With roughly one billion monthly users, Instagram is quickly becoming a preferred social media channel. If you’re ready to join, you might find it difficult to create a username or find one that’s available. Instagram wants all its users to have a unique username, which means new users will have to brainstorm a few different options. That’s why we created an Instagram username generator.
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Why an Instagram username generator is helpful
Save time
Who has time to come up with a dozen different username possibilities and check each one for availability? No one. The tool will save you time by quickly checking availability.
Get a list of alternatives
Your ideal username isn’t available, but the username generator will give you a list of other ideas. Simply select one from the list or use the list to come up with your own unique name.
Brainstorm to set up in minutes
With a tool like this at your disposal, you can brainstorm ideas, check availability, and see name suggestions that are available in a matter of minutes. This kind of efficiency will have you setting up your Instagram account sooner rather than later.
Things to consider when creating an Instagram username
How the account will be used
Do you plan to use the account for personal use or business? The name you select should be guided by this question. If it’s for personal use, the name can have a bit more flair and personality. If it’s for professional use, you’ll probably want to stick with the business name or as close to it as possible.
Add a company product
You don’t want to use random words as part of your IG handle. Every word selected should be purposeful. As such, companies can choose to add a product or service to their username. Let’s say a company named PristineBeauty sells makeup. Rather than using PristineBeauty as the username, consider making it PristineBeautyMakeup. The descriptor is a nice way to communicate to your audience what you sell.
Keep it short
An Instagram profile name shouldn’t be more than 30 characters. Don’t overthink it. Short and simple is best.
Make it easy to spell
Your username should be easy to spell. Why? If someone wants to find you on Insta or tag you in a picture, they’ll type in your username to do so. A complicated name makes it more difficult for people to find you and engage with you.
Hyphens or underscores are ok
If your cool username is already taken, you might be able to add a hyphen or an underscore to your name to differentiate it. The name JenniferAdams might be taken, but Jennifer_Adams might be free.
Tips for creating a unique username
Start with your name
If you want to use your own name or a company name, that’s a good place to start. Check to see if these names are available first. If they aren’t, you can make some adjustments.
Try to create a different version of your name
Creating an IG handle that’s simply your name might not be available. Instead, consider varying your name to a certain degree. Consider changing the order of the names, use a nickname, or add a middle initial.
Add your favorite things
Consider adding one of your favorite things to your username. For example, what’s your favorite color? Do you have a favorite line from a movie? What genre of music do you listen to? Try to incorporate one of these items into your perfect username.
Create a name around a hobby or interest
Rather than using your name, why not create a username that shows off your hobby or interest? Whether you love to hike, shop or travel, any of these interests can inspire a unique username. You could even do word combinations that combine your first name and interest, like SurfingMegan or KnittingNola.
Let your travels inspire a username
What’s your favorite destination? It might be the trip you took on your honeymoon or it could be a neighboring town that you frequent, either way, adding a location to your username is a good way to make it unique. You can add full names of cities, state abbreviations, or even country codes.
Refer to security questions
For security, there are some accounts that force you to answer a security question, like what was the name of your childhood pet? What city were you born in? What’s your mother’s maiden name? These questions, while bothersome, might be able to spark an idea for your online usernames.
Remember to think about your tone
The username you choose should mimic the tone you want to convey on social media platforms. If the IG account is for personal use, the username and tone will be different than if the account is used as an influencer account, for example, where you’re using the channel to earn income.
What to do if the username you want is taken
You had the perfect Instagram username, but it’s taken. Now what? Here are some username ideas:
- See if a page is active. To start, see if there’s an active Instagram page with that name in use. If by chance, it’s inactive, you might be able to reach out to the owner and ask him or her to release the name. It’s a long shot, but worth a try. If obtaining the username isn’t an option, you’ll have to modify your name.
- Swap letters out for symbols or numbers. If you need to modify a name, consider replacing a letter with a symbol or number. For instance, if PamInSunnyFL is taken, consider replacing the letter s with $. The unique name PamIn$unnyFL might be available.
- Add a meaningful number. Consider adding the year you were born, the number you wore on the high school basketball team, or the last two digits of your parent’s phone number to the username. If you do plan to add a number, remember not to add anything that’s sensitive in nature like part of your social security number or address.
- Changing up the casing won’t work. You might assume that adding an uppercase letter here or there is a good way to shake up your username, but it doesn’t work that way. You can create an IG username with both case settings like SamPhillpsNYC, but Instagram will move everything to lowercase letters. Your display name, which can be different from your username, can have upper and lowercase letters, but it won’t matter for your username.
- Add ‘I am’ You can always add words like ‘I am’ to your real name to create an original username. IAmTomWallis, for example, might work.
- Add a prefix. Consider adding ‘miss’ or ‘mr’ to your name to create something new.
FAQs
What makes a good Instagram name?
If you’re wondering what makes the best Instagram name, it’s a short, simple description of you or your business. That might include your own name, a company name, a product, a hobby, or even a completely random username – you decide. Whatever you choose, it should be authentic and true to your personality or company.
Why is an Instagram username important?
A username for any channel, be it Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, Tiktok, Twitch, or Facebook is the first thing people see when they look at your account. It provides the first impression and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Should the same username be used across multiple platforms?
For consistency, you can use the same username on all of your social channels. This is especially true for businesses. You might want to check username availability across several different platforms as opposed to picking one for each channel.
Aside from brand consistency, having similar usernames helps people engage with you. If they want to share a message with you on both Facebook and Instagram, for example, it’s easier to do if the handle is the same.
Is it common to get all usernames to be the same?
You can get consistent usernames across multiple channels, but it takes some planning. In an ideal world, you would set up all of your social media accounts at once, check availability across all of the platforms, and find a name that works. It’s possible to do, but it doesn’t happen for everyone. Do the best you can. If usernames can’t be the same, make them as similar as possible to avoid confusion.
Should domain names and usernames be the same?
A domain name and a username don’t have to be the same, but it’s a good idea to try and make them as similar as possible. You’ll likely start with a brand name, then check for a matching domain name and similar usernames on social networks.
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