'I’m Tiny, Creepy and Enjoy Bad Puns': Twitter Handles Get Explained

If one were ever to wonder how Twitter users come up with their handles - that is their usernames limited to 15 characters – they would most likely think of references to an individual’s first love or favorite pet. Hundreds of users have now taken to the social platform to explain their choices in various ways – literal, serious and sarcastic.

Each handle has a unique URL, with the handle added after twitter.com. With the hashtag #MyHandleExplained trending on Twitter, here are some of the users' reasons. 

Hi. I’m Helen, and I’m a shark. #MyHandleExplained #FollowMe pic.twitter.com/DwMcSJP2ho

— HelenTheShark (@HelenTheShark) April 24, 2018​

It’s my name. #MyHandleExplained

— Skylar Astin (@SkylarAstin) April 24, 2018​

#MyHandleExplained
💜 4 The Purple Yoda👇🏼pic.twitter.com/t7qbtfFUZv

— Miss Shelly (@purpleyodalove) April 24, 2018​

In
Case
Of
Emergency
Please
Run#MyHandleExplained

— Sammy Paul (@ICOEPR) April 24, 2018​

#MyHandleExplained

Cuz I'ma knitter…. pic.twitter.com/nuRk5HGDI4

— K 🖤 (@knitterrrr) April 24, 2018​

#MyHandleExplained This is a rotating account with a different Indigenous person in Australia each week, and X is the coolest letter. It marks the spot… This is the spot.

— Luke Pearson (@IndigenousX) April 24, 2018​

Cat: a carnivorous mammal (Felis catus) long domesticated as a pet and for catching rats and mice.

Cosplay: the activity or practice of dressing up as a character from a work of fiction.#MyHandleExplained pic.twitter.com/kedXLiJrAl

— Cat Cosplay (@Cat_Cosplay) April 24, 2018​

#MyHandleExplained much like little leota i am tiny, creepy, enjoy bad puns about death, and many people find me unsettling and pointless pic.twitter.com/b92aGN7ejC

— space goth shepard (@littleleotas) April 24, 2018​

#MyHandleExplained Just little ol' me! pic.twitter.com/lLKBGvP4pj

— Bettie Boop (@BettieBoop77) April 24, 2018​

#MyHandleExplained we're pretty landlocked here in Swindon so we don't actually have an actual Dock per se

I think of it like our services like Uturn and Ontrak are boats and folks can hop on those boats or find out information on those boats

also we're based in swindon FYI pic.twitter.com/Ls4WjmPw5A

— The Dock (@TheDockSwindon) April 24, 2018​

#MyHandleExplained #disneypixar pic.twitter.com/iPrxJiGLvE

— Mary (@Kevin_Is_A_Girl) April 24, 2018​

Cos I'm a massive geek of these lot….#MyHandleExplained pic.twitter.com/sZColZ6wVG

— SEGA otaku 🍺 🍣 (@SEGAotaku) April 24, 2018​

I am the King 👑 #MyHandleExplained pic.twitter.com/1WCV4eeMLg

— Loyal Moe (@KlNGKHEIR) April 24, 2018​

My favorite Pokemon is Latios and when I was a kid, I always thought the sounds it makes was “Lar Lar”. It wasn’t the case but I stuck by it. #MyHandleExplained pic.twitter.com/g4dthbr3yd

— Larlar (@LarlarGamingYT) April 24, 2018​

Twitter handle is not the same as your display name, which is a "personal identifier (sometimes a business name or real name) displayed in your profile page and used to identify you to friends, especially if your username is something other than your name or business name." And, of course, these are different from your Twitter bio.

READ MORE: Show Me Your 160 Characters, I'll Tell You Who You Are: 9 Memorable Twitter Bios