17 Social Media Handle Ideas When Your Name Is Taken

Social media is an important part of being in business because tons of people use social platforms. To illustrate, Facebook reported 2.45 billion monthly active users (MAU) in its 2019 3rd quarter report. Twitter has a monetizable daily active usage (mDAU) of 145 million as of its 3rd quarter of 2019. Not to mention, there are many more social networks like YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, etc.

Everyone hopes to use the name they want when creating profiles on social media platforms. But what do you do when your business name or desired handle isn’t available? Read on to learn about some creative social media handle ideas.

The growth of social media is staggering, so it’s no surprise that getting the name you want can be difficult. Thankfully, there are other options to consider.

Let’s look at a few hacks or ways to come up with great social media handles even if your desired name is taken.

1. Use Your First or Last Name

You can use your first and/or last name if self-employed or perhaps, the business is tied to your name (e.g. personal brand).

@Cristiano (Cristiano Ronaldo Twitter)
@BarackObama (Barack Obama)
@MichaelKors (Michael Kors)
@ladygaga (Lady Gaga)
@ArianaGrande (Ariana Grande)

2. Add an Acronym or Job Title

You can add an acronym related to what you do if the social media handle you want is taken.

@MSNBCPR (MSNBC Public Relations)
@beaniessheff (Beanies Wholefoods)
@AMAnet (American Management Association)
@SMExaminer (Social Media Examiner)

3. Shorten Your Name

Shortening your name can be great, especially when it’s too long to remember, or more difficult to type in.

@leomessi (Lionel Messi)
@jlo (Jennifer Lopez)

4. Add “the” in Front of Your Social Media Handle

Try using “the” at the beginning of your name. This works great with both business and personal accounts.

@TheRickWilson (Rick Wilson)
@TheEllenShow (Ellen DeGeneres)
@TheRoot (The Root)
@TheRookSTARZ (The Rook)
@TheBrimstonePR (Brimstone Services)

5. Use Your Initials

Consider using initials instead of your name, but keep in mind that some people may have a hard time finding you.

@CR (Conservative Review)
@aplusk (Ashton Kutcher)
@kellyalovell (Kelly A Lovell)
@joshk (Josh Kopelman)
@ttindia (The Telegraph India)

6. Use “I am”

Somehow adding “I am” in front of your name just feels right.

@iambangalee (D’banj)
@iamsteveharveytv (Steve Harvey)
@iamyvonnejegede (Yvonne Jegede)
@iambeckyg (Becky G)
@iamreginaking (Regina King)

7. Use “this is”

Using “this is” to introduce your social media profile or business.

@ThisisDavina (Davina McCall)
@ThisIsSethsBlog (Seth Godin)
@thisisLANY (LANY)
@thisisinsider (Insider)
@ThisIsRobThomas (Rob Thomas)

8. Use “HQ”

This is a nice hack when it makes sense. HQ is the universal symbol of headquarters and can be used whenever your business name is already taken.

@SatmarHQ (Satmar Headquarters)
@SlackHQ (Slack)
@CBSSportsHQ (CBS Sports HQ)
@PFEW_HQ (Police Federation)
@Maserati_HQ (Maserati)
@Sports_HQ (Sports Motivation)

9. Let Them Know You’re the “Real” Deal

This is often a good idea when you’re well known.

@RealCandaceO (Candace Owens)
@realDailyWire (The Daily Wire)
@TheRealDratch (Rachel Dratch)
@RealMattlanta (Matt Chernoff)
@RealKenBruce (Ken Bruce)

10. “Ask”

You can use “ask” right before your name. It’s a nice hack for consultants, doctors, lawyers, or any other profession that involves giving advice.

@askdrgraf (Dr. Jeannette Graf, MD)
@askdrho (Elise Ho)
@askdrnandi (Partha Nandi)
@askaviarya (Avi Arya)

11. Use “Inc” At the End of Your Name

This is a good idea if you run a corporation and it can make your business seem more professional.

@bestow_inc (Bestow)
@Gartner_inc (Gartner)
@CaterpillarInc (Caterpillar)

12. Use Mr. or Ms. or Mrs. or Miss.

This one lets you keep your name and it works well for personal brands. Though not the best idea for corporations.

@MrJonesEdition (Alexander Jones)
@mrkenanderson (Mr Ken Anderson)
@mrjakehumphrey (Jake Humphrey)
@MrAlanSpencer (Alan Spencer)
@MrAdamBryan (Adam Bryan)
@MrJamesMay (James May)

Here are some examples or Mrs., Miss., and Ms. in use.

@MrsGiFletcher (Giovanna Fletcher)
@MrsAnneTwist (Mama Twist)
@MsAnitaWilson (Anita M. Wilson)
@MrsSOsbourne (Sharon Osbourne)
@MissKatiePrice (Katie Price)
@missnemmanuel (Nathalie Emmanuel)

13. “Labs” for Innovation

You can use “labs” If you’re creating something innovative/cool or are in the creative business such as web development.

@NianticLabs (Niantic, Inc.)
@HPE_labs (Hewlett Packard Labs)
@FastCoLabs (FastCoLabs)
@openlivinglabs (ENoLL)
@IntelLabs (Intel® Labs)
@EricssonLabs (Ericsson Research)
@YahooLabs (Yahoo Labs)

14. Use Your Domain Name

You won’t be able to use the dot in your handle on Twitter, however, Instagram alongside a variety of other networks do allow it. Using your domain name makes it easy for consumers to remember your website address, whether you choose to use the dot or not.

@realagentscom (RealAgents.com)
@datingcom (Dating.com)
@investingcom (Investing.com)

15. Imply Regular Updates

You can use words like “daily”, “tonight”, and “nightly” before or after your name. Just make sure you’re regularly updating your account as the name suggests.

@dailyecho_jj (James Johnson)
@dailymuse (The Muse)
@DailyLuca (Pancho Bernasconi)
@DailyKeller (Tim Keller Wisdom)
@DailyJill (Jill Bennett)

16. Use “Try” Before Your Name

Using “try” right before your name isn’t just a good handle idea but also serves as a call-to-action (CTA).

@TryIgnition (Ignition App)
@tryscroll (Scroll)
@try_osmc (OSMC)
@trylolli (Lolli)
@TryEnerC (Ener-C)

17. Use a Location

If relevant, you can use your location.

@TimeOutLondon (Time Out London)
@JoeMurphyLondon (Joe Murphy)
@VirginAustralia (Virgin Australia)
@NPGLondon (National Portrait Gallery)
@OttawaReporter (Kathleen Harris)

Tips for Selecting the Perfect Social Media Handle

Now that you’ve seen plenty of examples, here are some additional tips for choosing a great handle.

• Use a free social media handle generator for ideas. There are plenty of free username generators online such as the one from Jimpix or BNG.
• Keep your social media handle short and simple so that people can easily remember it.
• Avoid using underscores if possible. Consumers are less likely to remember or type in social media handles with underscores.
• Use a name that appeals to the target audience. Your social media handle is something that you’ll be using for a long time so, it should also make business sense.
• Make it unique. You can more easily brand something that’s unique.
• Ensure your social media handle is consistent across platforms. You can use Namecheckr or a similar tool to check username availability across social networks.

Do you have any social media handle tips or ideas of your own? Don’t be shy, let us know in the comments.