The Yellow Door Life

If I had been a boy, my dad wanted me to be named Elliott. 

I wish I knew why.

I never asked him.

I’ve told that story countless times, and honestly, I’m glad I was born a girl.

Elliott just gives ET vibes (and I never would have been able to say my own name without sounding like him). 

I was born me though, and my dad’s mom, my Grammie, ended up picking my first name: Emily. 

I never had the chance to thank her for that. I was only in 5th grade when she passed away and it felt like I never got to tell her anything that I actually wanted to. I loved her so much. I wonder what she would think about my life so far. Was I living up to the name of Emily? 

I don’t really have many nicknames based on my first name. Emmy when I was little. A lot of people call me Em now. Most of my nicknames come from Bihm (Bihmbles), or the billion variations middle schoolers apparently create.

I remember looking up my name’s meaning in an old, blue baby name book my mom had with storks all over it. I remember seeing the word “industrious,” but had no idea what it meant back then.

According to Ancestry.com, “Emily derives from the Latin name Aemilia, meaning rival or striving.”

Both are accurate depending on the day I suppose. 

There’s lots of songs titled “Emily,” but the one that always comes to mind is “Emily” by Andy Williams. Oh and “Emily” by From First to Last. Both of those are whole moods. My mom is a big Andy Williams fan, so I grew up listening to his greatest hits on repeat. The second, well of course I found that in my emo era. 

What I find most fascinating about Emily though is not necessarily its meaning, but the people who share my name. 

Emily Dickinson.

Emily Bronte.

Emily P. Freeman. 

Emily Ley. 

All writers. 

I guess it’s all that industriousness in me.

I also didn’t look up Saint Emily till last summer when I was visiting with one of my best friends in Denver. We discovered that St. Emily de Vialar was a French saint (I’m French), born in September (same), and she founded an order of nuns dedicated to helping the sick and educating children (go figure). She is the patron saint of single laywomen, abandoned children, those in need of encouragement, and the sick. 

Turns out Emily is a pretty solid name and I certainly share it with other women who embody a special type of tenacity. 

Just out of curiosity, I had to look up what Elliott means. Turns out “Elliott means “The Lord is my God.” 

Guess I would have been covered either way. 

❤