Username scarcity index: how many short handles are left?
Everyone says short usernames are gone. We wanted a number, and a way to watch it change. Each month we check the same fixed list of names on the same 10 big platforms with our own engine and publish how many are taken.
4-letter names
72%
taken on average
5-letter names
32%
taken on average
Common words
82%
taken on average
Random 5-letter names already taken, by platform
Run October 26, 2026 · Download the CSV (CC BY 4.0)
Results by platform
Taken is the share of names with a clear answer that already had a public profile. Unclear answers are counted separately and left out of the percentage.
| Platform | 4-letter names taken | 5-letter names taken | Common words taken |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 78.4% (40 of 51), 49 unclear | 21.5% (17 of 79), 21 unclear | 64.3% (27 of 42), 8 unclear |
| Twitch | 0% (0 of 1), 99 unclear | 0% (0 of 52), 48 unclear | 50% (2 of 4), 46 unclear |
| Roblox | 100% (100 of 100) | 100% (98 of 98), 2 unclear | 100% (43 of 43), 7 unclear |
| 87.8% (43 of 49), 51 unclear | 16.7% (10 of 60), 40 unclear | 100% (42 of 42), 8 unclear | |
| GitHub | 90% (90 of 100) | 16.3% (16 of 98), 2 unclear | 97.7% (42 of 43), 7 unclear |
| Bluesky | 62% (62 of 100) | 8.3% (8 of 96), 4 unclear | 93% (40 of 43), 7 unclear |
| Snapchat | 25% (25 of 100) | 36.8% (35 of 95), 5 unclear | 76.7% (33 of 43), 7 unclear |
| Steam | 62% (62 of 100) | 10.2% (10 of 98), 2 unclear | 95.3% (41 of 43), 7 unclear |
| X | n/a (too short) | 60.2% (59 of 98), 2 unclear | 90.9% (40 of 44), 6 unclear |
| Telegram | n/a (too short) | 16.2% (16 of 99), 1 unclear | 22% (9 of 41), 9 unclear |
What we found in the first run
- Roblox has no random 4-letter names left. All 100 we tested were taken, and every random 5-letter name that got a clear answer was taken too.
- Five letters is where platforms split. About 60% of random 5-letter names were taken on X, but only 8% on Bluesky and 10% on Steam. On the newer or less crowded networks, a short handle is still realistic.
- Common words are nearly all gone. On average 82% of plain English words like "river" or "falcon" were taken, and 100% on Roblox and Pinterest. Telegram was the exception at 22%.
- One extra letter changes everything. Taken shares fell from 72% for 4 letters to 32% for 5 letters on average.
What this means if you want a short handle
- Want 4 letters? Look at newer networks, and check them early. Bluesky and Steam still had about 4 in 10 random 4-letter names free.
- Skip plain words. Add a second word or a short suffix. Our username generator builds those and checks them in one click.
- Check everywhere before you commit. A name free on one platform is often gone on another. Run a full username search before you print it anywhere.
Method
- Names: 100 random 4-letter strings and 100 random 5-letter strings (letters a-z, fixed seeds), plus 50 common English words of 5-7 letters. The list never changes.
- Platforms: 10 major platforms whose check passed our nightly test on the first run date: X, YouTube, Twitch, Roblox, Pinterest, GitHub, Bluesky, Telegram, Snapchat and Steam.
- How: our own engine, the same one behind the site search, one name at a time with pauses, from our server. Run date: October 26, 2026.
- Taken: a public profile answered for that exact name. Free: the platform said no such profile.
Limitations
- Taken means a public profile exists. It may be inactive, and some platforms release inactive names.
- Free doesn't mean you can register it: reserved and banned names look free from outside.
- Some platforms don't give a clear answer for short names (Twitch, for example). Those show as unclear and are left out of the percentages rather than guessed.
- Twitch is left out of the averages and chart: in this run it gave no clear answer for most names (99 of 100 random 4-letter names). Its raw counts are in the table and the CSV.
- YouTube and Pinterest gave unclear answers for about half the 4-letter names, so those two percentages rest on about 50 names each.
- One run from one server. The trend becomes meaningful after a few months.
Changelog
- October 26, 2026: monthly run (first run, page launched).
- Written by David James. Next run: early November 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Are these real people's usernames?
No. The 4- and 5-letter names are random strings made by a fixed seed, and the rest are common English words. We never test names that people searched on our site.
Why the same names every month?
So the numbers can be compared. If the share of taken 5-letter names on a platform goes up next month, it is because more of those exact names were registered, not because we picked different ones.
Why are some platforms missing from a group?
A platform is skipped for names shorter than its minimum length. X and Telegram need at least 5 characters, so they have no 4-letter results.
What does "unclear" mean?
The platform blocked the check or gave an answer our engine could not read. Unclear results are left out of the percentages.
Can a name show as free but still be unavailable?
Yes. Platforms reserve names, hold names from banned or deleted accounts and hide private profiles. Free here means no public profile answered.
Related tools and guides
- Digital footprint checker
- Reverse username lookup
- OSINT username search
- Name checker (usernames and domains)
- Email checker
- How to choose a unique username
- The username format that works on most sites
- Username data study 2026
- What's inside a 3,000-site username checker
- Search a username on every site · Platform username checkers · All 3,450+ supported sites
- How to read your results · How it works
WhatsMyName Apps is an independent tool, not affiliated with the WhatsMyName project, Sherlock, Maigret or any site it checks.