Naming your new team
You've convinced your friends to come and try a new trivia night. You've all arrived to the venue. You've ordered your drinks and sat down to play. Suddenly the host arrives, and having introduced themself, they ask that dreaded question: "What's your team name?"
Coming up with a fun, witty, or poignant team name can be tricky. The good news is, you usually don't have to! Most trivia nights do not award bonus points for team names, so you can relax and choose anything that suits your group at the time. The best team names are the ones that you decide are appropriate for your team. The more important thing is to not choose a tired, cliché, overused name. And before you call me a grumpy old curmudgeon, this isn't about judging people for lacking creativity...
Who cares if we choose a cliché team name?
Any host who has run more than 10 trivia nights will have already noticed that some team names show up time and time again. Panicked players often turn to the internet looking for trivia team name inspiration, only to land on the same sites with the same lists that every team before them has seen. Thus the constant and repetitive churn of the same old tired puns at every quiz night, all over the English-speaking world.
The problem with selecting a pre-generated team name on the advice of a random website isn't just that it's boring or bland; it's that if you're rocking up to an established trivia night or pub quiz for the first time, there's a reasonable chance that a team at that venue is already using that name! (Case in point from one of my venues: there's currently a silent tension between a loyal team of 5 years and a relatively new group, both wishing to be The Quizzards of Oz.)
A list of banned team names?
Believe it or not, some trivia hosts literally ban certain team names to preserve their own sanity (or perhaps just for the ego trip).
But whether there's an official ban or not, you'll ingratiate yourself faster as a new team and avoid that potential awkwardness of "stealing" an existing team's name if you come up with something unique to you.
The list of dreaded overdone trivia team names
Try not to pick any of these team names:
- Quizzly Bears
- Quiz Khalifa
- Quizee Rascal
- Quizteam-a Aguilera
- We Thought This Was Speed Dating
- Quiz on my Face
- Trivia Newton John
- Let's Get Quizzical
- You're a Quizzard Harry
- Big Fact Hunt
- My Drinking Team has a Trivia Problem
This is not an exhaustive list, but you'll probably find that most venues have at least one long-term team using one of these names.
Best ideas for team names
There is something to be said for the wit that certain trivia teams can bring to their name. Sometimes groups choose a new name each week, playing on the recent news headlines, or the latest movie to hit the cinemas. But if your team isn't wired to show off that kind of creativity (and there are no points on the line) then don't feel pressured to show off.
Your team name only exists to identify you for the duration of the quiz. The secret is - you don't even have to be creative! Nothing is set in stone, and if you come up with a better team name before the next quiz, you can adopt a new moniker each and every night!
So what practical suggestions are there if you're at the end of your rope, keen to quiz, but not feeling particularly witty? Here's some simple options:
Inspiration for team names
1. The Real Name - Some teams are family groups who simply play as "The Smiths" or "Jones Family Team" or "Sarah & Michael". And that's just fine!
2. The Random Animal - Why not be "The Penguins" or "The Ferrets" or even "The Tardigrade Water Bears"?
3. The Descriptor - Look around your table and decide on a quick way to describe yourselves. "The Poor Students", "We Feel Old" or "Six Girls plus Mikey" are all wonderful titles.
4. The Movie Quote - Does your group share a common interest, such as a movie? Pick a quoteable line and you've got yourself a team name! A regular team at BrisQuiz Trivia is "On Wednesdays We Wear Pink", but you could just as easily be "Anybody Wanna Peanut?" or "This is SPARTAAA!" or "I'll Be Back".
5. The Last Resort - If all else fails, and you don't want to share your real name (and can't think of a fake one), simply use your table number as your team name. Why not? There's no rule saying you can't play as "Table 14" or "That Table in the Corner".
Go forth and quiz
You've read this whole article and perhaps you're thinking "But that hasn't told me what to call my team!" Well, that's true. Because at the end of the day, it's up to you, and your host will appreciate you turning up as a new team regardless of how hilarious or punny or timely your team's name is. Don't put undue pressure on yourself before the questions have even started - relax, laugh, chat with your new team, and let your identity come out naturally. And if you don't find your perfect team name the first time you play together, that's okay: there's always next week!