:|: By Any Other Name :|:

I have a thing about names. Names give people their identities, often in more ways than just a title. My siblings and I were all given our names because of their meanings(not because my parents had a thing for the vowels E and O), though my siblings at least had their names planned out before they were born, me...not so much.

My parents decided to wait until my birth to find out whether I was a girl or a boy, they wanted to be surprised, but my mother was sure that I would be a boy and that I would be named Oliver. Well, the time came - a little earlier than expected, but it came nevertheless - and there I was. A tiny 6 or 7lbs. baby with a very full head of thick soft black hair....a girl...

oops.

Well, names were tossed around quickly, and with the help of my grandma Frost I was to be Emily Michael Hewett.

Emily:

Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: EM-ə-lee [key]

English feminine form of Aemilius (see EMIL). In the English-speaking world it was not common until after the German House of Hanover came to the British throne in the 18th century; the princess Amelia Sophia (1711-1786) was commonly known as Emily in English, even though Amelia is an unrelated name.

Industrious one, or Diligent worker.

[Then there's the Urban dictionary meaning http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=emily ...those can be sketchy but fun]

"The mos beautiful person in the world. Often referred to as a Goddess. Has eyes that one can easily get lost in. A great friend that cares about people and makes the world a better place. Easy to love too."

Michael:
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Czech, Biblical, Biblical Latin
Pronounced: MIE-kəl (English), MI-khah-el (German) [key]
From the Hebrew name מִיכָאֵל (Mikha'el) meaning "who is like God?". This is a rhetorical question, implying no person is like God.

Who is like God, and Esteemed one.

[UD: "the coolest motherflippin name on the planet. Many stupid people say that it is a boring and lame name, but that is not so. Many of the coolest people in the world have that name." http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=michael]

I've since been told that my personality has grown to become my namesake, that is, my personality matches what my names mean. I've also become interested in names in general. Names are cool. So drop me some comments. Tell me your names...

...and the stories behind them :)