Having a good cosplay name can help you distinguish yourself from others! But whether you’re new to cosplaying for your social media, or you’re looking to change your current username, figuring out a new handle for yourself can be difficult.
Well not to worry, Senpai is here to help!
In this post, I will discuss 9 creative ways to pick a cosplay name for yourself! Here they are:
1. A wordplay on your name.
In my opinion, this is the best way to pick cosplay usernames. Deciding on a nickname that’s related to your real name is a great and fun way to invoke some personality into your handle. For example, anyone can be a Senpai or Chan, but not everyone can be Roger Senpai (get it?). It’s even easier if you have a unique first or last name.
Here are some examples:
“A play on my last name Farr. People often call me ferocious lolol”
“Since my actual name is Anna, my childhood nickname was Anna banana, so I merged the two words together into ban(anna) and Phan is my last name so I just slapped that on haha”
“(Nici) rhymes (with tzatziki). And I really like Zaziki/Tzatziki.”
Nickycosplays
“Because my name is Nicky and I cosplay xD”
“I rearranged the letters of my first name (Janine).”
2. Naming yourself after your favorite video game/Anime/movie.
Many cosplayers name themselves after a particular video game, Anime or movie they love. Often they’ll use witty references to the fandom, which is really cool to fans of the series.
However, I personally don’t suggest naming yourself from a particular series. Why?
Although you might love a particular game or Anime so much, I feel like it pigeon-holes you into having to cosplay from that series all the time. On top of that, it makes your followers feel like that’s the only thing you cosplay. For example, I love StarCraft but if I were to name myself MyLifeForAiur Cosplay, I feel like it would turn off a lot of cosplayers who aren’t into video games or people who don’t like Blizzard.
That being said, if you love a game or Anime so much, don’t let me stop you from picking a cosplay name related to that! So if you name yourself Uchiha.chan, just be sure to cosplay a variety of characters from different fandoms so your followers don’t think you only cosplay from Naruto.
Here are some examples of cosplay usernames based on fandoms:
“I stole Astoria off a Marianas Trench album lol before that I was clouded cosplay as a psychopass reference since I’m sure my hue would come up cloudy lol, but Astoria was just more memorable and distinctive than clouded.”
InnocentSorrow
“D.Gray-Man opening and also one of my fave Abingdon Boys School songs”
“My first screenname was bluedragonx, based on three things I like.
SeiryuuX is the Japanese version of that name, which also ties into the Chinese/Japanese legend of the Four Gods of China/Kyoto
I added Persona to that due to my love of the RPG series.
And thus SeiryuuX Persona Cosplay was born.”
“Back in 2001, I began using the Internet and my dad made a username, “smzeldarules” (pronounced “S.M. Zelda Rules”) and I loved it so much that I kept using it. I was the first Lana from Hyrule Warriors cosplayer and got super viral, and I’m so honored a lot of those fans and friends from then have stayed with me since, because I’m still and always will be a huge noob LOL!”
“I call myself Vasariarmada on Instagram as a homage to the Vasari race from Sins of a Solar Empire.”
3. Unique features you have.
Everyone is special in their own way. Whether you have physical features that are unique, or you have something that you cherish, why not flesh it out in your cosplay name?
Some ideas:
- Your heritage
- Zodiac sign
- Physical traits (e.g. eye color, hair color, short/tall)
- Your job or career
- Something you’re good at
Here are some examples of cosplay usernames based on what makes them special:
“I took my annual Bluebonnet pix in cosplay! That, what’s more Texan than that?”
“Niishin mean “Good” in my language and culture and wanted to incorporate it so its translates to Niishin Cosplay aka (good cosplay) lol”
“I chose Reiyume by putting two names/words together. Rei is the name of one of my favourite anime characters, Sailor Mars and one of the variation symbolic meanings of the name is ‘beautiful’. Yume is the Japanese word for dream, hence ‘beautiful dream’. As for my cosplay ‘last name’ being Chibi, this is the Japanese word for short, short stuff etc. And I chose it because I’m 4’11 and tiny lol so that’s Reiyume Chibi which is pronounced as ray-u-me chee-bee! I have never changed my cosplay name and still love it ❤️”
Resident Ginger
“When I started cosplay, I only did gingers (my natural hair is red). Thus resident ginger was born.”
“I’m Russian and I wanna spread like a virus lol”
“My cosplay name is the mandarin pronunciation of “rabbit”, basically went with that cuz bunny’s are cute and “tutu” just sounded friendly somehow :p
Another fact is that I’m born in the year of rabbits so it’s not neko but tutu (●´ω｀●) Tbh people around me even my family members calls me tutu too, it used to be a nickname and I just use it as my cosplay name :p”
4. Kawaii-Desu!
Listen here. We’re all Weebs to a certain extent. So if you decide to make a cosplay name that sounds totally Japanese, then I have no issues with that! I’m sure a lot of us are in love with everything that comes out of Japan. So when thinking of cosplay usernames, go ahead and embrace your inner Weeaboo!
