Can’t decide on a good Twitch name or YouTube channel name? Afraid of commitment? Use this post to cross off bad ideas and pick the best Twitch channel name that’s true to you — and catchy too!
Table of Contents
How to Pick Your Twitch Channel Name
First, no pressure: These aren’t rules to pick the perfect stream name. These are checkboxes to narrow down names so you can start streaming sooner! And even with rules, there are exceptions everywhere.
The most important thing is getting started. So get the clarity you need, then don’t overthink it! You can always change your name later. That said, let’s go!
Is Your Name Easy To Spell and Say?
Imagine telling someone your channel name out loud – would they understand how it’s spelled right away?
If you need to explain your stream name’s spelling, be brief.
Kind of like saying, “Bryan with a y.”
This is called the radio test. Imagine if someone heard an ad or announcer who said your name the radio. Would people understand and be able to find you? It’s an old rule, but it still helps people remember you!
Beware: Viewers Will Nickname You!
Nicknames are bound to happen, so use it! If you name your channel based on your content, but not your persona, what would people call you?
Imagine naming your channel BoardGamesLover. What would people call you? Do you want them calling you “Lover”?!
✔️ JanesBoardGames is better because your chat can call you Jane.
So what would people probably end up calling you? Run your stream name idea by friends and ask what they’d call you. See if you like it!
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A Good Username is Short—or Simple
But if you can keep it to one word, you make it easy for people to talk about you and grow your following. Short social names always seem to be taken, right?!
So make up a word. Especially if it’s easy to say. Try combining multiple ideas into one word, like Pokimane and Pokelawls did.
▶ (Think of brands. Pin + Interest = Pinterest, or Group + Coupon = Groupon).
Don’t worry! A two-part phrase is just as memorable. So next, let’s generate available Twitch names using ideas you love.
Find Good Twitch Name Ideas with Combos
Ready to brainstorm two-word usernames? Break out a thesaurus and a spreadsheet with two columns.
In the first column, list the name you’d like to be called. In the second, list add-ons words. They could be animals, game job classes, an aesthetic, or generic streamer words like “Streams” or “Plays”. Or try endings like ly or ful.
This is better than random Twitch name generators because you combine ideas you think are cool for an aesthetic Twitch name / stylish stream name.
▶ If you want a “catchy” name, pay attention to sounds. You’ve probably heard that the “k” sound make jokes funnier, or brands more memorable. Think about how your words flow together and sound.
Mix and match words until you find a few favorites and write them down! We’ll narrow them to the best ones, so keep reading!
Search Trademarks for Your Name
Since ya’ gotta avoid legal issues, never use trademarked terms in your name. Search the trademark database for the USA. If you’re in another country, check there too.
By the way, if you ever want to trademark your own name, make sure you use your own anonymous company to trademark it so you don’t accidentally dox yourself. Trademark filings are published online with the real names of their owners!
▶ Lock down your streaming privacy here
Some sites might help you get your name when you’ve made it big or have a trademark (but be careful! Trademarks can dox you. Scroll on for details). Twitch has also helped Partnered streamers to get a rare name because they’ve made it and the name isn’t active.
Check for Language Conflicts
We’ve all heard of brands messing this one up, so it could happen to an otherwise great Twitch name! Even if you stream in one language, the internet is global and you’ll have multilingual viewers.
Check translation tools to see what alternate meanings might pop up. Who knows? Maybe it’s still pleasant in other languages!
You could also use other languages to brainstorm names. Just make sure it’s still easy for everyone to understand. However, be careful not to choose a real given name from another culture, in case it confuses viewers or seems like you’re mocking them. (In the past, streamer RajjPatel, who isn’t Indian, changed his name to Austin.)
