A Quick Guide on How to Make a Username With & Without a Generator

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Creative ways to generate your screen name

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: January 11, 2025 Fact Checked

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Username Generator

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Create a Unique Username Manually

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Using a Username Generator

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Username Ideas

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Expert Q&A

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Tips

Your username is your online identity. Whether you’re posting on forums, editing a wiki, playing games, or doing any other online activity that involves interacting with others, your username will be the first thing other people see. Coming up with a unique, descriptive, and memorable username can take time, but it can also be fun! This wikiHow guide will cover some basic tips on how to create your username on your mobile device or computer.

How Do You Create a Username

Design a creative username manually by combining your interests and the website’s topic. If this is a username that other users will see, get creative to represent your online self. If you just need a quick username or are stuck trying to think of a good one, try an online username generator website.

Username Generator

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Time for a cool new username? Whether you're signing up for a game, social platform, or just in need of a username makeover, our generator delivers unique and personalized ideas. Find one that fits your vibe!

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Section 1 of 3:

Create a Unique Username Manually

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1
Consider these safety tips. It’s important to protect your personal information when creating a username for a website, app, or game. Here are a few things you can do to protect your privacy:
- Stay anonymous. Avoid using any personally identifiable information when creating your username, such as your last name, birthdate, school, address, or social security number.
- Don’t include any part of your password in your username.
- Create a unique username for every website. This can help prevent tracking of your activity across multiple sites.
- Read our general guide to internet safety for more info.
If you’re creating an account for a forum with a specific topic (e.g., car discussion), you may want your username to reflect that topic (e.g., “honda_civic_30”). If it’s a more general website (e.g., Reddit), you can choose a more broad topic or personal interest.

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This can help you get the general feeling for the website and what usernames there tend to look like. You can strike a balance between a username that’s similar to others’ while also making it unique.
For example, you could reference a quote from your favorite book, band, celebrity, song, or character from a movie. You could also reference your hobby or a sport!
For example, if you like fixing up old cars, base your username around your favorite car manufacturer or model.
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Combine words to make a unique username. This will help make your name more unique and increase the chances that it won't be taken.
- Including some adjectives can increase the uniqueness of your username. You could put a color or descriptor before your username. For example, “the_quick_orange_cat” or "EmoChihuahua."
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Look up synonyms. You can swap out words for their synonyms if your first idea has already been taken. This is a great way to keep the original meaning of your username.
- You can use an online thesaurus to search words and find synonyms. The Merriam-Webster thesaurus is available for free online: https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus
If you’re going to be typing in your username into a login screen regularly, you’ll appreciate a shorter name! Shorten long words (e.g., turn "Mississippi" to "Miss" or "Missi") and try to keep the username easy to type.
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Use symbols to simulate spaces and letters. Most websites won’t let you use a space in your username, but many will let you use the “_” underscore character to mimic a space. You can also use certain numbers to replace letters, such as “7” instead of “T” or “3” instead of “E”. This is known as “leet speak”, and is typically found in online video gaming circles.
- Periods are often used to separate words in usernames as well.
- Don’t use your birth year at the end of your username, especially if you are a minor, as it makes it very easy to identify how old you are.
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Write down a few ideas. If you’re having trouble choosing a username, write down all of the ones you’ve thought of so far. This can help you compare names and combine existing ideas into something new.
- Don’t stress about it too much. Many websites allow you to change your username after making your account. Check the website’s username guidelines first!

