How to Choose a Good Username (and Keep It Safe)

A username is often the first thing people see of you online. A good one is easy to say and remember, and doesn't give strangers more about you than you intend.

What makes a good username

• Short enough to type and say aloud, usually under 15 characters.
• Easy to spell, without confusing look-alikes like 0 and O, or 1 and l.
• Consistent across sites, so friends and colleagues can find you.
• Suited to where it lives: playful for games, simple and professional for work.

What to leave out

Avoid your full name, your birth year, your address, your school or your employer. Each detail helps someone guess passwords or security answers, or find out where you live. If you want to stay private, a made-up name is better than your real one.

Get ideas quickly

The Username Generator joins an adjective and a noun in a style you choose, such as cool, cute, gamer or calm, with optional numbers and separators. Click one to copy it. Remember to check the site to see whether it is free, and add numbers if it is taken.

For characters, example accounts or stories, the Random Name Generator makes full names from several origins. They are made-up combinations, so a result can match a real person by chance.

A username isn't a secret

Treat your username as public. What protects your account is the password and extra checks such as two-factor sign-in. Use a long, unique password for every site, and let a password manager remember them. The Password Generator makes strong random passwords or easy-to-remember passphrases.

Should you use the same username everywhere?

It is convenient, and it also lets people link your accounts together. Use one name for things you want to be known for, and separate names for anything you want to keep apart.