Friends group names

Let the name come from the group's own story

A friends' group name is an inside joke that all the insiders agree on. The names in this list are built on the things every circle of friends shares: plans that are cancelled, replies that come at 2 am, the tea stall, the one trip that has been "almost final" for years. Read the list aloud to the group and watch which one makes people argue; that is usually the winner.

The best names are often changed versions of these. Swap in your own food ("Momos at Midnight"), your own meeting point, your college gate, or the sentence one of you says too often. A name that could belong to no other group is the goal.

Funny, but not at someone's cost

Friends tease each other, and that is fine inside the chat, where a person can answer back. A group name is different: it sits at the top every day, and the person it teases cannot reply to it. So avoid names about one friend's weight, marks, break-up, salary or habit of coming late, even if they laughed the first time. Tease the whole group instead ("Hum Nahi Sudhrenge"): when everybody is the target, nobody is.

Also think about where the name will be seen. It appears in notifications at the office and at the dinner table at home, so keep it free of rude words. If the group has gone silent, a conversation starter will do more than a new name.

How to choose a good group name

• Say what the group is. A new member should understand it from the name.
• Keep it short. Long names are cut off in the chat list; about 25 characters show fully.
• Make it yours. Add a surname, a city, a year or a flat block: "Sharma Parivaar Express", "Block B Buzz".
• Keep it kind. A name that makes fun of one member stops being funny quickly.

More group names