their names historically or through the original naming process when they were first built, and the name functions as the address.

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Properties Without a Number

If your property has no street number and currently has no name, you can give it a name and register it as the postal address through your local council. This applies to some rural properties, converted buildings, new builds on private roads, and properties that were historically unnamed. The name then becomes the official postal address alongside the road name and postcode.

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How to Officially Name or Rename Your House

The process for officially changing or adding a house name varies slightly between local authorities, but the general approach is as follows.

1. Contact your local council. Specifically the street naming and numbering team, sometimes part of the planning or highways department. Most councils have an online application form or a contact process for house naming requests.
2. Submit your proposed name. The council will check that the name does not duplicate an existing address in the area, does not cause confusion with emergency services, and does not contain offensive language. Some councils charge a small fee for processing the application.
3. Receive confirmation. Once approved, the council notifies Royal Mail, the Land Registry, and other relevant organisations. Royal Mail updates the postcode address file accordingly.
4. Update your records. Notify your mortgage lender, insurance provider, bank, DVLA, HMRC, and any other organisations that hold your address. Some will ask for a copy of the council confirmation letter.

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Choosing a Name

Most names that are not offensive, not duplicates of nearby addresses, and not likely to cause confusion are acceptable. Common themes include trees and plants (The Oaks, Hawthorn House), local geography (Hill View, The Meadows), historical references to the site (The Old Forge, Mill House), and family names or personal choices.

Some councils discourage names that could cause confusion with street names, emergency service calls, or that duplicate names already in the local postcode area. A quick check with the council before becoming attached to a particular name is sensible.

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Does a House Name Add Value?

Estate agents and surveys have suggested that a distinctive house name can add to the appeal and in some cases to the perceived value of a property, particularly for rural and village properties where named houses are common and expected. The effect is modest and subjective: a well-chosen name that suits the property can make it more memorable and attractive to buyers, while a jarring or inappropriate name is unlikely to help.

For urban properties with street numbers, the name plays more of a personal role than a value-adding one, since buyers and agents in urban areas rely primarily on the number and street name when searching for properties.

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Summary

You can name your house in the UK. If your property has a street number, a name can be added but the number must remain part of the official postal address. If the property has no number, a name can become the primary postal identifier. The process involves applying to your local council's street naming and numbering team, who will check for duplicates and notify Royal Mail and other organisations once the name is approved.

Once a name is officially registered, update all your records with the new address format to avoid any administrative complications.