I changed my name in my mid-30s for fun - here's what my family thought

A woman has revealed she changed her name in her mid-30s just because she 'felt like it' - and shared how her friends and family reacted to the news. 

For her entire life, she was known as Jessica T, and couldn't stand the unoriginality of it. 

Now, at 42 years old, the Illinois native has shared that she legally changed her first, last, and middle name to Jay Vera Summer in her mid-30s for fun. 

And while she was overjoyed her name would finally reflect who she was, her parents and pals weren't as enthusiastic and even questioned if she changed her name for suspicious reasons. 

Jessica revealed she changed her name to Jay in her mid-30s just because she 'felt like it'

While working toward an MFA in creative writing ten years ago, then known as Jessica had an idea to change her name simply because she didn't like being known as 'one Jessica in a line of three living right in a row.' 

Speaking to Today, she said: 'Growing up, I often felt like no one special, and my name seemed to reflect that.' 

While brainstorming to pick a new name, the now-42-year-old came up with many ideas. 

She toyed with the idea of changing her name to 'Jane', 'Jude', and 'Jo', however, didn't feel comfortable with picking a moniker one of her friends already had. 

After going through nearly every 'J' name, she realized she was over-complicating things. She decided on the name Jay.

'Jay' is perfect. Simple. Complete,' she told the outlet. 

She then brainstormed both middle and last names before picking Vera Summer. Jessica made sure she was the only person with her name in existence. 

To legally change her name, she filled out paperwork, paid 'a few hundred dollars' and stood in front of a judge. 

Jessica told the judge she just 'felt like' changing her name, and just like that she was officially known as Jay. 

The Illinois native, now 42 years old revealed her family and friends didn't approve of the name change at first, with her parents questioning why she would want to 'leave the family'

Then, the 42-year-old had to let her family and friends know. 

Unfortunately, her parents and pals weren't as supportive of her name change as the judge. 

At first, her friends didn't even believe her, which prompted Jay to show them her new driver's license as evidence. However, the interrogation from her friends still went on. 

They asked: 'Are you in a witness protection program? Are you sure you’re OK? If you were hiding from someone, you’d tell me, right? Who have you been dating since you moved to Florida? What have you gotten involved in that I don’t know about?' 

And when she told her parents, the reaction was even more brutal than she had expected. 

The conversations surrounding her new moniker were tense, with her parents questioning as to why she would want to 'leave' the family.  

Jay told Today: 'In one particularly heated moment, my mom said, "You can change your name, but you can’t change that I gave birth to you,” as we drove together to a restaurant. 

Now, years later, her family and friends have all accepted her new name, and everyone that once called her Jessica now refers to her as Jay

'Once in the restaurant, we ate our entire meal in silence, me trying to hide my face from other patrons, as tears streamed down my cheeks and onto my food. ' 

Now, years later, her family and friends have all accepted her new name. 

And, everyone that once called her Jessica now refers to her as Jay. 

And while the 42-year-old doesn't regret changing her name, she does wish she hadn't been so naïve. 

'I’m still grateful I changed my name, but I now see that I was naïve when I made that decision. 

'We live in a more conformist society than I realized from within my little bubble of fellow creative folks, and doing things outside of the norm is often viewed as a red flag,' she explained.