Here are some examples of cosplay names that are Super Kawaii Desu that’ll make your heart go Doki-doki:
Aidoll Cosplay
“My Cosplay name is “Aidoll”. I chose it because I love Idols and I want show my love/”ai” of Idols and spread joy during any performance that I do :). I also like it because I can use the pun “Aidoll Shenanigans” when I post silly stuff :3
“Mine is Mayday Mia Onee-Sama and it came around because a friend of mine who was new to cosplay kept calling me his big sister in the community. And it’s funny to me; most people who see me think I’m a younger than I am due to my height.”
Trashypandacosplay
“My taste in Anime and waifus were terrible. Trash like.”
5. Something cute or funny
Picking cosplay usernames doesn’t have to be so serious. Just have fun with the name!
If anything, having a cute/funny/outrageous cosplay name brings out more of your personality. And I feel like on social media, having an account that your followers can relate to personally is what will make you stand out!
Here are some examples of cute/funny cosplay usernames:
“Mine is ChompersCosplay. Chompers as it was actually the name the mean kids used to call me in school because I had such horrible teeth (until I got braces). So I use it as my gamer tags & cosplay name to take ownership of it and make it a positive memory for me now.”
“We went to see a production of Animal Farm and my husband decided that he I reminded him of the murderous chicken and called me murder chicken for weeks. So it became my cosplay name because it actually is a awesome nickname.”
“I like space and I like butts. Then I got a butt and it’s outta this world.”
“I was making a character in Star Wars the Old Republic with the name sadlife but it was already taken so I changed the “i” to a “y”. That was also taken so I added another “e” to the end to make it work. Ever since I just stuck to Sadlyfee. This is also sometimes taken so I do Sadlyfree or Sadlyfae. One of my friends calls me Sad Lady haha. People just refer to me as Sadly xdd It was just one big joke.”
And of course, there’s one more way to come up with a cosplay name…
6. A reference to something cool
If you’re a witty person like me, then you’d love to make references to something and look cool doing it. Whether it’s a TV show, Anime, or video game, then you can make a reference that only people who have watched, would know!
Here are a few examples from my friend’s list:
- Sailor Blondie (referencing Sailor Moon)
- Darth Claire (referring to Darth Vader from Star Wars)
- Kobaebeefboo (who doesn’t love Kobe beef?)
So if there’s a really cool line from a show or video game that you like, then go ahead and use that as part of your cosplay name. Again, just like the favorite video game section, there’s a chance that people will pigeon hole you into only being that part of the fandom. But if you love it enough, then it doesn’t matter!
PS Here are a few names I can think of (can you guess where these are from?)
Looking Cool Joker!
Hokage (insert your first name here)
The Legend of Senpai
7. Using your old username from when you were a kid
I guess this doesn’t really apply if you are a Gen Z, since you probably won’t be old enough for this category. But if you’re a millennial and remember the dial-up days and remember using weird usernames for online games like StarCraft and World of Warcraft. Or that anonymous username you used to log onto chat boards and MSN Messenger, then you know what I’m talking about!
Why not pay homage to those glory days by using that same username you had 20-30 years ago? It would be a reference to your true self and how you’ve come in life!
Here are some examples:
- Perfect Agent Senpai (Perfect Dark was one of my favorite games as a kid, and being a Perfect Agent is one of the achievements in the game. Although if I used that name now, no one would know what I’m talking about. But back then, everyone knew it was from Perfect Dark. Maybe I should bring it back one day. 🙂
- Kamui Cosplay
- SMZeldaRules
According to her newsfeed, the famous Kamui Cosplay got her name from a manga from 1999! And she used that name for her World of Warcraft account.
8. Something that rhymes
You don’t have to be a rapper in order to come up with a name that rhymes. I think a name that rhymes is great for a cosplay name! Not only does it sound catchy, but it also makes your name a lot easier to remember.
Here are a few examples:
- Cookienookie
- Paradoxiefoxiecosplay
- Milkyminty
- Yayjaybae
9. Using your real name
If you plan on becoming a public figure or professional cosplayer in the future, perhaps you may want to consider using your real name! I know a couple of professional figures who use their real name for professional reasons, and it helps them on the business side of things. However, if you care about security and want to keep your personal information more confidential, then don’t use your real name.
Here are a few cosplayers that use their real name:
- Alodia Gosiengfiao
- Ginny Di
- Jessica Nigri
- Leon Chiro (I think that’s his real name?)
- Marie-Claude Bourbonnais
Summary
To sum it up, here are 9 ways to come up with a cosplay name:
- A wordplay on your name.
- Naming yourself after your favorite video game/Anime/movie.
- Unique features you have.
- Kawaii-Desu!
- Something cute or funny
- A reference to something cool
- Using your old username from when you were a kid
- Something that rhymes
- Your real name
There you have it – 9 creative ways to come up with a cosplay name! If you enjoyed this post, you may like these other posts I’ve made:
- Is it bad to lobbycon?
- What do cosplays do for a living? Here are 10 interesting gigs that cosplayers have!
- How to buy/sell used cosplay for sale (save money!)
What cosplay name do you have and why? Let me know in the comments!
My name is Roger Senpai. I’m a cosplayer that’s been in the community for well over a decade now. I’ve traveled all over the world to Anime and Comic conventions and hosted my own cosplay events. Now I’m writing articles for new and experienced cosplayers like you to help inspire, save you money and improve your cosplays!
