How to come up with a good username
- Pick a feel. Decide how you want to come across: cool, cute, playful or calm. It narrows the words you'll like.
- Start with a word you love. A hobby, an animal, a color or a nickname works well. Your real name doesn't, for safety (more on that below).
- Add a second word. An adjective plus a noun is the easiest pattern: Silver plus Fox makes SilverFox. Words that start with the same letter, like BreezyBunny, are easy to remember.
- Check the platform's rules. Each app has its own length limit and allowed characters, so a name that works on Instagram may be too long for Xbox.
- If it's taken, change one part. Swap one word, or add three numbers that aren't your age or birth year.
Username ideas by style
Every idea below is 5 to 12 letters long, so it fits every big platform, from X and TikTok to Roblox and Xbox, whose gamertags allow 12 characters. On apps that only use lowercase, like Discord and Snapchat, they work in lowercase too. Some may already be taken, because anyone can pick them.
| Style | Ideas |
|---|---|
| Cool | SilverFox, FrostArrow, StormComet, CrimsonSpark, IndigoCobra, StellarRaven, CobaltLynx, BraveVoyager |
| Cute | TinyCloud, BreezyBunny, GentleMochi, CozyPancake, PeachyBunny, CuddlyKoala, HoneyPeach, MapleMuffin |
| Gamer | RetroGamer, NitroDruid, AtomicWizard, TurboPilot, SlyPirate, NeonMage, IronPaladin, QuantumNomad |
| Simple | QuietLeaf, SilverAspen, BrightHarbor, GentleOak, FreshBrook, MistyGarden, HumbleShore, EarlyCedar |
For more, the Username Generator mixes words like these, can add your own word, and keeps every name inside the rules of the platform you choose.
Username rules for each platform
| Platform | Length | Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| X | Up to 15 | Letters, numbers and underscores |
| TikTok | 2 to 24 | Letters, numbers, underscores and periods, but no period at the end |
| Snapchat | 3 to 15 | Letters, numbers and one of - _ or . , starting with a letter |
| YouTube handle | 3 to 30 | Letters and numbers, plus _ - . but not at the start or end |
| Discord | 2 to 32 | Lowercase letters, numbers, underscores and periods |
| Roblox | 3 to 20 | Letters and numbers, with one underscore at most, not at the start or end |
Symbols like ♡ and ★ look nice in lists of username ideas, but most platforms don't allow them. Roblox, for example, allows only letters, numbers and one underscore, and X allows only letters, numbers and underscores.
How to keep your username safe
The FTC puts it simply: "Make sure your screen name doesn't say too much about you. Don't use your name, your age, or your hometown." Common Sense Media adds: "never include personal details in your account name or password," and "select appropriate, inoffensive usernames."
That rules out a lot of common habits: a first and last name, a birth year like 2010 on the end, a school or a town. Roblox goes further and doesn't allow real first or last names in usernames at all.
What to do if your username is taken
- Swap one word for a close cousin: SilverFox becomes SilverLynx or FrostFox.
- Add three numbers that mean nothing about you, like 347. Avoid your age and birth year, which tell strangers how old you are.
- Add an underscore between the words where the platform allows one, like Silver_Fox on X or Roblox.
- Try a different style of word entirely. A fresh list from the Username Generator gives you up to 50 more at a time.