Google just made it easier to escape your old Gmail username

"When you update your Google account name, your old handle will become an alias, so you can still use it to communicate over email. Users can change their username once per year, up to three times total over their account's lifetime."

Google has officially announced that Gmail users in the U.S. can change their email addresses. This change allows users to select a new @gmail.com username while keeping their email history and data intact. Users can change their username once per year, with a maximum of three changes throughout their account's lifetime. The old email address will become an alias, allowing continued communication. This update addresses long-standing user requests for more flexibility in managing their email identities.

Read at Fast Company