Section 2 of 3:

Using a Username Generator

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Go to an online username generator in your web browser. If you're stumped on choosing the right username, a username generator is the perfect choice. Some username generators are more general and can be used to create login names for any site or service. Others allow you to create themed usernames, such as fantasy or sci-fi-related fictional names.
- LastPass Username Generator: A customizable all-purpose random username generator brought to you by LastPass.
- NordPass Username Generator: Another general random username generator with plenty of customization options.
- Instausername: This Instagram-focused username generator creates unique usernames based on a keyword you enter.
- Roblox Username Generator: If you play Roblox, this generator suggests usernames based on keywords, styles (e.g., Animals, Aesthetic), and hobbies.
- TikTok Name Generator: Come up with the perfect username for TikTok based on your real name or keywords.
- Fantasy Username Generator: Create creative usernames that are perfect for role-playing games and forums.
Most username generators allow you to change the length and include characters in the “Customize" section. You may also be able to enter a word you want to include in your username or type a few words to describe the username you want.
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Click the "Generate" or "Create" button. Depending on the username generator, you'll either see one username suggestion or an entire list.
- Repeat this generation process until you get a username that you like.
- If the generator you're using has a Copy button, you can click it to copy your new username to your clipboard. This makes it easy to paste it into the account sign-up screen.

Section 3 of 3:

Username Ideas

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Here's an example of a name and potential usernames for that person:
- Name: Angela Edith Lozes
- Occupation: Doctor
- Hobby: Motorcycle riding/racing
- Birth Year: 1976
  - AnEdLo1976
  - motoracergirl
  - AELozes
  - DrAngie123
  - AlegnaSezol
  - Gelaan_Zeslo
  - GearGirl
  - DwnShftGrl
  - AngieLozesMD
  - AngieEdith
  - GearGurl
  - DR_AEL
- Notice that this person's username options vary from their profession, name, and hobbies. If that person is posting on a medical forum, they want to use a "DrAngie123" type username since it's more aligned to that community than "DwnShftGrl".
- However, if the doctor joined a motorcycle forum, it'd be more appropriate to use "DwnShftGrl" instead of "DrAngie123."

Expert Q&A

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What do u do when your username is invalid?

Kyle Smith
wikiHow Technology Writer
Kyle Smith is a wikiHow Technology Writer, learning and sharing information about the latest technology. He has presented his research at multiple engineering conferences and is the writer and editor of hundreds of online electronics repair guides. Kyle received a BS in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Kyle Smith

wikiHow Technology Writer

Expert Answer

It depends! Your username might be invalid for a couple different reasons. If the username is already in use, you'll need to change it. You can add numbers to the end of the username and try again. If the username is missing a required component, add that to the username and try submitting it.

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Question

How do create a password

Kyle Smith
wikiHow Technology Writer
Kyle Smith is a wikiHow Technology Writer, learning and sharing information about the latest technology. He has presented his research at multiple engineering conferences and is the writer and editor of hundreds of online electronics repair guides. Kyle received a BS in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Kyle Smith

wikiHow Technology Writer

Expert Answer

Creating a password is usually done during the account creation process. Some websites require your password to have certain attributes (e.g. length, special characters, numbers). You can make a password manually by typing in a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. Or, you can use a password generator like Google Chrome’s password manager.

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Help me pick and submit a user name for me that you think no one has or one that will work

Kyle Smith
wikiHow Technology Writer
Kyle Smith is a wikiHow Technology Writer, learning and sharing information about the latest technology. He has presented his research at multiple engineering conferences and is the writer and editor of hundreds of online electronics repair guides. Kyle received a BS in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Kyle Smith

wikiHow Technology Writer

Expert Answer

Choosing a username that no one has picked yet can be tough, but there are a few things you can try! Adding more adjectives to the username makes it less likely that someone has already used that specific combination of words. Or, add numbers to the end of the username to increase the chances of it being unique.

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Tips

If you’re changing an existing username, see our how-to guides for Spotify, Minecraft, and YouTube.

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Write your username down somewhere near your computer, so as not to forget it. Make a note of which website the username is for, especially if you have multiple names for different sites. Alternatively, use a password manager to keep track of your usernames.

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In general, the more unique the username, the more likely you'll be able to use it for various websites, and the less you'll have to remember. On the other hand, if you make it too specific with personal information, your privacy may become an issue.

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