Page last updated June 2024
Geographical names policy
Our policy for collecting and recording names
Geographical names on OS products
Geographical names portrayed on Ordnance Survey (OS) digital and hard-copy products are recognised as being the authoritative geographical names of Great Britain.
There is no national names authority in Great Britain. The collection of consistent, definitive and authoritative descriptive annotations and proper names, places and features, forms part of our public task.
Read our OS names policy
Our names policy outlines how we capture and record proper names within the National Geographic Database. These names are then made available to consumers through our products and services.
Our language policies
Welsh names policy
OS support and facilitate the use of the Welsh language through the appropriate depiction of Welsh names.
Gaelic names policy
OS support the Scottish Government’s initiative to aid Scottish culture through our Gaelic names policy.
