How To Choose A YouTube Name?

Choosing a name for the YouTube channel is an important task. YouTube channel name should be catchy, unique, easy to remember, and easy to spell. The YouTube name should also evoke a positive emotional response. All of it will make it easier for your audience to remember you or your brand, to share content you’ve created, and to trust you.

If your chosen YouTube name meets all the previously mentioned criteria, then you might have a winner. There are several strategies for coming up with a good YouTube channel name, and I will explain each one of them in this article.

I will share tips and tricks for coming up with the best YouTube name for gaming, cooking, traveling, family, education, or any other niche you’ve chosen.

So, how to choose a YouTube name? To choose a YouTube name, use some of the individual brainstorming techniques. Another alternative is to use the YouTube name generator. YouTube channel name should represent the chosen niche, but sometimes it can simply be one’s first and last name. It should be catchy and unique. Avoid including other brand names, profanity, and numbers in your YouTube channel name.

Picking a YouTube name should be a fun and exciting process. It’s the same as choosing the name for your business. With time, people will start to recognize it and hopefully even associate themselves with it. At least that’s what all the great brands are trying to achieve.

So without overcomplicating things, let’s try to find the perfect name for your new channel, and who knows, maybe even for your future business.

Here is the list of things to consider when choosing a YouTube name.

Do’s	Don’ts
Check its availability elsewhere	Don’t skip the research part
Make the name unique	Don’t use other brand names
Make the name descriptive	Don’t make it too narrow for your niche
Make the name easy to remember	Don’t make it too long
Make the name easy to spell	Don’t include numbers
Ask fiends for an opinion	Avoid socially offensive language

 

Some of the points mentioned above are self-explanatory, but few of them are crucial to avoid common mistakes made when choosing a YouTube name. Keep reading so I can explain to you what exactly do I mean by that.

 

How to pick a YouTube name?

1. Check if the name is available.

You should check the availability of your desired YouTube channel name on and outside the YouTube. That’s great news if the name is available on YouTube, but you should also consider getting a domain name for your website and creating social media profiles with the chosen name.

As one day your YouTube channel might turn into a real business and become your only source of income, this way it will be easier for you to build your brand outside the YouTube as well as to protect its name from competitors.

To check domain availability and get one for your website, visit namecheap.com or godaddy.com or any other domain registrar.

2. Make the name unique.

It is crucial to come up with a unique name for your channel.

Most likely, it will be close to impossible to find a proper one-word name for your channel, and, thus, you will have to look for two or even three-word combinations, acronyms, foreign words, random phrases, or other options to come up with a perfect brand name.

I will share tips for how to come up with great YouTube name ideas further down the article.

3. Make the name descriptive.

Your subscribers will already know who you are and what your niche is, but the rest won’t. Thus, for the audience which isn’t familiar with your content, it will be easier to get the idea of what to expect when visiting your YouTube channel.

4. Make the name easy to remember.

This one is self-explanatory. If the brand name is easy to remember, you will avoid losing traffic to your YouTube channel, website, and other social media accounts. Meaning, instead of using Google, users will go directly to accounts you’ve created for your brand.

5. Make the name easy to spell.

Again. The easier the name, the better.

For example, I couldn’t remember Marques Brownlee’s old channel name for years. I guess it was the same for others as well, and he must have noticed that. I don’t know since when, but his channel name has been changed to simply Marques Brownlee.

Please leave a comment if you know the date when the name change happened, and I will edit this article right away.

6. Ask friends for an opinion.

So you’ve decided on the name of your channel. Don’t hesitate to ask your friends or family about their opinion before you launch your channel.

Ask them what were their first thoughts and emotions after hearing the word for the first time.

Ask them the next day, if they remember the name you’ve picked. It is not that big of a deal if they don’t, but make sure to take your time and try to understand if it really is the best name for your YouTube channel.

7. Don’t skip the research part.

Check who your competitors are. Meaning check for similar names to your desired YouTube name.

If you plan to speak to an international audience, check whether your chosen name has a different meaning in another language.

Secure your chosen brand name.

