It might seem like a few simple clicks, but choosing an email name can be incredibly hard! So you want to make sure your permanent email name hits a few requirements before getting stuck with it forever.

• Your email should include your first and last name.
• It should be as short and easy to remember as possible.
• It should not include any personal information like birthday, wedding anniversary, phone number, Social Security number, etc.
• Your email should not include random numbers and characters, except for “.” and “-“.
• Your email name should represent your unique personality but not include inappropriate adjectives.

However, with over 1.8 billion email addresses on Gmail, creating an email username that follows all these rules can be challenging.

Gmail vs. Yahoo vs. Outlook: Which Is Better?

Arguably the three most popular email providers in the world, you might be debating between a Google, Yahoo, or Microsoft Outlook email account.

Google maintains the highest number of email addresses globally with 1.8 billion, while as of 2020, Yahoo has 225 million. Google offers a suite of popular, interconnected apps like Docs, Calendar, Drive, and Hangouts. Yahoo gives users one terabyte of storage with fewer offerings but has a low security rating, in addition to its calendar, and contact book.

On the other hand, many users love Microsoft Outlook for a suite of apps similar to Google but with a streamlined, modern interface. Outlook offers Office 365 to integrate documents, calendars, contacts, and more.

5 Tips for Choosing an Email Name

You can try choosing your email name randomly, but here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Try the Standard Format First

This would include combinations of “firstnamelastname” or “lastnamefirstname” with periods or hyphens as needed. This format is the most popular, so don’t be surprised if your name isn’t available. You might need to utilize other combinations or get creative.

2. Use Your Initials

Probably the most common solution in a world where many email names are taken, try a combination of your initials such as “firstinitiallastname” with or without periods and hyphens.

3. Utilize Prefixes and Suffixes

Using your profession in your email name might be the key to finding an unclaimed, appropriate username. Use a shortened, professional form of your first name, such as “Mike” for “Michael.” You can also try salutations such as “Mr.” or “Mrs.” or a prefix or suffix related to your profession like “doc” for a doctor, “law” for a lawyer, “er” for an engineer, and so on.

4. Add a Unique Greeting

It’s common these days to add your preferred greeting of choice, such as “hey,” “hi,” or “this is.” An email name with those options might look like “himarysmith@gmail.com” or “heyjohnlempley@gmail.com.” If this feels like your personality, go for it!

5. Use a Less Common Email Provider

Although your first instinct might be to go with a large, well–known email provider like Google, if you’re having trouble finding the perfect email name, using a smaller provider might work. Google Workspace Gmail, Proton mail, and Outlook are other options that might have more available email names.

How to Increase Your New Email Productivity

Now that you have a brand-new email name, you might be itching to get your workday started! To power through tasks faster and more efficiently, utilizing high-quality Gmail productivity tools and Google extensions is a must.

Try a Gmail meeting scheduler to quickly let colleagues select a time to meet with you based on predetermined availability, or use email templates to streamline frequent communication. A free email signature generator can help you quickly create a professional sign-off, and formatted email subject lines can help your message stand out.

Selecting the Best Email Name

By getting creative and following a few standard best practices, you’ll be able to select the perfect email name in no time. With the right email name, you’ll whiz through your workday faster, and if you’re using Gmail, there are over 50 free Gmail productivity apps to utilize.