Picking a YouTube channel name (and checking if it's taken)

Match the name to your niche — loosely

Gaming, lifestyle and blogging channels dominate YouTube, which is why NamesYouLove has dedicated Gamer, Blogger and YouTube channel categories plus Video game and Lifestyle themes. Pick the combination that matches your content, but avoid names so narrow that you can't expand later ("MinecraftMondays" is hard to keep if you switch games).

Understand YouTube handle rules

Every channel has a unique @handle. Handles must be 3–30 characters and can include letters, numbers, periods, underscores and hyphens. NamesYouLove turns each generated name into a handle-friendly version automatically.

• ✦ Shorter handles are easier to mention in videos.
• ✦ Avoid look-alike characters such as l and 1.
• ✦ Keep your handle consistent with your other social accounts.

Use the Check YouTube button

Press Check YouTube on any result to see whether a channel already uses that @handle. The check is unofficial and can be wrong, so treat a green result as a strong hint and confirm it inside YouTube Studio when you create your channel.