For example, take a look at this blog’s name. It’s “Streamerwiz.com.” To secure my brand name, I’ve bought the domain name “Streamerwhiz.com” as well. Both “wiz” and “whiz” are close synonyms and mean the same thing. I thought it is best to own both of them.

8. Don’t use other brand names.

Don’t use or modify other brand names, but create your own instead. Impersonating someone else isn’t a long term strategy. Create a unique brand and be honest with your audience.

Technically there can and there are plenty of YouTube channels that share the same name. See it for yourself. Go to YouTube and type “Noname channel” in their search box, and you will find well over 50 YouTube channels with the same name.

9. Don’t make it too narrow for your niche.

Why do you create a YouTube channel? What are you going to talk about? Think about what topics you should cover next if you would have covered all the topics in our current niche?

If your niche is too narrow, you might run out of topics to cover at some point.

For example, if your chosen niche is photography, but you could also create content about making videos try coming up with a name that would be suitable for both of these niches.

10. Don’t make it too long.

The longer the name, the more difficult it will be for your audience to remember it.

Try to choose the name that is up to 15 characters long.

If you will try to come up with a descriptive brand name or you will use your first and last name, most likely, you will end up having a name containing two words, and it will be around 13 characters long.

Look, PewDiePie is ten characters long, Dude Perfect is 12 characters long, Ryan’s World is 12 characters long as well. All of these names sound short when you pronounce them, but actually, they’re not.

So coming up with a random name or inventing a new one is a good idea. You can use acronyms as well.

I already mentioned Marques Brownlee – his previous channel name was MKBHD, which stands for Marques K Brownlee High Definition.

11. Don’t include numbers.

Avoid possible misunderstandings and don’t include numbers in your brand name.

Imagine having a channel name “2 Is Better”. Now how would a person to whom you just told the name type this name? “2 Is Better” or “Two Is Better”? In some cases, it might be too confusing, and once again, you might lose out on traffic to your channel, website, and other social media accounts.

It seems like this company doesn’t operate anymore, but they had a particular brand name. It was “FF0000” which is a hex color code for the red color. Their full name was RED Interactive Agency, but their primary brand name was “FF0000”. A creative and odd approach.

12. Avoid socially offensive language.

Technically it is possible to have various curse names as a part of a YouTube channel name. That’s because, in other languages, these curse names might mean something which is absolutely fine for a YouTube channel name.

If you’re planning to turn your idea into a real business, you should be serious about the choice of your brand name.

Having an inappropriate channel name will make the internet audience less willing to associate themselves with you as a brand, and it might also have a negative impact on how much they are willing to share your content.

 

Should I Use My Real Name On YouTube?

It depends on why you’re planning to launch your channel and what type of videos you’re planning to create.

If you want to create and develop a new brand name or maybe to promote an existing business, then you shouldn’t use your real name on YouTube.

But if you’re planning to become an influencer on YouTube and to build the channel around yourself, probably you should include your first name in the channel name. Many YouTubers choose to use their full name, which is also an option if you feel okay revealing your last name.

Answer these questions below with yes or no:

• Do you feel okay about becoming your own brand?
• Will you be able to stop worrying about what other people think of you?
• Do you have a good sense of humor?

If your answer to all three questions was yes, then go for it – use your real name on YouTube. If not, maybe you should think of another word instead.

Either way, you will have to deal with negative comments, YouTube trolls, and people making fun of you and your content.

 

What are the best YouTube name generators?

There are several YouTube and business name generators out there. If you’ve run out of ideas for the YouTube channel name, try using an online name generator instead.

Most of the online name generators are free, but some tools offer both free and paid versions. Paid tools will allow you to see monthly search volume for keywords you’ve chosen, but it is not something you actually for the task you’re trying to accomplish.

Here is a list of the most popular name generators:

• YouTube name generator;
• SpinXO name generator for social media;
• Shopify’s business name generator.

Most tools are easy to use – just type your keyword ideas into the search box and see whether they offer any keyword combinations you could use as your brand name.

