It's not my legal name, but it's a nickname I have had since birth.

My official name is Gerald Burton II, named after my father, of course. I'm not exactly sure how my parents derived "Jed", 
but its been with me all my life.  My dad went by Jerry, and they didn't want me to go by Jerry too, and I guess Gerald just sounded 
too formal to them, so I became Jed. 

Now that I'm older, I love the name and its uniqueness. When I was younger, I wasn't so fond of it due to a lot of teasing from
other kids and the unrelenting barrage of Jed Clampett jokes I had to endure.  Of course, when I was little, in the 1970's, "The Beverly
Hillbillies" was at the peak of its popularity, which of course prompted many misguided souls to bust out  the Beverly Hillbillies 
theme song at the mere mention of my name--"Ohhh, let me tell a story 'bout a man named Jed...".  I still get called Jeff, or Jeb, 
or Jay on a daily basis, but it doesn't bother me, it just comes with the territory.  

I live in Norman, OK and I don't know anyone else by the name of Jed, except a local weatherman by the name of Jed Castles. 

Anywho, thats my story, and I really love the name Jed nowadays. One of the best things about being a Jed, is that we are so few and
far between, we hardly even need a last name, if someone asks you if you know "Jed", chances are you only know one Jed, 
if any at all, so they know right away who you are talking about.  

Unlike our poor brothers named Chris or Mike or Jim.
 
Thanx for your time,

Jed Youmans