If you’re a teenager setting up an Instagram account, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is choosing your username. You’ll likely want something unique, but you don’t want something too out of the ordinary or irrelevant because you want people to remember it easily, as you may rely on this as your personal or professional brand. Additionally, you want to be cognizant of the fact that your public social media profiles and any content you post on the internet can likely be traced back to you, so you should be mindful of the perception and reputation you want to conjure up with the name and content you choose. While choosing the perfect username isn’t a black-and-white decision, the below Instagram username ideas for teens can help you start your social media account off on the best foot possible.
The Perfect Instagram Username
To choose the right username for Instagram, where should you start? This largely depends on your goal for your social media account, which is the first decision you’ll need to make: What is your purpose with this account? Is it a personal friends and family only account, a public-facing business account, or another type of more professional account surrounding your achievements or career pursuits? Once you determine the type of account you’d like to create, you can consider the following tips:
- Consider the planned content of the site, meaning whether you’re going to be posting pet pics, travel content, or educational tips surrounding your talent or area of expertise, like study tips or sightreading tutorials. Simply put, cool usernames may be tempting, but if they don’t match the content of your site, they’re likely to hinder discoverability and limit the number of viewers and followers in your desired target audience who will find your account.
- Consider search engine optimization (SEO) rules. Try to add a word in your username that makes it easy to pick up by people searching for your particular product or service specific to your planned content. While you want a unique Instagram name, it really is the first impression and biggest branding tool that may attract or repel your ideal followers. The more relevant the keywords included in your Instagram name, the more likely you’ll benefit from organic growth of Instagram followers who are searching for similar content.
- Try to have the username match the name on your other social media sites, and this might mean making all of these sites include part of your name, your real name (it could just be your first name, combined with a relevant personal fact or interest), or your full name if you’ve self-branded your other social profiles. In other words, your Instagram name should resemble the username on your other accounts, including Facebook, TikTok, and your YouTube account, assuming you have those and plan to make the Instagram account an extension of the same brand. It’s even better if you can make an email address that matches this name and applies to all your social profiles, thus cementing your cohesive personal brand.
- Make the username memorable. Naturally, a funny or cute username satisfies this requirement to some degree, but you don’t want to get overly verbose or complex by over-doing the inside jokes or choosing a name that will only be funny or trendy for a short time. Bluntly put, you should concentrate on choosing something that isn’t too complicated, long, or weird. Just choose something adorable but appropriate and simple to remember that aligns with your desired brand and goals for the profile, which may be a future business podcast, a beauty account, or a pet profile.
- Use some type of username generator. An Instagram name generator is a huge help, and other name generators include Lingojam, SpinXO, and Jimpix, to name a few. An intelligent username generator lets you input your preferred topic or keywords, while also amplifying the options and creativity at your fingertips, and this is no different than choosing a website or business name.
It can be frustrating if you find a classy username and start filling up your account with content, only to think of another, even better username after a while. Since the best Instagram usernames may not come to you immediately, you might want to take your time coming up with yours, as thoughtful names take time, and if you plan to use this Instagram account for business, a profession, or the long-term, it will be worth the time planning your branding. If you’re coming up short on ideas, you can get your creative juices going by writing down adjectives and other words that describe your Instagram site, then review those words or attempt to combine them, or else put them into one of the aforementioned Instagram name generators for a larger list of thoughtful Instagram names that meet your chosen criteria.
What Type of Username Should You Choose?
One of the things you’ll notice first when thinking up a username for your Instagram site is that there are numerous types of names. You can create a stylish username to match a beauty or fashion-focused account, a creative name if you’re an aspiring music or visual artist, or a very interesting name for a miscellaneous account. The better you know your site and what you want it to say, the easier it will be to come up with the perfect username, whether that’s one that promotes your gaming profile or your comedy YouTube channel.
This brings us to another scenario – what you should do if you discover that someone else already has your username. This situation can be very frustrating and disappointing, but coming up with additional creative username ideas isn’t difficult to do. There are different ways to choose another username if this happens, and one option is to change the name up just a tad. In other words, if you want “silkblouse” for a username but it’s already taken, you can choose “silkyblouse” or “silkblouse2” instead.
