Nobody wants a Gmail address that looks like this: XxXLorenzoLigato93@gmail.com.
But for those of us who weren't lucky enough to get the username of our choice, a solution might be forthcoming.
Google is testing a new service that will allow Gmail users to personalize their email addresses and avoid those awkward handles. Instead of the custom "@gmail.com" domain that users receive when signing up for Gmail, you would be able to pick a personalized domain, as long as it's not already registered to another user.
This means that, for example, you could choose to turn your email handle into something along the lines of lorenzo.ligato@huffposttech.com or lorenzo@ligato.com.
A spokesman for Google confirmed that the company is testing the initiative.
"We know that your first choice of username probably wasn't yourname384756368@gmail.com, which is why we're experimenting with scalable ways to provide other options," the spokesman said. "This is just a test, though, and we haven't made any decisions for the long term."
Google could not provide any additional details about when the new service will be available or whether Gmail customers will be charged for customized domain names. However, ZDNet reported that a personalized email could cost $2 per month for personal accounts, $5 per user per month for business accounts and $10 per month for unlimited storage.
Right now, only Google Apps users have the option to use a customizable domain. The service starts at $5 per month per user for businesses, while it's free for schools.
Launched in 2004, Google's webmail service has grown at an incredibly fast pace, going from 425 million users in 2012 to 900 million active users as of May 2015. This explains why finding the right Gmail username has become quite tedious -- if not utterly impossible.
When attempting to create a Gmail account for James Smith, Google suggests the username "js625050."
Google, on behalf of the thousands of James Smiths in the world: Please give us personalized domains soon.