Geographical names policy

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.

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. 

OS names policy (PDF)