Of course, Instagram has the option of changing your username later on if you wish. But let’s face it, if you choose a name that makes a good impression on people and you’re gaining followers on a regular basis, why mess with success? There is more than one good Instagram name for your site, so don’t just assume you can’t use a variation of another person’s username if that’s what you wish to do. There are tons of usernames available to you; all you have to do is put your thinking cap on to find the one that’s right for you.
Of course, as a teenager, it’s easy to assume the best username ideas are those that follow high school fads or current media trends, but the better strategy if you plan to maintain your social media profile for the long-term and possibly turn it into something you can monetize in the future, is to be more business-minded with your choice. Consider what impression you want potential customers, family members, and target new followers to get when they read your name. Random usernames will only make promoting your business and attracting target followers more difficult, which is already an uphill battle given the competitive and crowded nature of social media platforms like Instagram these days.
Some Fun Examples
To be sure, the best way to come up with a good username for any of your social networks, including Instagram, is to be yourself and make the name personal to you. Whether your account is about RVs, beauty tips, animals, or your unique hobby, you need to decide on the right name for you. Below are some suggestions if you’re trying to find a good name for your account. Let’s start with usernames that are funny and relevant to a specific topic:
- Hairypoppins (for a hair-related account)
- LaughTilYouPee (for a comedy account)
- ACollectionOfCells (for a science or chemistry-related account)
As far as cute usernames go that also lean into a certain type of content, here are some suggestions for you:
- CuteAsDucks (for an account about ducks or birds)
- AlienBrain (for an alien or outer space-related account)
- SugarMama (for an account about making money as a woman)
- BlueCobras (for a snake account)
- BunnyPassion (for an account about rabbit care)
- CherryPicked (for an account about cherry recipes)
- CrazyCatLady (for a cat account)
- UFOBeliever (for a UFO-related account)
How about a unique username idea that plays off well-known products or brands? Well, here is more than one of these for you to consider:
- FizzySodas (for a carbonated beverage-reviewing account or one planning to create their own future soda product)
- HogwartsFailure (for an account dissecting and analyzing Harry Potter or sharing funny wizard or magic-related content, like magic trick fails)
- SeekingConnection (for an account teaching about relationship tips)
- BabyBuggaBoo (for an account reviewing baby swaddles and other gear for babies and toddlers)
As you compose your Instagram bio, you might unintentionally come up with a unique username simply by jotting down that information, so this might be a creative way to work backwards, rather than wracking your brain for the perfect name. Coming up with a username doesn’t have to be difficult, and you can make it easier on yourself by following some of the tips mentioned in this article.
Name vs. Username
Indeed, if you look at the Instagram handle and content of most users, you’ll find a touch of their personality and what makes them so special hidden inside of their names, though much of their success will stem from the content they produce and the frequency with which they post. Point being, picking a new username may feel important, but it’s nowhere near as critical as choosing the type of content you want to create, identifying your purpose for the account and your ideal target market, and creating a posting schedule to ensure you treat the account like a long-term digital asset.
You should also keep in mind that most popular social media platforms have formatting rules when it comes to your username, and Instagram is no different. If you still can’t think of anything that sounds good, ask yourself the following questions about the names you’re considering:
- Does it stand out?
- Does it complement the content in my posts?
- Does it have an interesting word combination?
- Does it exemplify my passion and specific interests?
- Is it easy for other users to remember?
When you put all of these things together, it should be much easier to come up with a username that fits you perfectly.
Conclusion
If you’ve chosen Instagram as your main social platform, be thoughtful about planning out exactly what you’ll be using this account for, your short-term and long-term goals with it, and a content style and posting schedule to ensure you’re strategically building something that won’t just pitter out. The more purposeful and thoughtful you are about crafting your social media – from the list of Instagram usernames you consider to the pre-planned content you produce and schedule – the more likely you’ll shift from making social media a hobby into a habit, a discipline, and even a revenue-generating entrepreneurial endeavor.
Along those lines, you don’t necessarily need to complicate this process by stressing too much over the most memorable name. Instead, the best strategy is to incorporate related keywords, possibly a few personal facts (like your real name) if you’re the face of the account, and a bit of stylish or funny flair to make it stand out. These considerations should have helped you sort through an array of potential Instagram username ideas for teens, now equipped with the knowledge and foresight most teens on social media lack. Remember, Instagram can be your professional calling card, industry resume, or just a fun place to share pictures with your best friend, but you should be decisive ahead of time so you set yourself up for the best things social media has to offer.