Can you have similar names on PS4?

Solution 1:

If you're talking about PSN usernames... they're case insensitive internally. The displayed username is unique and the capitalization will be stored, but appear equal when trying the same name with a different capitalization.

• Chris = CHRIS = chris = cHrIs
• If you try a name that's not taken it'll be reserved for a while, so trying the same name again with a different capitalization will cause it to appear as taken
• If you want a similar but different name, you can make use of characters that only look similar, for example:
  • I & l => capital i / small l
  • O & 0 => capital o / zero
  • CHRIS (cap i) and CHRlS (small l) would work (probably taken, but you get the idea)

Solution 2:

While Playstation Network names are case sensitive in their appearance, upper and lower case letters are considered the same for creating unique names, so "Chris" and "chris" are considered the same thing. Users can have similar names as long as they are not completely identical in lower case. Since the PSN has been around for over a decade and it was not possible to change usernames until very recently, many names are already taken. You'll have to come up with a very unique name or try to add numbers or other fillers like hyphens until you find an unused name.