 

Alternatively, you could use thesaurus.com. Use it to locate synonyms. For example, if your chosen brand name is already taken, try replacing it by finding an appropriate synonym.

 

Best YouTube Name Ideas

Here is a list of different word types to make the naming of your YouTube channel an easier process:

• Your first and last name;
• Acronyms;
• Foreign words;
• Random letter combination;
• Random name.

Although I’ve already mentioned a couple of them in this article, let me share some additional suggestions.

Let’s begin with acronyms. If you plan on having a descriptive YouTube name, it could happen that it will contain three to four or even more words in it. In that case, it is okay to use acronyms for your YouTube name.

The only downside to this approach is that for the audience, which is not familiar with your brand, it might take longer to understand what it is that you’re doing.

Foreign names and their combinations can make a good brand name. So you’ve found yourself a great sounding word. Great! Now translate it to see what it means. If it is a common word and it won’t offend anyone, and you like it, take it.

Is using a random letter combination for your YouTube name a good idea? It is your personality and content you’re putting out that counts.

For example, look at KSI (in the picture below). He has more than 20 million YouTube subscribers. Now his channel name is KSI, but when he started, it was KSIOlajidebt.

YouTube name ideas for gamers

So you’re planning to run a gaming channel on YouTube. Do you believe one day it could become a real business? For example, a brand that reviews and recommends various gaming products? If so, then take it seriously from the very beginning.

Otherwise, your gaming channel’s name could be something ridiculous, witty, and funny.

For example, you plan to stream your FIFA gameplay only. Maybe your channel’s name could be Waterboy? Or if you’re playing racing games, only why not name your channel Pizza Delivery? Imagine how would the ones you left behind feel.

If you’re there just to have fun, have fun. If you’re in for a business, try thinking long term.

YouTube name ideas for best friends and couples

The most obvious approach is to try and combine your first or last names into one name.

But then again, ask others how does the name sound to them. If they still can remember the name day later, just go for it.

YouTube name ideas for family

I find it awesome for the family to be able to come together to create content. It’s about spending quality time together, learning and growing as a team and individually.

Try using either of the methods to come up with a name for your family’s YouTube channel:

• Combine your first name letters;
• Use some inside joke as an idea for the name;
• Use your pets name;
• Use a word that is written backward.

Make it a fun process, and your family’s YouTube name will be awesome.

 

Extra Tips And Tricks For Choosing YouTube Name

You’ve already learned a lot, but there are a few extra things I would like to mention:

• Avoid adding unnecessary prefixes or suffixes to your YouTube name;
• Meet the requirements and request a custom URL for YouTube;
• Create a scoring method for evaluating possible YouTube names;

Don’t overcomplicate things if you don’t need to. Adding prefixes and suffixes will increase your YouTube and domain name length. Although if the root of a word is short, adding prefixes and suffixes might do just fine.

For example, look at Grammarly.com (best online grammar checker). They added a suffix to a word grammar. Easy as that! Their newly created brand name looks and sounds flawless.

You can’t have a custom URL for your YouTube channel the second you’ve created your account.

To have a custom URL for your channel needs to:

• have at least 100 subscribers;
• be at least 30 days old;
• have a channel icon;
• have channel art.

To decide on the best YouTube name create a scoring method. Something like this below.

Name	Preference	Appearance	Sound	Availability	Total
YouTube name 1	5	4	5	4	18
YouTube name 2	4	5	4	3	16
YouTube name 3	3	3	3	5	14

 

You can add extra columns if you want to. For example, if you will ask friends for their opinion, you could include their scoring in the table as well.

 

What’s next?

Its time to choose a perfect YouTube name!

Now you know several strategies on how to pick a YouTube name, and it is time to put it all together.

Try choosing a YouTube name that will stick with your audience. I believe it is best to go for a descriptive name, but you can also use your first and last name or modify it somehow.

Don’t be a copycat and think of something unique. The more unique your chosen name will be, the higher the chances of getting a free domain name will be.

Remember to secure your YouTube name – buy a domain name and create Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and other social media accounts.

So I wish you good luck and see you on YouTube!