46 C.F.R. § 67.117 : Shipping — COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY — DOCUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT OF VESSELS — DOCUMENTATION OF VESSELS — ASSIGNMENTS AND DESIGNATIONS REQUIRED FOR VESSEL DOCUMENTATION — Vessel name designation

(a) The owner of a vessel must designate a name for the vessel on the Application for Initial Issue, Exchange, or Replacement of Certificate of Documentation; or Redocumentation (form CG-1258) submitted to the Director, National Vessel Documentation Center:
(1) Upon application for initial documentation of the vessel; or
(2) When the owner elects to change the name of the vessel.
(b) The name designated:
(1) Must be composed of letters of the Latin alphabet or Arabic or Roman numerals;
(2) May not be identical, actually or phonetically, to any word or words used to solicit assistance at sea; and
(3) May not contain nor be phonetically identical to obscene, indecent, or profane language, or to racial or ethnic epithets.
(c) The name of a documented vessel may not be changed without the prior approval of the Director, National Vessel Documentation Center.
(d) Until such time as the owner of a vessel elects to change the name of a vessel, the provisions of paragraph (b) of this section do not apply to vessels validly documented before January 1, 1994.

46 C.F.R. §67.117

CGD 89-007, CGD 89-007a, 58 FR 60266, 11/15/1993; 58 FR 65131, 12/13/1993, as amended by CGD 95-014, 60 FR 31604, 6/15/1995; USCG-1998-4442, 63 FR 52191, 9/30/1998