Creating an esports team is a complex process, whether you’re a new group of college kids or seasoned professionals coming together to dominate the esports scene. One surprisingly stressful but vital part of that is naming the said team.

Now, you and your teammates could slave over ideas forever, or you could use a clan name generator. Whichever route you choose, here are some options on how to make your esports team-naming journey as smooth as possible.

How Do You Name an Esports Team?

Well, the first step of naming a gaming team is having one. After all, figuring out your name is a really valuable part of having a team to work with and get inspiration from. Also, if you get into a team with a name already planned, it might clash with the players’ styles or personalities, so team members and a team name really have to go hand in hand.

There are several routes to take when making a cool esports team name, and they are all valid. You just have to explore what fits you, your team, and your goals.

Kind reminder: team names work like brands, and you would want to have a memorable name rather than something out of style!

Cool Factor

You can approach the naming predicament by thinking of some great words to use in your name. That can mean swords, wolves, dragons, etc. Whatever your team members think is rad could be the right direction for your sports team. For example, most LoL fans are big fans of “Echo Fox”’s name, even if they haven’t always been the best team.

Personalized/Silly

Something personal is also always a good option. For example, say that your team always eats the same snack together or has a favorite tactic. It can be kind of silly, but silly is memorable — think “Ganking Bananas.” Silly, fun names that come with a story could set your team apart from the others in the eyes of fans and get you some early supporters.

Use Your Adjectives

Adjectives are always a solid choice when choosing a team name. For starters, it helps describe what kind of people your players are. An excellent example of this is “Fnatic”; they stylized it by getting rid of the “a,” but at the core, they are players who love the games they’re playing, and that’s the vibe they want to give their audience.

Business Deals

Now, a less exciting option is having the name decided for you. If you have sponsors, it could be easier to get them to pay for your name than figure out your own. For example, “SKT T1” was named this way after their sponsor, SK Telecom. It’s not super fun, but it is a good business decision. So, if you don’t have anything specific in mind but have sound business ties, that might be your best option. Also, associating your sports team with a brand can empower it, making it sound more powerful. It’s something definitely worth considering regarding team names.

Creative Writing Project

If you are completely lost and don’t have other ideas, here’s a last-ditch effort: do a creative writing exercise. What does that mean? Well, basically, find some random online prompts for six-word stories and write a few. At least one of them should help you narrow down a cool idea to inspire a name. For example, a story about clowns invading earth could turn into “Harlequin Invasion” or “Jesters in Space.” Both are a little silly, a little fun, but also memorable. Remember that your team name should be treated as your brand!

Sports Team and Franchise

Some major sports leagues in the world work within the franchise system, and each team name refers to the place they come from (in general, like NBA teams). This also happens in esports: the Overwatch League, for instance, has teams named after places in North America. If this is the case, esports team names tend to use a word that names the place or characterizes the team, such as the Vancouver Titans.

But if you really can’t think of something on your own, don’t fear. There are always team name generators in a time of need.

Team Name Generator Options

There is no shame in using a team name generator. Some of the best short story characters or comedic titles have been created or inspired by random name generators, and gaming team names are no exception to that rule.

If you require some automated online support, there are quite a few options across the Internet for you to create and decide between cool esport team names. You can also use them as a clan name generator. Here are a few of the most common:

• RumandMonkey.con
• Name-Generator.org
• Nickfinder.com
• Namegenerator.com
• Wordlab.com
• Teamnames.net
• Teamnamegenerator.com
• Storyshack.com
• TeamNamesGeneric.com

Also, remember that you don’t necessarily have to pick one of the names a team name generator gives you, but it could help a lot by giving you the inspiration you need to get a good idea for your own version. Even in a traditional sports team, those ideas are often applied. Feel free to take over the naming process and create your own name!

What Are Some Cool Esports Team Names?

If you want to know some cool esports team names out there, here are some to give you an idea of what you might want:

• Fnatic
• Evil Geniuses
• Team Dignitas
• Ninjas in Pyjamas
• Meet Your Makers
• Natus Vincere/Na’Vi
• Dire Wolves
• Astralis
• Unicorns of Love
• Cloud9

It’s important to note that you will not get the best esports team name just from following in others’ footsteps. But if you really like something fun like “Unicorns of Love,” it might help you pick a fun name like “Keyboard Hydras.” Or, if “Astralis” is more your style, you could look into Latin/ancient words that inspire you. Also, each particular game can also inspire you. Remember that you will probably want a website or T-shirts with your team name on them, so try to avoid picking something too long or too complex. A random team can be remembered forever thanks to its name!

Also, while for some of the listed above, the consensus is that fans like them, no name will please everyone. So don’t get down if some subset of Reddit thinks it’s dumb. While it’s fun to please the fans, ultimately, your team name is about representing its members. Esports names have to be catchy or funny, sure, but they have to represent the ideals you want each esports player to keep in mind, and the players themselves have a big role in that sense.

Business Notes

The process of building a team is a bit more than picking a name, though, and the name-picking could get complicated. After all, a small-time team could probably name themselves whatever they want. But if you’re going to turn your team into an esports organization or a small business of sorts, you do have to register your business name. You need to pick what region you’re operating in and make sure you register under a name that’s all yours — and only yours. Considering how many businesses are out there, no wonder some business/team names seem weird sometimes.

This may seem like annoying paperwork, but if you plan to go far with your esports team and build a business around it, it gives you personal liability protection, legal benefits, and tax benefits. Remember that team names can be considered team branding choices, therefore pick your team name carefully and properly register it!