Coming up with a GitHub username

Hey everyone,

I’m having a hard time creating a username for my GitHub account as all the versions of my name have already been taken. We can thank my parents for giving me a traditional name for that one. I delayed making a decision for as long as possible hoping my subconscious would think of something. However, I’ve arrived at the Git and GitHub module of the Front-End course so I can’t put it off any longer.

Initially, I thought of using a cat-related play on words for my username. My cat has been my constant companion while studying, snoozing next to me as I work, sprawling herself out on my desk and keyboard, and reminding me to take breaks when she wakes up hungry. I even included her in some artwork for my portfolio. However, any ideas I’ve come up with so far seem to be too casual for a professional account.

I’m at a loss now and unsure how to proceed. Have any of you faced a similar situation when creating your GitHub account? Do you have any suggestions on how to come up with a good username that fits these criteria? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Unfortunately, I have never encountered this problem; my name and other methodologies for creating a username are unique. However, if you plan on using GitHub professionally, it is recommended that your username should also be professional. If you feel the ideas you have created are too casual, then they probably are.

If your full name (including your middle name) is common, try using variations of initializing. For example, if my name was Jane Lee Doe, I could use JLDoe, JaneLD, JLeeD, etc. If your name is super common and all variations are taken, you could use numbers or an ending like “.codes”

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Thank you for your help! I had been overthinking this decision for a while. I sympathise with the kids of today - they will have a much harder task when they grow up and find we’ve taken all the usernames.

I did something silly, but it worked for me. I typed my name in ChatGPT and asked for combinations that could work as GitHub usernames. Once I had a shortlist, I cross-checked these options with a username checker to ensure availability across different platforms like GitHub, LinkedIn, and the like. Miraculously, I found a suitable username!

I was so surprised that I did a quick Google search to make sure there weren’t any sketchy associations Luckily, there isn’t - all the results were related to codes for Charlotte Tilbury products. A concession I can live with if it means I can now move on and actually use my GitHub!