AP Style Company Names

Writing Explained

See below for a list of 125 major U.S. companies and 75 major non-U.S. companies.

According to AP Style you do not use a comma before “Inc.” or “Ltd.,” even if it is included in the formal name.

You must include the full company name somewhere in the story. This ensures the story will be among the search results on major websites.

The formal name need not be used on first reference. For example, “Costco” is acceptable for “Costco Wholesale Corp.,” but it should contain the full name somewhere in the body of any story in which the subject matter could affect a company’s business. For example, include the corporate name in a story on an earnings report or in a story on a plane crash that could affect the airline’s stock price. However, the corporate name might be irrelevant in a story about a political candidate’s appearance at a local retail store.

When the full corporate name is NOT in the story, it should be included in a self-contained paragraph separated from the bottom of the story by a dash. For example,

If more than one company is listed, each should be in a self-contained paragraph below the dash.

Generally, follow the spelling and capitalization preferred by the company. For example, “eBay.” But capitalize the first letter if it begins a sentence.

Do not use all-capital-letter names unless the letters are individually pronounced. For example, “BMW.” Other should be uppercase and lowercase. For example,

Do not use symbols such as exclamation points, plus signs, or asterisks that form contrived spelling that might distract or confuse a reader. For example,

Use an ampersand only if it is part of the company’s formal name but not otherwise in place of “and.”

Use “the” lowercase unless it is part of the company’s formal name.

Below is a list of 125 major U.S. Companies, listed alphabetically with ticker symbols and headquarters.

The following is a list of 75 major non-U.S. companies also listed alphabetically with headquarters.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.