How Do I Change My Gmail After Changing My Name?

If you and your partner get married, choosing to take your partner's name is obviously not a new custom. It's common knowledge that you'll have to go to the DMV, change your credit cards and passport, etc. But now we live in a digital age where your online presence is a huge part of both your private and professional lives, and you have usernames, email addresses, and display names to think about now. No matter how tech-savvy you are, this is new territory and you're probably wondering, how to change your name on your gmail account.

There are women who prefer not to take their partners' names, women who are conflicted, and women for whom it is an extremely important facet of an adult partnership, and all decisions should be respected.

Over 80% of women have reported either taking their partners' last names or creating a hyphenated surname. If this is you, then you might be one of the many newlyweds who want to shout your love from the digital rooftops and show your new identity through social media and email. Considering the new importance of online branding for successful careers, and the fact that women are getting married later in life and already have an established internet presence under their birth name, the Internet actually plays a huge, stressful role in the decision-making process for some people.

To make it less stressful, we're breaking down how to change your Gmail account to reflect your partnership should you choose to take the Beyonce Knowles-Carter route.

1. Changing Your Username

So there are two steps you have to take in order to make the Gmail change happen. The easy step is changing your username — the name that appears next to your actual email address. First, log into your Gmail account normally. Once you're in, click on Settings, and then click on Accounts and Import. Scroll down to where it says “Send mail as:” and click “edit info.” Type in your new married name, click save, and rest easy 'cause now anyone that you ever email will know that you are all up in that holy matrimony, girl.

2. Changing Your Actual Email Address

But what if that's not the only change for which you were hoping, considering your maiden name may be in your actual email address? If you want to add your partner's name or remove your maiden name altogether, there are two different options for you. They are a bit more complex, but totally doable. The only way to complete this step at all is to first create a brand new email address, but you can ensure that all messages sent to your single lady inbox go into your married one, too.

First, sign up for a brand new email address that features your new preferred name. Once you've done that, go back into your single lady account, go to Settings, and click on Forwarding and POP/IMAP. Select “Add a forwarding address,” enter your new email, and voila.

Now, for the second option:

Gmail has recently added a new feature that allows you to merge two accounts — an update originally intended to combine work and personal emails that can also conveniently be used to combine your past and present online identity. Unlike the forwarding feature, the process does take seven days to go into effect. But if you have already signed up to spend the rest of your life with another person, the seven day wait should feel like nothing.

There are plenty of other tutorials to make these kinds of changes, so make sure to create the online identity for yourself that makes you the happiest.

Images: mariadelajuana/Flickr; Gmail