Check if Your Name is Available on Socials
Having the same username everywhere has obvious advantages. People can find you everywhere by typing your name without checking your links. And it makes for sleek Twitch graphic design when you add your socials! Check:
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- TikTok
- Snapchat
- Domain name (.com)
- YouTube
- Twitch
Since available usernames are hard to find, don’t worry! Grab whatever social accounts you can, and for the rest add a word or meme. For example, if you stream on Twitch, your YouTube channel could be YourNameVODs. Ultimately, your bios will all link.
▶ Most streamers use Linktree to link all their socials from one page
Do Streamers Need a Website?
A dot-com domain is good to have! It gives you an authoritative place to put your links or open a shop when you grow. (While a .com is the gold standard, plenty of streamers use .tv or .gg names.)
At the very least, try to get your domain name before it gets snapped up by someone else, including a viewer if you get big.
Warning: Always get WHOIS privacy protection with your domain name so no one can look up your name/address. This usually costs money, but Namecheap includes WHOIS privacy for free.
▶ Get privacy protection FREE with a $6.98 domain with Namecheap
A Name with Room to Grow
Okay, so hopefully we’ve brainstormed a lot of names! Now let’s think about your future.
Is your name about a niche you might grow out of someday? If you think you’ll expand categories, maybe drop the BoardGames part of that name after all.
Similarly, good streamer names aren’t trends or fads. How will it look in five or 10 years?
Basically, don’t pigeonhole yourself. After all, plenty of content creators have ended up creating brands. So if you’re in it for it for the long-term, think for the long-term.
Keep Your Stream Name Sponsor-Friendly
Want to get sponsors and brand opportunities? The income can be worth more than subs and way more than ad revenue.
Luckily, this one’s easy to clear. If your humor is a little edgy, your username doesn’t have to be.
Use these guidelines to pick a good YouTube channel or Twitch name and adjust your content as necessary. Easy as that.
Should I Use Numbers in my Twitch Name?
You can’t deny that successful streamers like 39daph, Jerma985, and moistcr1tikal are doing just fine on Twitch and YouTube.
But that’s in spite, not because of, the numbers in their name. If anything, the benefit is that they got to keep their nickname without having to add another word and more meaning to it.
If you use numbers in your streaming name, treat them as a catchy part of the whole. Since your goal is being memorable, the numbers should feel natural or meaningful.
Quick tip: Learn about lucky and unlucky numbers in different cultures! And use Google to learn about any accidental references (historical, etc) of certain digits. If you decide not to use numbers for your stream’s name, at least you’ll learn something new!
Should I Use TV or TTV in a Twitch name?
Twitch names that use TV are sometimes mocked whether for good reasons or not. But there are practical reasons to avoid it.
First, you might not always be on Twitch. And on other socials, it just takes up space.= when you have character limits.
Going into our next point, you should also avoid TV in a gamer tag. Plenty of people dodge matches with players who stream, stream snipe, or find and troll your channel.
Can I Use My Stream Name in Games?
Not recommended, but it depends on the game and what you do. Just be aware: Doing so has been known to bring trolls, or at least people who aren’t your ideal community.
You might want to avoid anything in-game that shows your channel name or that you’re a streamer at all. You might be avoided by other players, harassed, stream-sniped, etc.
Can I Change My Twitch Name?
You can always change your name on Twitch, but there are side effects.
First, if you change your Twitch username, you’ll either need to wait six months for the old name to become available again, or possibly never get it back.
Your old name won’t vanish necessarily either, since your old name might still show in some connected apps like your donation page or channel stream bots you use.
So if you change your username on Twitch, be sure about the rebrand.
Twitch Name Ideas: Summary
Now that you’ve brainstormed some good available Twitch name ideas for you (or Youtube!), narrow it down. Don’t sweat it and get stuck! Too many creatives wait to think of the “perfect” name, then never start. Remember:
You’re allowed to change your mind later!
Try this: Give yourself a certain number of days to pick a name and go for it. After that, give yourself 3-6 months to change your mind. After all, it’s easier to rebrand early.
Don’t let finding the perfect Twitch username become a way to procrastinate. Go for it today. Get started now!
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