Reddit Username Generator

What is the Reddit Username Generator?

The Reddit Username Generator is a free tool that suggests twelve Reddit usernames from your name or interests. Every suggestion fits Reddit's rules: 3 to 20 characters of letters, numbers, underscores and hyphens. Pick Simple, Funny, Anonymous or Professional, and list any words you want kept out of the name.

How to use the Reddit Username Generator

1. In Your name or interests, enter a name or a few things you like, such as coffee, cycling and indie games.
2. Pick a Style. Anonymous keeps your real name, place and age out of every suggestion.
3. Add Words to leave out if there is anything you do not want in the name.
4. Press Generate usernames and read the twelve suggestions.
5. Press Copy on the one you like, then pick it when you sign up. Reddit tells you there if it is taken.

Can you change your Reddit username?

No. A Reddit username is permanent once the account is created; the only way to get a different one is a new account, which starts again from zero karma. That makes the choice worth a minute's thought, because the name sits next to every post and comment you will ever make.

What you can change is your display name, which shows on your profile page. If you want a name you can change later, set a display name and keep the username plain.

When you sign up, Reddit offers a generated name, usually two words and a number. You can replace it with your own before you finish, but not afterwards, so have one ready before you start.

What makes a good Reddit username?

One you are happy to see next to everything you write. Most long-standing Reddit names are short, easy to read aloud, and say something about an interest or a sense of humour. Reddit is a pseudonymous site, and many people keep it that way on purpose, so a name that gives nothing away is normal rather than suspicious.

A few patterns work well. Two words that belong together, such as an interest and an object. A pun on something you like. A word from your field with a twist. What tends to work badly is a long run of numbers, which reads like a throwaway account, or a name so close to a brand that people assume you speak for it.

Say it out loud and type it once. If either is awkward, keep looking.

Personal account or brand account?

For a personal account, keep it anonymous: no real name, no city, no birth year. People on Reddit share things they would not put on a public profile, and a name that links back to you makes that harder. Pick the Anonymous style to get names built around your interests instead.

For a brand or work account, do the opposite and use the brand name, so people know who is talking. Reddit users are quick to spot a company posing as a customer, and it goes down badly when they do. An openly labelled brand account that answers questions honestly is trusted far more. Pick the Professional style and put the brand name in Your name or interests.

Many people also keep a second, throwaway account for questions they would rather not tie to their main one, such as health, money or work. That is accepted on Reddit, but many subreddits restrict brand-new accounts through AutoMod, so a throwaway may not be able to post everywhere straight away. Give it a name as forgettable as you like; nobody expects a throwaway to say anything about its owner.

What are Reddit's username rules?

A username has to be between 3 and 20 characters and can use letters, numbers, underscores and hyphens. Spaces and other symbols are not allowed, and usernames are not case-sensitive for availability, so if TeaAndBikes is taken, so is teaandbikes. Every suggestion here is checked against these rules before you see it.

Whether a name is free can only be confirmed at signup, because availability changes constantly and names from deleted accounts are never released. If your favourite is taken, a small change often works: an underscore between the words, a different word order, or a synonym.