Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about RealNames email forwarding
What is RealNames?
RealNames is a professional email forwarding service. You get a surname-based email address — like john@smith.net or sarah@johnson.com — that forwards to whatever inbox you already use. Nothing about your existing email changes; you just give out the new address.
How does email forwarding work?
When someone sends an email to your RealNames address, it is instantly forwarded to your existing inbox (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, iCloud, etc.). You read and reply to it just as you normally would. With a one-time reply-to setting in your email app, your replies show your RealNames address — not your old one.
Do I need to switch my email app or provider?
No. RealNames works with any email provider and any email app. You keep using Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook, or whatever you use today. Your existing inbox, contacts, and sent mail are all unaffected.
What email providers does this work with?
RealNames works with Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook.com, iCloud, AOL, and any ISP email (Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, etc.). If you can receive email there, RealNames can forward to it. Setup guides for each provider are available at realnames.com/support.
What does it cost?
A primary address costs $39/year. Additional family members on the same domain are $19/year each. There are no setup fees and no per-email charges.
What surnames are available?
RealNames owns the largest collection of surname domains in the world — over 33,900 domains covering approximately 60% of American families across .com, .net, and .org. Coverage of Latino surnames is particularly strong at around 88% of the top surnames. You can check availability instantly at realnames.com.
What if my surname isn't available?
If your exact surname isn't in the collection, there's no workaround — we can only offer addresses on domains we own. You can check realnames.com and we'll let you know if it's available. Availability expands as we add domains over time.
What if the address I want (e.g. john@smith.net) is already taken?
There's almost always room. We own smith.com, smith.net, and smith.org, so if john@smith.net is taken, john@smith.com may be available. If your first name is taken across all variants, a middle initial (johnm@) or nickname (jack@) usually works.
Will senders know my email forwards somewhere else?
No. When someone emails your RealNames address, they see only that address. There is no indication that it forwards anywhere. Your professional address is what they see and what they get.
Will I lose emails sent to my old address?
Not at all. Your old address keeps working as long as you keep it active. You can optionally forward your old address to your new one so everything arrives in one place, but this is not required.
How is this different from Google Workspace or Microsoft 365?
Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 give you a custom domain email address with full mailbox hosting, starting at around $6–7/month. RealNames is a forwarding service — you don't get a separate mailbox, you keep using the one you have. This makes RealNames simpler to set up, less expensive ($39/year vs $72+/year), and requires no migration. The tradeoff is that you can't log in to a separate RealNames inbox — everything goes through your existing provider.
Can my whole family use the same domain?
Yes. Once you have smith.net, you can add jane@smith.net, mike@smith.net, and any other family member for $19/year each. Everyone forwards to their own separate inbox.
How long does setup take?
Getting your address takes about two minutes at checkout. The optional reply-to configuration in your email app (so replies show your new address) takes another two minutes and requires no technical knowledge. Full setup guides are at realnames.com/support.