After treading around the internet, we all know by now that passwords are the most important element while creating an account online. However, a recent report suggests that although, when you create an online account, setting a strong password should be a top priority, the username also plays a major part in securing your internet experience. Moreover, the report lists the top 200 usernames that most people around the world use.
A recent report published by NordPass, a popular password-managing tool, lists the most popular usernames on the internet. The company partnered with the computer security firm, White-Hat Hackers to create the list.
Top Usernames on the Internet
Unsurprisingly, most of these names are simply the first names of the users who created the accounts, except for the one that topped the list.
So, according to this list, the top username that is used by 8,75,562 users around the world is not a name. It is the word “ยศกร”, which means “title” in Thai.
Following the top username, the other top usernames in the list include names like David (used by 4,70,646), Alex (used by 4,51,546), Maria (used by 4,38,485), Anna (used by 3,87,660), and Marco (used by 3,52,629).
You can check out the complete list of the “top 200 usernames” from NordPass’ official report.
How to Choose a Secure Username?
So, as you can see, most people use their first names as the usernames for their online profiles. However, NordPass says that it is not a healthy practice to keep your first name as your profile username.
The report states that if you provide your first name along with any personal info as your username for an account, “you’re giving half of your credentials away”.
“The worst usernames are those that include personal information. If you’re using personal data to name your account, you may be helping cybercriminals build your profile.”, reads the report.
So, to avoid being tracked by cybercriminals and to keep your persona private, you need to create an unusual and unique username for each of your online accounts. NordPass suggests not to “reuse your username on other accounts” as this makes it easy for hackers to track you online.
Apart from the above consideration, you also need to consider your email address and not choose a username that comes close to it. Also, do not provide any personal info like your birth date, the name of your city, or any ID information.
So, do not ignore your usernames as they can give out some really handy information to cybercriminals on the internet. They can then use their skills to find more about your life and then exploit you by using the information.
